Monty Alexander during his performance at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2k7. -photos by Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer

With a light-hearted performance, Monty Alexander captured the fun of music, its ability to carry you off to different worlds, to a contented audience at the Aqueduct, Rose Hall, Montego Bay, on the 2007 Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival's final night.

Known for using the traditions of American jazz with his authentic Jamaican roots, pianist Monty Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. "My goal is to uplift. The piano, to me, is a vehicle for connecting to other human beings. I'm very open to all forms of music. I'm not a bebop musician, I'm not a calypso musician, I'm not a reggae musician. I'm a musician who loves it all," Alexander said in a previous interview on www.airjamaicajazzandblues.com.

Jazz impulses over Jamaican rhythms

On that night, Alexander lived up to his word, performing with deejay Tony Rebel and saxophonist Dean Fraser. According to Alexander, he is known for playing jazz impulses over Jamaican rhythms. He told The Gleaner that when he blends the music it is all a matter of hoping for the best. "I just make a decision and hope. I'm home and if I'm home I do exactly as I do at home. Having had so many adventures all over the world, I've played in the jazz world in New York, Chicago, all over the world, with great jazzmen, I call on those impulses at times. The word music is like people - there are all kinds and as long as the core of whatever you're playing is from the heart it's valid," he said.

"One of the biggest roots for me is Jamaica. Jamaica is the cornerstone and from that point my experiences range from ... call it pop, swing, so it's a palette with many colours for me to pick the colours and choose the right contrast."

Alexander has been choosing the right combination for the past four years at the Jazz and Blues Festival, as this year is one of many. Yet, performing for a capacity crowd of local fans has not jaded his enthusiasm, as he says "This is my fourth or fifth time here. Every year it gets bigger and better. This year I like this new venue; the sea is blowing at us very sweet and I'm very knocked by the whole thing."

Knocked out the crowd

He knocked out the crowd as well; many could be heard commenting on the soothing effect of his music as persons rocked from side to side enjoying his performance playing such a long set would have made most musicians exhausted, Alexander took it all in stride, smiling and making jokes throughout his performance. "My gift is one that says play music but I can have fun wid it. There are times to be serious, but I want to give joy. I share that with my friends, when it reached into the audience that's OK. Every time I play it's an experiment; there's always that element of surprise," he said.

Alexander is highly impressed with new talents springing up, saying, "There are just so many wonderful artistes it's hard to pin down anybody. Music is getting stronger and better, the spirit of the music. What's going on wid Damian Marley and Sean Paul is making Jamaica stronger and stronger. That's great, yet I wanna see a throwback to when there were young musicians playing trombone and those machines. I hope that some people can go back in that direction, to see Jamaica grow."

- Krista Henry