Monty Alexander: ‘I Was Playing Piano at A Club. In Walked Frank Sinatra’

Monty Alexander is easily one of the most underrated – though not unappreciated – jazz pianists on the American jazz scene. He has been among the top few jazz pianists over the last several decades, playing consistently good music. 

Mumbai will be treated to an evening of his remarkable skills on the piano when he performs at the NCPA Jazz Festival on November 26th at the Tata Theatre. His theme for the festival is ‘Jamaica to Jazz.’ Alexander will be accompanied by Dennis Rollins on the trombone, Joshua Thomas on electric bass and guitar, Luke Sellick on acoustic bass and Jason Brown on drums. 

Born in Jamaica, Alexander started playing piano at the age of six and moved to the U.S. in his teens in 1961, and has been a significant figure in jazz, having performed with some of the finest jazz musicians around. 

We had a long conversation with Alexander over the phone with his Mumbai debut in mind and found a delightful, frank, happy artist who was willing to speak openly on matters jazz, cricket, calypso, reggae and almost anything else. His approach to his music is as upbeat as his lilting Jamaican style of speaking, reminiscent of Michael Holding commentating on cricket matches. It was a delightful chat and we have excerpted a few highlights from the conversation. 

Hi Monty, how is the jazz scene in New York these days? 

It’s a mixture of the traditional sound and what a bunch of young people are doing, not always sounding like the music one has been used to. 

For the young crowd, Duke Ellington was quite vehement when he said, “If you want to know where you are going, it is important to know where you have come from.” Maybe the young lot of musicians should pay heed to that and find some direction in their sound. 

Now that you take the name of the giant Edward Kennedy Ellington, for me whatever he said is gospel. What a man he was! Yes, the youth should certainly study the music and its history. 

Yes, and what an impact Duke Ellington has had on the music! A true pillar of jazz. 

I carefully read his biography to try and absorb the knowledge. I clearly remember him talking about his visit to India with his famous band. 

SS: Yes, he toured India with his illustrious band in the 60s. I once heard a reference to you on a jazz radio station, I think in Chicago. They were having a jazz “blindfold” quiz where the audience was invited to guess the pianist playing a certain piece and win a prize. Somebody guessed it was Oscar Peterson playing – and the announcer laughed and said, “No, it isn’t Oscar, but when you think it is Oscar and it isn’t, it will probably be Monty Alexander.” They were playing your recording. 

[Laughs] That’s flattering. I knew Oscar very well. You know, when he got on the stage, he looked every inch a piano player. He had a commanding presence even before he played the first note. You know, he was originally from the West Indies, from Barbados, and we would talk in the Caribbean lingo and about our common culture. 

Recently, Canada has honored Oscar by minting coins with him on them! 

Who are the other jazz pianists you have liked? 

Nat Cole when he played piano, Errol Garner, Ahmad Jamal. These pianists are marvelous. I’m in touch with Ahmad Jamal who is 92 now and still playing. Of course, Sonny Rollins is also 92, but he has stopped playing. 

Speaking of the great Oscar Peterson, who incidentally was also deeply impressed with Nat King Cole’s piano playing, we noticed that you were often accompanied by musicians who played with Oscar – Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, Herb Ellis and others. How was the experience of playing with these giants? 

Well, Ray Brown was simply the best bass player there ever was, so I was blessed. Drummer Ed Thigpen played with me at Montreaux. He was a traditional hard-driving drummer and made me improve my playing just to keep up with him! 

You recorded with Dizzy Gillespie at Montreaux as well. 

That was in 1977 with Dizzy and also Milt Jackson. Those were fabulous sessions for Pablo Records. 

Being from Jamaica, did you ever meet Michael Holding and Bob Marley? 

When I was growing up we heard the calypso. Reggae was not around then. That came later. 

I have played and recorded some of Bob Marley’s music. 

With Michael Holding, I once played at a function to honor him. He was quite something. 

I love the cricket from the West Indies; people like the three W’s, Weeks, Walcott and Worrell. There was Wesley Hall and I remember those spinners from Trinidad, Ramadhin and Valentine. 

And Rohan Kanhai… 

Ah! Yes. Rohan Kanhai, of course. 

How did you get into jazz? 

As a young boy of 10 or so, I heard Louis Armstrong in Jamaica in 1955 and after the show was able to shake hands with the great man. That was the moment I decided that I would play jazz. 

That’s quite a moment. How did you get to New York? 

Serendipity! I had moved to Miami and was playing piano at a club. In walked Frank Sinatra with his friend Jilly. Sinatra came up to me and said I should move to New York. It just happened that his friend Jilly owned a popular jazz club named after him. I moved to New York and played at Jilly’s. Sinatra was a frequent visitor there. 

Did you ever play with Frank Sinatra? 

Not on a recording but one night, Sinatra came to the club where I was playing and said he wanted to sing a few. I accompanied him. 

Did you meet other jazz musicians at Jilly’s? 

Yes. Miles Davis was there quite often. He was always dressed immaculately in a suit, and would sit and listen to me play. 

What do you think made Miles give up his beautiful acoustic sound and take to electronic music, jazz rock and fusion? 

Miles had a concert in San Francisco. The band opening for him was a rock band. The crowd waiting to get in went around the block. It turned out that the young folks had come for the rock band, not for Miles! That got him thinking. 

He started to listen to Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, and others. He wanted the following that the rock folks were getting. He brought in the amplified electronic sound, keyboards, rock guitars and drummers who played the backbeat. His music was no longer melodic and he even changed the way he dressed. He wore what looked like pyjamas! But he got the crowds in. 

What did you think of that jazz-rock phase? 

After Miles, Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter started Weather Report as did other jazz musicians, playing jazz-rock. I didn’t care too much for that sound. 

I guess people like Wynton Marsalis and a few others brought back the traditional jazz sound and swing back into fashion. 

es, the New Orleans sound returned. And has stayed ever since. Quite a relief! 

We have some excited folks waiting for your Mumbai concert at the NCPA. Welcome to India, Monty Alexander! 

I am really looking forward to being in India for the first time and playing in Mumbai. See you there! 

Sunil Sampat is a jazz critic and Contributing Editor of Rolling Stone India. Write to Sunil at jazzwala@gmail.com