Monty Alexander

Monty Alexander, born Montgomery Bernard Alexander in 1944, is a Jamaican-American jazz pianist from Kingston, Jamaica. His music blends straight-ahead jazz, bebop, blues, reggae, Caribbean rhythms, and swing. Apple Music describes him as a Jamaica-born pianist with a sophisticated swinging style influenced by both the bop tradition and the reggae and Caribbean folk music he grew up with.

He became known internationally after moving to the United States and building a long career as a jazz performer and recording artist. His official biography describes him as a Grammy-nominated pianist who has toured worldwide for decades.

Important albums include Alexander the Great, Montreux Alexander, Love and Sunshine, Jamento, Ivory & Steel, Stir It Up: The Music of Bob Marley, Harlem-Kingston Express, Uplift, Love Notes, and D-Day. Well-known songs and performances include “Love and Happiness,” “The In Crowd,” “No Woman No Cry / Get Up Stand Up,” “King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown,” “Could You Be Loved,” “Stir It Up,” and “These Love Notes.”

Monty Alexander is known for combining classic jazz piano virtuosity with Jamaican musical roots, creating a joyful and rhythmically rich style that connects jazz, reggae, and Caribbean music.