Search - Monty Alexander :: Impressions in Blue

His best in years

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 07/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've always wanted to like Monty Alexander more than I have. The Jamaican-born pianist with the impeccable taste, deft touch, and soft island ways has seldom seemed to find the right context to display his monster chops and Caribbean jazz sensibility.Well, in this year of outstanding jazz releases, he's found it, and in spades. A kind of tour through popular jazz styles, Impressions in Blue succeeds because the leader has such a thorough knowledge of the various jazz sub-genres that he's able to find just the right approach to transform each from the mundane into the sublime. A deep knowledge of and love for the blues also helps a lot.Divided into four parts with a tongue-in-cheek coda, "I'm and Old Cowhand," Impressions opens with two classical pieces: "Blue Rhapsody," a reworking of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (aka, the United Airlines theme), and the Rodrigo piece, "En Aranjues con tu Amor." These, for me, work least well, partly because they're too straightforward. But they're still beautifully and loving rendered.Next come a pair of Ellington tunes, "Come Sunday/David Danced" and "Creole Love Call." Alexander has a real feel for the Duke's music, he and finds the exact right approach to "Come Sunday"--deft, danceable, and s(w)inging, with just a touch of blues in the background, especially in the arco bass opening. With "Creole Love Call," were in the very heart of the blues. Taken at a very leisurely pace, drenched in melancholy, Alexander brilliantly plumbs its heartbreak.Which brings us to the heart of the matter--three tunes under the heading Where the Trade Winds Blow. As great an interpreter of Duke as Alexander is, this middle passage is where he really shines. "Accompong," with its tricky rhythmic shifts, swinging vibe, and true jazz sensibility shows why Alexander is perhaps the premier interpreter of Caribbean jazz on the scene today. With "Pointe-A-Pitre" we're in the heart of the tropics. An impossibly catchy Calypso, with subtle blues underpinnings, this pieces just wafts along like a soft breeze through coconut palms. "Eleuthra," named for an island in the Bahamas, continues the Caribbean vibe. With these three numbers, the ever-present blues are successfully chased into the background. It would be a real treat to hear this band do an entire disc of this mesmerizing island jazz.Things change gears again with King Cole Reflections, three tunes dedicated to the late, great Nat "King" Cole, whom the headliner recalls being blown away by when he heard him in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, when he was 12. The trio changes slightly to match Cole's original outfit, with the great John Pizzarelli sitting in on electric guitar replacing Mark Taylor on drums. This section--with a deep swing groove, lots of quotes from other tunes, and drenched in the blues--is pure fun. Pizzarelli, a player who absolutely understands the genius of swing, was an inspired choice for the guitar chair, comping effortlessly and throwing off inspired single-line runs.In a year of great jazz, and especially inspired piano trios, this disc casts a long shadow. A pure delight."

George, Duke, Nat, and the Croz

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 08/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a way, this album is "My America, Part 2," like Monty's release of a year ago a celebration of the rich diversity and luminous spirit of American popular music--except this time the emphasis is on acoustic piano and straightahead swinging jazz. In reinventing Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" Monty wisely eschews the main theme and exploits the "blues" possibilities of the minor motifs. Both of the Ellington songs receive refreshing, revelatory face lifts--"Come Sunday" as a bright and light morning awakener and "Creole Love Song" as a simmering, explosive blues. Three tunes in succession demonstrate why Nat King Cole was once ranked as a piano player alongside Tatum and Wilson. And finally what more fitting way to close out this session than a Mercer tune made famous by the singer whose centenary is being celebrated during 2003?In a musical climate of whims, fads, simulations and deceptions, it's nice to be reminded once again that you can always count on Monty Alexander."