Monty Alexander plays Baloise Session – «My Roots to Jazz»

Synopsis

Somewhat further south, but still in the big Creole-Caribbean area, is where pianist Monty Alexander comes from. He grew up in Jamaica and first learned calypso, which is where his unbridled playing, his power and his incredible passion for music must have their roots. At the age of seventeen, he went to the US, played jazz with great virtuosity and was immediately an insider secret. Even the great Frank Sinatra was moved to remark: «Monty is music dynamite!» He always kept his eye on the explosive music developments of ska and reggae in his former home of Jamaica, and in the eighties he began to tour with two rhythm sections: one, a sleek jazz section with bass and drums, the other, rastas with guitars that add Caribbean flair.

Additional Info

• No: 8248
• Production year: 2014
• Run time: 00:59:00
• Director: Roli Bärlocher
• Producers: Session Basel AG
• Format: HDTV 16:9