Jamento - Monty Alexander

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Jamento - Monty Alexander 7 [Pablo 2310-826; OJCCD 904-2] was recorded in New York in 1978.

Since that time, in addition to his standard piano-bass-drums trio, Monty has promoted the music and especially the rhythms of Jamaica, his place of birth, in various settings under the rubric of Ivory & Steel, the Harlem-Kingston Express and with specialty albums devoted to the music of Reggae icon Bob Marley or those featuring Jamaican musician such as guitarist Ernest Raglin [who is also heard on Jamento].

You can check out the 100+ recordings that Monty made under his own name by visiting his page at Discogs.

The press release for Jamento - Monty Alexander 7 offered the following annotation:

“Monty Alexander's Jamaican heritage and its indelible influence on his music figure in this stimulating album. Equal in importance is the pianist's absorption of the jazz tradition. 

Alexander brings together four musicians steeped in the sunny harmonies and irresistible rhythms of the Caribbean and two colleagues from the mainstream of modern jazz. The Jamaican felicities of Vince Charles's steel drums, Larry McDonald's percussion, Roger Bethelmy's drums, and Ernest Ranglin's guitar go hand in glove with the straight-ahead drive of drummer Duffy Jackson and bassist Andy Simpkins. 

Alexander's compositions feature reggae, merengue, and mento rhythms. His piano improvisations reflect his admiration for the styles of Nat Cole and Oscar Peterson. Melding all of these elements, Alexander comes up with an approach that is unmistakably his own and likely to incite dancing as well as listening.”

Afro-Cuban rhythms, rumba, conga, son, mambo, salsa, songo, timba and Afro-Cuban jazz/Abakuá music are more commonly referenced in Jazz circles so there is more awareness of them. But reggae, merengue, and mento rhythms are equally as compelling, and thanks to Monty’s efforts, they, too, now have a place in the Jazz oeuvre.

Monty wrote these liner notes to Jamento - Monty Alexander 7 and I highly recommend the music on this recording as a starting point for developing a greater understanding and appreciation of how Jamaican rhythms work in a Jazz context. I’ve included a few videos following the text so you can enjoy listening to some music from the album.

“What I did on this album was to blend the rhythms and moods of Jamaica's calypso and Reggae with Jazz.

I got the best possible musicians from the same environment as the one in which I grew up. The players were: Ernest Ranglin, considered the best guitarist in Jamaica. The two drummers, Roger Bethelmy from Trinidad, and Duffy Jackson from the United States. The interplay of Roger and Duffy gave the music the kind of intensity I was looking for. Larry McDonald on conga drums is Jamaican. The steel drums were played by Vince Charles from the Virgin Islands, and the bassist was Andy Simpkins, also from the United States. One can see, thus, the combining of American Jazz forms and West Indian rhythm is amply illustrated by the mix of musicians from Jamaica, Trinidad, Virgin Islands, and America.

The tunes:

"Accompong" is the name of a town in the interior of Jamaica located in an area known as the Cockpit Country, that was established by runaway slaves called Maroons who revolted against the British slaveholders in the 1700s. This composition of mine is dedicated to their courage.

"Slippery" is a blues which utilizes the Reggae rhythm.

"Mango Rengue" is based on the Dominican rhythm, the Merengue.

"Jamento" is typical of the Jamaican mento which means slow and languorous, but still with an inner pulse. It was also referred to by the old time Jamaicans as "Brukins." I remember hearing this tempo and flavor being played by small calypso groups using homemade instruments.

"Weekend in LA." This is essentially a very simple melody with equally simple harmony and I tried to invest in it a different rhythmic approach which I felt gave it a completely different flavor from the way it originally had been done.

As I said at the outset, I have tried to put together in a way that each retains its own identity, American Jazz and Island (especially Jamaican) rhythms. I trust you will find it interesting and exciting."

—Monty Alexander

These notes appeared on the original album liner.