Jazz man speaks Marley

Reviewed May 2006

TJazz pianist Monty Alexander – who got his start in music in the house bands of Kingston's recording studios in the late 1950s – continues to return to his Jamaican roots with a new album exploring the music of bob Marley in a jazz vein.

Running through 11 of Marley's songs, plus one Alexander original, the band creates a remarkable melding of jazz and reggae. While many of the songs remain instantly recognizable, the jazz setting gives every one a new, fresh sound.

Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).