From reggae to jazz and back again

Mar 29, 2007 12:28:08

When Monty Alexander and his band recorded Concrete Jungle: The Music of Bob Marley (Telarc) at Tuff Gong Studios recently, bassist Glen Browne couldn't help but feel that they were not alone. "Bob's spirit is in the room," Alexander remembered Brown saying. "Yeah, mon, Bob is over there in the corner smilin'!" In the second installment of BobMarley.com's interview series with the Kingston-born jazz pianist, Alexander talks about the development of his interest in Bob Marley's music, and how a contemporary-the two artists are only a few months apart in age-became one of his greatest musical heroes. Alexander started working as a professional musician when he was a young boy in Jamaica, and often snuck out of school to sit in on sessions at the studio on Hope Road that Marley eventually bought. At the time, though, Marley had not yet made a name for himself any more than Alexander had. "Bob Marley was one of the musicians that use to come and offer their songs," Alexander said. In the meantime, the young piano player sat alongside many other singers who came through the studio, and soon found his niche playing with bands like the Skatalites and the Blues Busters. When he left Jamaica to tour on the American jazz circuit with the likes of Art Mooney and Ray Brown, though, he heard Marley's name again. The singer had made his way from Hope Road to the American airwaves. Alexander remembered hearing early Marley albums like Catch a Fire - and hearing a buzz about "this man with such charisma." He quickly realized that there was something exceedingly special about the artist. The impression was lasting. "Every song from him was a piece of art," Alexander marveled. "Everything stood on its own. If you pick the melody apart, if you listen to the bass line or the message, everything was totally unique, like a jewel." Concrete Jungle marks Alexander's second foray into the Marley catalogue, and a follow-up to the 1999 release, Stir It Up: The Music of Bob Marley (Telarc). While he brings a jazz sensibility to the arrangements, he was careful to remain true to the spirituality behind the original songs. "We had this sense of energy when we were making the music," he said. "Why Bob Marley did it was a spiritual reason, and if you tap into that aspect, we're brothers." Using an all-star cast of musicians, a full mento band and the strength of his own arrangements, Alexander elaborated on many of the musical themes in the original tunes in order to say something new with the music, while honoring its original structure. So many years after they both passed through the studio on Hope Road, Alexander felt a special thrill in paying tribute to Marley's legacy in that same building. "Bob Marley's legacy was beyond a guy singing nice songs," Alexander said. "He came with a message. He's talkin' about respect yourself. We're here to honor and further this message."