HUMBERTO AMORIM - JAZZ IS TIMELESS

O pianista jamaicano de jazz Monty Alexandre nasceu exatamente no Dia-D, 6 de junho de 1944, em Kingston,Jamaica e começou a estudar piano com seis anos de idade embora grande parte de seu conhecimenbto tenha desenvolvido por conta propria.

Quando adolescente assistiu em um teatro da cidade apresentação de Louis Armstriong e Nat King Cole que passaram a exercer permanente influência em seu trabalho. Formou a banda “Monty and the Cyclones” no final da década de 50 e participou do grupo “The Skatalites”, primeira banda de Bob Marley.

Foi com a família para os Estados Unidos em 1961. Dois anos depois enquanto tocava em Las Vegas foi descoberto pelo empresário da noite Jilly Rizzo e seu grande amigo Frank Sinatra. Tocou por um bom tempo no Jilly's Club em Nova Yorque onde acompanhou Sinatra e muitos outros famosos freqüentadores da casa. Mas, foi o encontro com o vibrafonista Milt Jackson, que abriu para ele as portas do "jazz business" nas atuações com Charlie Parker e Ray Brown com os quais também gravou algumas vezes.

Os solos de piano no filme “BIRD” de Clint Eastwood são dele.
Imperdível os CDs “Concrete Jungle” de homenagem à Bob Marley e “Calypso Blues” de homenagem à Nat King Cole.

Continua ativo se apresentando em concertos e festivais mundo afora.

Clique e curta Monty ao piano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itc_xTuQhcM




In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others.

Born on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, he took his first piano lessons at age six, although he is largely self-taught. As a teenager, he witnessed concerts by Louis Armstrong and Nat “King” Cole at Kingston’s Carib Theater. These artists had a profound effect on Alexander’s aspirations. He formed Monty and the Cyclones in the late 1950s and also recorded on sessions with the musicians who would catapult Jamaican music to international recognition as The Skatalites (Bob Marley’s first backing band).

Alexander and his family came to the United States at the end of 1961. Less than two years later, while playing in Las Vegas with Art Mooney’s orchestra, he caught the eye of New York City club owner Jilly Rizzo and his friend, Frank Sinatra. Rizzo hired the young pianist to work in his club, Jilly’s, where he accompanied Sinatra and others. There he met Modern Jazz Quartet vibraphonist Milt Jackson, who hired him and eventually introduced him to former Charlie Parker collaborator and legendary bassist Ray Brown. Alexander recorded and performed with the two jazz giants on many occasions. Jazz’s greatest luminaries welcomed Alexander to their “musical fraternity” in the mid-1960s. Among these earliest enthusiasts for his playing were none other than Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Miles Davis.

To this day, Alexander maintains an active touring schedule, from intimate jazz clubs to concert halls and jazz festivals around the globe. His collaborations span multiple genres, styles, and generations. His projects have been as varied as assisting Natalie Cole in her tribute album to her father, Nat “King” Cole in 1991 (the resulting album, Unforgettable, won seven Grammy awards), performing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” under the direction of Bobby McFerrin at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and recording the piano track for the film score of Clint Eastwood’s Bird, a movie about the life of jazz titan Charlie Parker.

Tradução - Humberto Amorim