In developing their own sound, many jazz groups borrow from other musical genres -- salsa, bossa nova, high life, hip-hop, rap, rock, funk, classical. But only one man has blended jazz with reggae -- Monty Alexander.
Even though Alexander's first band, Monty and the Cyclones, put several hits on the Jamaican charts in the late '50s, he left his home in Kingston to pursue a career in jazz in the United States. There, he played and recorded with the top musicians on the scene and developed a piano style that was somewhere between Oscar Peterson and Gene Harris. He played with a quick, delicate touch that was still soulful and could swing very, very hard.
In 1980, he recorded "Ivory and Steel," a calypso-based recording with famed steel drum player Othello Molineaux. The songs alternated between West Indian rhythms and jazz, making fascinating music, but never quite finding the perfect hybrid. It was back to straight jazz after that.