Music
CDs and DVDs, books, musical instruments, music gear, music software,
recording gear, audio equipment, music accessories, and more. Music
promotion.
ONE WAY Recommends [Issue
#20] Monty Alexander By
Jason Sklar
Concrete Jungle: The Music Of Bob Marley
(CD
Telarc)
In the spirit of the
omnipotent Bob Marley, Monty Alexander brings together a semblance of musicians
well ingrained with the reggae rhythm of Jamaica. Seven years after his first
reggae release, Stir It Up (1999), Alexander melds his American jazz experiences
and Jamaican flavor on Concrete Jungle. Himself a fruit of Jamaica’s loins,
Alexander pays tribute to this genre in an astoundingly clean production of piano-oriented
recordings including: “Africa Unite,” “War,” and “Three
Little Birds.” One of Alexander’s earlier groups, “Monty and the
Cyclones” (circa 1960), was inspired by the performances of Louis Armstrong,
Nat “King” Cole, and other gospel efforts. This group set an early standard
for what would later be Alexander’s contemporary reggae compilations. Recording
Concrete Jungle at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston added a level of authenticity
and musicianship required to really do Marley’s music justice in a jazz context.
In sync with Rastafarianism, the horn lines flow along with group vocals that
yearn for peace, love, and easy living without requiring the ritualistic use of
marijuana.
In the spirit of the
omnipotent Bob Marley, Monty Alexander brings together a semblance of musicians
well ingrained with the reggae rhythm of Jamaica. Seven years after his first
reggae release, Stir It Up (1999), Alexander melds his American jazz experiences
and Jamaican flavor on Concrete Jungle. Himself a fruit of Jamaica’s loins,
Alexander pays tribute to this genre in an astoundingly clean production of piano-oriented
recordings including: “Africa Unite,” “War,” and “Three
Little Birds.” One of Alexander’s earlier groups, “Monty and the
Cyclones” (circa 1960), was inspired by the performances of Louis Armstrong,
Nat “King” Cole, and other gospel efforts. This group set an early standard
for what would later be Alexander’s contemporary reggae compilations. Recording
Concrete Jungle at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston added a level of authenticity
and musicianship required to really do Marley’s music justice in a jazz context.
In sync with Rastafarianism, the horn lines flow along with group vocals that
yearn for peace, love, and easy living without requiring the ritualistic use of
marijuana.
