Jamaica-born, Caribbean-raised jazz great and Grammy-nominated artist Monty Alexander is in high demand this year, with performances that have him globetrotting and city-hopping on the heels of his new album and his 51st year as a musician.
Alexander, whose 50th anniversary album Harlem-Kingston Express: Live! was nominated for a Reggae Grammy and won rave reviews fromThe Wall Street Journal, The London Evening Standard and Jazz Times among dozens of other media houses, took his brand of stirring jazz to the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland yesterday and which continues through to Saturday.
The performance comes as Alexander’s new album release, Uplift 2, on the JLP label sits at No. 2 on the jazz charts.
The stellar musician will then return to the United States to share a similar kind of joy with his fans at Boston’s legendary Scullers Jazz Clubon April 26 and New York City’s famous Birdland Jazz Club from May 7 to 11.
1st Performance in Dominica
Alexander then has performances in Boston and New York City, before heading to Dominica for the first time, where he will headline the increasingly popular, Dominica Jazz ‘n’ Creole Festival on May 19 at the Cabrits National Park.
“For many years I have harboured the desire to be able to visit one of the beautiful islands in the Caribbean – Dominica,” commented Alexander.
“I have had friends of Dominican heritage, including Connie Kay, the great drummer from the great Modern Jazz Quartet. To be able to bring a musical offering to Dominica makes my visit extra special.”
Following his Dominica debut, Alexander will again join his Harlem Kingston Express to bring his brand of jiving jazz to Washington, DC’s popular Blues Alley from June 20 to 23 and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 28 at the South Park Band Shell.
He and his band will wrap up the first half of 2013 at the Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 29.
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