Monty Alexander Monty Alexander piano, vocals Hassan Shakur ...

and popularized by one of his all-time favorite artists and good
friends, Tony Bennett. His second release on Chesky, «Calypso
Blues», is tribute to another one of his heroes, Nat King Cole.
In 2008, with the invitation of Wynton Marsalis, Alexander conceived
and directed the acclaimed program Lords of the West
Indies at Jazz at Lincoln Center, broadcast nationally on BETJ.
Alexander returned to Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2009 with a
new program, Harlem Kingston Express in which he merged
classic Jazz with rhythms and vibrations of his native Jamaica.
In the winter of 2008 American singer and icon, Tony Bennett
personally invited Monty to record as the featured pianist on
his Christmas album, «A Swinging Christmas», with the Count
Basie Orchestra. Monty can be spotted on the album cover,
holding a turkey next to Tony Bennett. Two collections were released
in 2011 that capture the excitement of Monty Alexander’s
live performances around the world: «Uplift», a trio album
on JLP Records, and «Harlem-Kingston Express» on Motema
Music. «Harlem Kinston Express Live!» was singled out by
both the recording industry and fans and received a Grammy
award nomination in 2012. Between «Uplift» and «Harlem-
Kingston Express Live!» Monty Alexander has officially dominated
the US radio charts with three number 1 spots in 2011,
as not only Uplift remained at number 1 for several weeks but
«Harlem-Kingston Express Live!» rose to number 1 on Jazz
charts and on World Music charts concurrently. In the summer
of 2012 Monty Alexander was awarded the prestigious German
Jazz Trophy, A Life for Jazz and in November 2012 he received
the Caribbean American Heritage Luminary Award from the Institute
of Caribbean Studies in Washington, D.C.
27