Monty Alexander 80th Birthday Celebration at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

“When Monty Alexander sits down at the piano, you can't help but smile. Go ahead, try not to. The jazzman plays with such delight and sense of humor that if your foot's not tapping, chances are you might be dead.” The Globe and Mail

Nearly 60 years after moving to the United States from his hometown in Kingston, Jamaica, legendary pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience with his vibrant personality and soulful musical messages.

By grafting the traditions of American jazz to his Jamaican roots, Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. In every performance, his spirited artistry is filled with endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.”...

read more

“When Monty Alexander sits down at the piano, you can't help but smile. Go ahead, try not to. The jazzman plays with such delight and sense of humor that if your foot's not tapping, chances are you might be dead.” The Globe and Mail

Nearly 60 years after moving to the United States from his hometown in Kingston, Jamaica, legendary pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience with his vibrant personality and soulful musical messages.

By grafting the traditions of American jazz to his Jamaican roots, Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. In every performance, his spirited artistry is filled with endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.”

In his storied and prolific career, he has performed and/or recorded with the biggest artists from every corner of the musical universe: Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett and many more.

With appearances on more than 75 recordings as a leader and sideman, Monty is cited as the 5th greatest jazz pianist ever in the definitive book, The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time. We invite you to join us for this birthday celebration of the jazz icon. And for anyone who knows Monty, this isn’t going to be a celebration, this is going to be a party!

show less