1. Blue Rhapsody
2. En Aranjuez con tu Amor
DUKE REFLECTIONS
3. Come Sunday/David Danced
4. Creole Love Call
WHERE THE TRADE WINDS BLOW
5. Accompong
6. Pointe-à-Pitre
7. Eleuthra
KING COLE REFLECTIONS
8. Jumpin' At Capitol
9. It's Only a Paper Moon
10. Body And Soul
WAY OUT WEST
11. I'm an Old Cowhand
Monty Alexander - Piano
Hassan Shakur - Bass
Mark Taylor - Drums
John Pizzarelli - Guitar (tracks 8-10)
I
wonder if there's any jazz style that Monty
Alexander can't play. On this album
he seems capable of anything: straightforward
swing, flamenco, Latin-American, reggae, gospel,
and semi-classical. And at the base of it
all lie his Jamaican roots, which ensure an
undercurrent of exhilarating rhythm. Recorded
in December 2002 and originally released in
2003, this album displays the breadth of Monty's
talents.
He
starts off with what sounds like a rather
pompous version of Gershwin's Rhapsody
in Blue but it soon develops into a swaying
bolero rhythm and then into a swinging four-four.
Next comes a fairly free version of Rodrigo's
Concierto de Aranjuez which takes on
the feel of a tango. Monty has grouped the
remaining tracks under four different headings,
starting with "Duke Reflections", which includes
a medley of Duke Ellington's Come Sunday
and David Danced, the latter swinging
like crazy. Creole Love Call starts
with a bouncy rhythm and then goes into some
highly lyrical piano from Monty.
The
next three numbers evoke Alexander's Caribbean
background with exotic beats. I must
say that Accampong sounded more powerful
on Monty's Jamboree album, but that
performance had the benefit of two steel drummers
to raise the temperature. Throughout the album,
British drummer Mark Taylor is a tower of
strength, and Hassan Shakur lays down solid
bass lines as well as playing some interesting
solos.
Guitarist
John Pizzarelli joins the trio for the next
three numbers, paying homage to Nat King Cole
by capturing exactly the style of his famous
trio. Monty recalls the time when he was twelve
years old and saw Nat Cole play live in Kingston,
Jamaica. The album closes with a cheery version
of I'm an Old Cowhand, where Hassan
makes his double bass resemble the Ray Brown
sound. Altogether, this is an eclectic mixture
of music: not only showing Monty's versatility
but also his ability to swing in almost any
tune.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
Telarc
Jazz CD 83578
