334: Monty Alexander
If pianist Monty Alexander’s life weren’t a true story, some Hollywood screenwriter would have had to make it up.
Born in Jamaica on D-Day, 1944, Alexander was already playing on early ska recordings as a teenager before a chance encounter with Frank Sinatra and Jilly Rizzo brought him to New York, where he found himself playing with some of the most important musicians in jazz.
At 82, Monty carries around an extraordinary history of 20th-century music and an infectious enthusiasm for making it. His new album, A Jamarican in Paris, is another chapter in a career that has taken him around the world and across musical boundaries.
Zooming with Monty Alexander, August 2026.
Here he talks about Miles Davis, Sinatra, the music of Jamaica, his recovery from pancreatic cancer, and the remarkable power of positivity.
Monty calls himself “a student of joy.” After spending time with him, it's easy to understand why.