“We’ll free the people with music” –Bob Marley

Two names have come to symbolize the modern music of Jamaica—iconic singer/songwriter Bob Marley, and the Island’s gift to modern jazz, pianist Monty Alexander. Born about six months and half an island apart, Alexander and Marley never appeared together, Alexander having emigrated to the United States in his teens where he quickly became an in-demand player in Las Vegas and New York, while Marley developed mythical status in leading the ska, rocksteady, and modern reggae movements, incorporating Rastaferian ethic with politics of social justice. More than two decades since Marley’s untimely death, his legacy is as powerful as ever, and given new interpretation in Monty Alexander’s new Telarc release, Concrete Jungle, a follow-up to the popular 1999 tribute to Marley, Stirring It Up.

Alexander has been a prolific performer and recording artist whose infectious style fuses his Caribbean roots with the sounds of gospel, swing, blues, and post bop; he’s as comfortable with Gershwin and Ellington as he is with funk and reggae. For this second salute to Bob Marley, Alexander returned to his native Kingston to record in Marley’s Tuff Gong Studio, pulling in US-based collaborators (drummer Herlin Riley, guitarist Wendell Ferraro—aka Junior Jazz—and bassist Hassan Shakur), guest trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, and native musicians including vocalist Luciano, the Mento Men, and many other session artists on vocals, guitars, and percussion. Except for the last (very short) track, Alexander relied solely on Marley’s compositions and his own arrangements, and indeed, this set seems more about Alexander the arranger and bandleader than Alexander the pianist.

“Africa Unite” is a prophetic first track that sets the tone for all that follows. With thumb piano and hand drum in addition to the acoustic piano, the core quartet of Alexander, Ferraro, Shakur, and Riley develop a reggae rhythm with a lyrical, melodic line, laid back like an island breeze yet encouraging a dancing mood. Two primarily vocal tracks display the talents of guest artists Wayne Armond (“Concrete Jungle”) and Luciano (“War”). One of the most powerful tracks, “War” (calling for world peace) opens as a voice/piano duet, then becomes a true group effort with each subsequent verse taken by a different voice, including Alexander himself on a short, two-line vocal. “War” is particularly effective, in part, due to the use of electric bass and heavy percussion to enforce a penetrating Afro-Caribbean rhythm.

Guest Delfeayo Marsalis is a standout soloist on four tracks. He introduces “No More Trouble” with a bluesy wail, conjuring “Porgy and Bess.” The drama moves forward as a conversation between trombone and piano, then the percussion takes the lead and the rhythm shifts well south of New Orleans, as if the Mississippi emptied into the Caribbean. The additional strings and keyboards add funky elements, begging the listener to stand up and dance. Shakur’s aggressive basslines propel this track as much as Marsalis’ snakey trombone; when Alexander solos, it’s a simple line that echoes the blues. Shakur’s solo, more modulated than his comping, brings the piece to a calm end. “Crazy Baldheads” starts off with a sinewy electric bass and keyboard, suggesting something sinister is afoot. Marsalis takes over with a mournful tone, and Alexander contributes some of his most exciting playing of the set, with rich chords and rippling flourishes; the bubbling bass adds an overall feel of “reggae funk.” There’s more of a Carnival vibe to “Simmer Down,” with Maraslis in great form, slipping and sliding around the melody. Marsalis and Alexander trade off in call-and-response fashion, and the tempo accelerates as does their back and forth conversation. Marsalis’ final appearance, this time with other horns, is on “Trench Town,” named for the Kingston neighborhood where Marley rose to fame. The track has a big band feel and the salsa-splashed reggae is hot and vibrant.

The remaining tracks each have their own personality. “Babylon System” is a simple, lovely, acoustic folk-ballad featuring piano and guitar. It begins to simmer as percussion and electronic elements enter, slowly building in intensity, electric keyboards backing the acoustic piano. While it flows like a gentle coastal wave, there’s a stronger weather front brewing. Alexander’s clearly articulated piano passages keep the storm at bay, and the last chorus is a gentle recession. “Forever Lovin’ Jah” begins rhapsodically on solo piano, soon joined by bass, then percussion as the beat returns to the Islands. It’s a lovely trio presentation, like a syncopated love song, Alexander’s beautiful lines embellished by some quick and lush runs, shifting rhythms, and an effective left hand bassline. The piano eventually yields to a percussion/bass conversation that bubbles and pops, setting up sizzling guitar and keyboard activity. Alexander returns with the melody, but now it is a larger concoction, multilayered and multi-flavored like a rich parfait. As it rumbles to the end, Riley delivers some peppery drum passages.

“Chant Down Babylon” has a lyrical island groove; guitars and electric keys provide a playful foundation beneath Alexander’s masterful touch. The pianist provides some lush double notes and triplets as if rolling the sound between his fingers. “Three Little Birds” is a simple tune with a simple rhythm, described as an “impromptu free-for- all” with Alexander on melodica and the Mento Band on vocals and banjo. It’s a brief but spritely interlude. The finale, the original “Selam,” is a short Evanescent piano solo. In case anyone forgot, it is a lovely reminder that Monty Alexander is as poetic a pianist as anyone on the planet. And it’s an appropriate ending to a tribute for a man whose life and music were devoted to peace and unity.

In the spirit of Bob Marley, Monty Alexander’s Concrete Jungle is all about taking a mix of cultures and creating a whole, bringing everyone together in a common cause. If only that was the true meaning of Global Warming.

Concrete Jungle: The Music of Bob Marley (Telarc) is set for retail release on March 28, 2006. For more about Monty Alexander, visit his website at www.montyalexander.com

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