Now's the Time: Monty Alexander

There's every reason to believe that Monty Alexander will be spectacular in a trio format Saturday night at the Folly Theater. He's an incredibly agile pianist. Still, it's his reggae-oriented work that has most excited me in recent years. Check out the way Alexander breaks it down at the 2:20 mark in this live video. Amazing. And how about the audience's response? Tito Puente was the only artist I've witnessed capable of eliciting a similar reaction from the traditionally staid Folly jazz series crowd. Don't miss Joe Klopus' typically great feature on Alexander.