With his new album riding high on the Jazz radio charts, Grammy-nominated international jazz pianist, Monty Alexander, will roll into The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle, Washington aboard the Harlem-Kingston Express this July 24th for a three-night performance.
The Jamaican-born musical virtuoso and his band will perform through July 27th and will be treating fans to some of the latest tracks from his new album, ‘Harlem-Kingston Express Vol. 2: The River Rolls On,’ which was released on April 8th on the Motéma Music label and has remained for seven weeks at number one the Jazz radio charts.
“We are bringing my birthday party to Seattle,” commented Alexander who turned 70 in June. “The band and I look forward to treating fans tosome of the latest from the new album such as “Love Notes,” with my friends George Benson, Ramsey Lewis and Joe Sample; a live version of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” recorded live in 2005 with vocalist Wendel Ferraro; previously unreleased live recordings of the Jamaican folk song “Linstead Market;” “Regulator (Reggae-Later),” as well as a mix of interpretations including “People Make the World Go Round,” “What’s Going On” (“Wa’a Gwan”) and Jimmy Cliff’s reggae landmark “The Harder They Come.”
Alexander will be joined for the Seattle performance by band members Hassan Shakur (acoustic bass), Dennis Mackrel (drums), Andy Bassford (guitar), Joshua Thomas (electric bass) and Karl Wright (drums/percussion).
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. on July 24th through 26th for two nightly performances – at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., respectively. On Sunday July 27th, Alexander and the Harlem-Kingston Express will only perform at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $26.50 per performance. To reserve your seat today, log on here or to http://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=1403
Seattle’s Jazz Alley is a fixture of the Seattle live music and dining scene, family-owned and operated since 1979.
ALEXANDER’S 2014 TOUR SCHEDULE
August 1 – Telluride, CO, Telluride Jazz Festival w/ Harlem Kingston Express
August 2-3 – Denver, CO, Dazzle Jazz w/ Monty Alexander
August 7 – Vail, CO, Vail Jazz Festival w/ Monty Alexander Trio
August 8-9 – Aspen, CO, Aspen JazzSnowman w/ Harlem Kingston Express
August 10 – San Jose, CA, San Jose Jazz Festival w/ Harlem Kingston Express
August 30 – Easton, MD, 6th Annual Monty Alexander Jazz Festival
September 13 – Salt Lake City, UT, Capitol Theatre w/ Harlem Kingston Express
November 8 – Cape May, NJ, Jazz Festival w/ Harlem Kingston Express
ABOUT MONTY ALEXANDER
In a career spanning five decades and with 70 recordings under his belt, Alexander has built a reputation that bridged the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica to create his own musical brand.
His collaborations span multiple genres, styles, and generations and he has performed globally with renowned artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Natalie Cole and Tony Bennett among numerous others.
In August 2000 the Jamaican government awarded Alexander the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador. And in 2012, ‘Harlem Kingston Express: Live!,’ was singled out by both the recording industry and fans and received a Grammy award nomination.
In the summer of 2012, Alexander was also awarded the prestigious German Jazz Trophy, “A Life for Jazz” while in November of the same year, he received the Caribbean American Heritage Luminary Award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington, D.C.
For more on the Caribbean’s greatest jazz pianist and his music visit him on YouTube or at montyalexander.com. You can also like him on Facebook at facebook.com/officialmontyalexander or keep up to date on his performance on Twitter at @montyHKE.
