Alexander, who is gearing up for the release of his “Harlem Kingston Express 2,” next year, will begin the celebration with his annual holiday performance at the legendary Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., from December 27th through the 31st.
Jamaica’s Commander of Distinction and ‘Luminary Award’ 2012 recipient will continue his musical celebration with a historic performance in January 2014 at New York’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club.
The New York performance at the legendary jazz club will run from January 13th for one night only before returning for six consecutive nights, from January 21st with vocalist, Caterina Zapponi & the Pizzarellis on guitars and bass and John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton from the 22nd to the 24th . All of the artists will be backed by Alexander’s Grammy-nominated band, the Harlem-Kingston Express.
“A History Of Reggae,” will take the show to higher heights on January 25th and 26th and will not only feature Jamaica’s Commander of Distinction and ‘Luminary Award’ 2012 recipient, Alexander, but Ernest Ranglin, Jamaica’s Master of the Guitar and the pioneer and innovator of reggae and Jamaican music; and the new Prince of Reggae and Jamaica’s most buzzed about reggae act, Chronixx.
Ranglin played guitar on many early ska recordings in Jamaica and helped create the rhythmic guitar style that defined the music form. He has worked with Jimmy Cliff, The Skatalites and the late great Robert Nesta Marley and is a known for a chordal and rhythmic approach that blends jazz, mento and reggae with percussive guitar solos incorporating rhythm ‘n’ blues and jazz inflections. In 2008 Ranglin was inducted into the Jamaican Music Hall of Fame by the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA).
Chronixx, born Jamar McNaughton, 21, has been lauded recently as reggae’s next superstar. The first single from his “Dread and Terrible” EP, “Here Comes Trouble” recently topped the BBC’s digital urban station Radio 1Xtra chart, is in rotation on Sirius XM’s reggae channel.
“This show will be one of the most incredible that I have ever been a part of,” commented Alexander. “It will truly be called a musical presentation of the history of reggae and Jamaican music!”
TICKETS
Advance tickets to the Blues Alley performance can be obtained by logging on to .
For Blue Note tickets, log on to https://www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=11634
ABOUT MONTY ALEXANDER
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.
For more on the Caribbean’s greatest jazz pianist and his music visit www.montyalexander.com.
