Marian McPartland's guest in 1991. Known for his rhythmic approach and melodic and harmonic inventiveness, Alexander solos in his original "Look Up" and teams up with McPartland for an unusual duet.
WAREIKA
HILL
RASTAMONK
VIBRATIONS
WAREIKA HILL (Rasta-Monk Vibrations) (MACD Records) IS MORE THAN A HOMAGE; IT'S A PERSONAL STATEMENT ABOUT ALEXANDER'S ROOTS, AND A RECONSIDERATION OF MONK'S MUSIC IN THE CONTEXT OF WEST INDIAN INFLUENCES.
--JAZZIZ MAGAZINE (AUG. 2019)
Kingston, Jamaica and New York, New York.
Several years in the making and infused with a lifetime of inspiration and appreciation, "WAREIKA HILL (RastaMonk Vibrations)", Monty Alexander's delightfully imaginative, unique and compelling interpretation of the music of Thelonious Monk, was released August 23 via MACD Records.
Featuring eleven newly recorded tracks as well as a bonus live track recorded in Paris, "WAREIKA HILL" is a mind-boggling 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.
WAREIKA HILL refers to a place in Jamaica, a place where Rastafarians used to gather located behind Monty's childhood home outside of Kingston. As a child, he would hear them going up the hill and playing their drums - and such became the early muse for these arrangements of Monk's songs - songs infused with Monty's own creativity, Jamaican grooves and childhood memories of not only Wareika Hill, but being introduced to Monk's music as a teenager while recording as a sideman at Federal Recording Studios in Kingston. An appreciation of the man and his music ensued, and the germinating seeds for this project were born and developed over the course of many decades. Says Alexander:
"MAYBE IT WAS JUST MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES CONNECTING THE TWO, BUT I WAS LEFT WITH A DEEP IMPRESSION THAT THE WORLD OF MONK AND RASTA WERE ONE SPIRIT. THE WAY RASTA MEN WOULD WALK, TALK AND EXPRESS THEMSELVES WAS A WORLD WITHIN ITSELF AND SO IT WAS WITH MONK."
--Monty Alexander
MONTY UNVEILS WAREIKA HILL AND UNCOVERS A NEGLECTED BIT OF NYC HISTORY
MONTY DISCUSSES THE MAKING OF WAREIKA HILL
1. Wareika – 00:19
2. Misterioso (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 06:49
3. Nutty (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 06:32
4. Bye ya (Feat. John Scofield and Ron Blake) – 05:56
5. San Francisco Holiday (Feat. Ron Blake) – 06:20
6. Rhythm A Ning (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 05:37
7. Brilliant Corners (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 04:50
8. Well You Needn’t (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 05:21
9. Bemsha Swing (Feat. Wayne Escoffery) – 06:55
10. Green Chimneys (Feat. Joe Lovano) – 06:20
11. Monk’s Dream – 06:36
12. Abide with Me – 04:23
13. Well You Needn’t - LIVE at the Paris Philarmonie (Feat. Wayne Escoffery
and Andrae Merchison) –04:40
14. Wareika Goodbye – 00:22
Musicians
Monty Alexander – piano (all tracks except 1 and 14)
J.J. Shakur – acoustic bass (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Jason Brown – drums (2, 8, 9, 13)
Obed Calvaire – drums (4, 5, 6, 7, 11)
Andy Bassford – guitar (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Karl Wright – drums/percussion (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Leon Duncan – electric bass (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13)
Courtney Panton – electric bass (10)
Junior Wedderburn, Abashani Wedderburn, Bongo Billy – Nyabinghi drums (1, 7, 12, 14)
Earl Appleton – electric keyboards (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11)
Wayne Escoffery – tenor sax (2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13)
Ron Blake – tenor sax (4, 5)
Andrae Murchison – trombone (13)
And Special Guests:
Joe Lovano – tenor sax (10)
John Scofield – guitar (4)
Producers: Monty Alexander, Caterina Zapponi
Executive Producer: Monty Alexander LLC
Recording Engineer: Andy Taub
Mixing Engineers: Andy Taub and Karl Wright
Mastering Engineer: Alan Silverman, Arf! Mastering NYC
Photographer: Hollis King
Art Direction, Design: Hollis King
Cover Art: Rudy Gutierrez
Recorded at: Brooklyn Recording, NY
MONTY
MONK
JAMAICA