Monty Alexander, the giant of jazz piano for one at Megaron Music Hall

A programme full of spontaneity, a charming distillation of a great journey to every corner of the world

The “giant of jazz piano“ Monty Alexander and his explosive trio will open this year’s Jazz@Megaron on Wednesday 20 November at 8.30 p.m. The award-winning musician, who has been included in the list of the 50 greatest jazz pianists of all time (Hal Leonard Publishing), will perform for one night only at the Christos Lambrakis Hall. With Luke Sellick on acoustic bass and Jason Brown on drums, they will present their new album “D-Day”, nominated for 4 Grammy Awards, live to the Greek audience. The album is dedicated to a double historical milestone: the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings (D-Day) on 6 June 2024 and the 80th birthday of Monty Alexander. A highly symbolic commemorative recording that gives the legendary Jamaican jazzman the opportunity to recall songs from the Second World War era, but also to offer us new compositions that promote the timeless message of peace.

In his concert at the Athens Concert Hall, Monty Alexander will share with us his amazing experiences in New York in the early 1960s and his encounters with jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Tonny Bennett and Frank Sinatra. Together with his renowned musicians, the great artist offers us a programme full of spontaneity, a charming distillation of a great journey to every corner of the world, alongside names that have marked the history of world musical entertainment. The original compositions on the programme hark back to his teenage years in the 1950s and his early studio recordings in his home town of Kingston, which established him as a leading figure in the Jamaican music scene.

Of his performances, he says: “When I play music, I smell it, I see its colours. Every song has its character, its soul, and if I can’t feel it, I can’t play with feeling. I don’t know what makes me special, but I do know that I have almost nothing in common with anyone else. When I do justice to my interpretative intentions, incredible things happen”.