Monty Alexander: "the River" at Monty Alexander Jazz Festival at Avalon Theatre

With a career spanning more than six decades, Monty Alexander is considered one of the top five greatest jazz pianists ever. Renowned for his vibrant personality, soulful message, and musical expression, the Jamaican-born musician’s repertoire covers a broad range of jazz and Jamaican stylings—from American standards to more contemporary pieces that encompass elements of the blues, gospel, bebop, calypso, and reggae genres.

Shortly after moving to Miami with his mother in 1961, Alexander experienced a chance encounter with Frank Sinatra—who, after hearing him perform, invited him to New York City...

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With a career spanning more than six decades, Monty Alexander is considered one of the top five greatest jazz pianists ever. Renowned for his vibrant personality, soulful message, and musical expression, the Jamaican-born musician’s repertoire covers a broad range of jazz and Jamaican stylings—from American standards to more contemporary pieces that encompass elements of the blues, gospel, bebop, calypso, and reggae genres.

Shortly after moving to Miami with his mother in 1961, Alexander experienced a chance encounter with Frank Sinatra—who, after hearing him perform, invited him to New York City. Alexander later scored a gig at Jilly’s, the West 52nd Street piano bar owned by Sinatra’s close friend Jilly Rizzo, where he and his band swung into the wee hours of the morning for Sinatra and other celebrities, thrill seekers, and iconic jazzfolk, like Miles Davis, Count Basie, Milt Jackson, and Roy Haynes.

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