Monty Monk Minton's Pays Tribute To Thelonious Monk at Minton's Playhouse

Fifty years ago, a young Jamaican pianist named Monty Alexanderwalked into Minton's Playhouse in Harlem and immediately knew he had entered the inner sanctum of Jazz. On Wednesday, October 30, at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm, Jazzmobile and Minton's present MONTY MONK MINTON'S: 50 Years Later, a celebration of Alexander's 50thanniversary since he first performed at the world-famous venue, featuring a special tribute to Thelonious Monk, with music from Monty's latest album Wareika Hill (Rastamonk Vibrations).

Jazz royalty frequented the club - Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Count Basie occupied the piano bench in the room where bebop was developed and Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Eldridge and countless other icons took turns captivating audiences.

"In 1968, I was hanging out in Harlem with my friend Sam Jones, who was the bassist with Cannonball Adderley, and we went to Minton's where I met the manager, Teddy Hill. Another musician, pianist Ray Bryant, had told Teddy Hill that he should book me there, so the meeting that night was serendipitous," said Monty Alexander. "I ended up playing at Minton's and had the best musicians to join me, among them drummers Jimmy Cobb and Al Harewood, and bassists Sam Jones and Reggie Johnson. It was a very special time because I was received very warmly in a time where there were hardly any people from downtown coming up to Harlem. I recall Ahmad Jamal and George Benson came to see me, so that's a very special place in my best memories. I am quite thrilled to come back to Minton's 50 years later with my outstanding musicians, men from the USA as well as my beloved Jamaica."

Featuring 11 newly-recorded tracks, as well as a bonus live track recorded in Paris, Wareika Hillis a collective of classic Monk songs infused with a sensibility that melds the worlds of Jazz, Ska and Reggae into a unique melting pot of Monk with a twist. The record title refers to a place behind Alexander's childhood home near Kingston, Jamaica where Rastafarian musicians gathered. That music inspired the pianist's own creativity and eventually led him to discover and appreciate the music of Thelonious Monk.

Joining pianist Monty Alexander at Minton's will be J.J. Shakur, bass; Jerome Jennings, drums; Joshua Thomas, electric bass guitar; Andy Bassford, guitar; Karl Wright, percussion; and Andrae Murchison, trombone.

There is a $20.00 cover charge and $10 food/beverage minimum for Monty Monk Minton's.

Upcoming Jazzmobile and Minton's collaborations include Bill Saxton Quarteton October 24, and T.K. Blue Halloween CD Release Partyon October 31. Set times are 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm. There is a $30 food/beverage minimum, but no cover charge for these two events.

Minton's Playhouse is located at 206 West 118thStreet in Harlem. For more information and reservations, call (212) 243-2222, or go to EventBrite.com and search Jazzmobile or Minton's Playhouse.