Five Motéma Artists Among Nominees Of The 11th Independent Music Awards

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JC Stylles, Malika Zarra, Monty Alexander, Motéma Music, Randy Weston, Rene Marie

Independent Music Awards Nominee

Recordings by Motéma artists Monty Alexander, Randy Weston, Malika Zarra, René Marie, and JC Stylles are among the nominees named by Music Resource Group (MRG) for The 11th Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential awards program for independent bands and fans.

Two Motéma projects were nominated in the “Live Performance Album” category, both of which were recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola: Monty Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express Live! , and NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston & his African Rhythms Sextet’s The Storyteller . Nominated in the “Jazz Album” category is vocalist René Marie’s outrageous emancipation proclamation, Black Lace Freudian Slip and Australian guitar ace JC Stylles’ album Exhilaration & Other States . In the “World Beat Album” category, Moroccan artist Malika Zarra is honored for her outstanding CD Berber Taxi .

PIANIST MONTY ALEXANDER BRIDGES JAZZ AND REGGAE TO CREATE ‘ONE-LOVE’ WITH NEW CD HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS: LIVE AVAILABLE JUNE 14 FROM MOTÉMA MUSIC

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Jazz, Monty Alexander, Piano

“Monty Alexander’s blend of jazz and reggae made for an outrageously good time… When Mr. Alexander-the Jamaican-born pianist with a cheerful, chatty style-surrounded himself with a Caribbean quartet to the right and a jazz trio to the left, the result was fresh, lilting interpretations of Bob Marley’s greatest hits, as well as Mr. Alexander’s original compositions…” – Pia Catton, Wall Street Journal

LISTEN TO EXCLUSIVE STREAMING TRACKS FROM THE ALBUM

Monty Alexander - Harlem-Kingston Express Live

In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has distinctively bridged the worlds of jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica. With over 70 albums to his name, Alexander celebrates his 50th year in music with two new world-class releases, each expressing a different facet of his brilliant and sincere spirit of musical expression.

Alexander’s 50th year celebrations officially kicked off on March 29th with the release of Uplift, a live jazz trio project on Jazz Legacy Productions, which rapidly garnered critical recognition and rocketed to #1 on the JazzWeek radio chart.

Next up is Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express: Live, his debut on the innovative Motéma imprint, set for release on June 14.The eponymous album presents Alexander’s most ‘reggaefied’ touring group yet, which for past few years has defined a bold new chapter in his life-long journey of uniting jazz with reggae and a wide array of other Island musical idioms that he holds dear.

JAMAICAN JAZZ GIANT MONTY ALEXANDER TO RELEASE RIVETING LIVE ALBUM, UPLIFT, ON JAZZ LEGACY PRODUCTIONS, MARCH 29

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Jazz, Monty Alexander, Piano

Monty Alexander - UPLIFT

Monty Alexander -][- UPLIFT – [RETRIEVAL RECORDS, 2011]

ALEXANDER’S AUSPICIOUS LABEL DEBUT GIVES LISTENERS A FRONT ROW SEAT TO LIVE PIANO PERFECTION

Listen to exclusive streaming tracks from the album

Jamaican jazz piano virtuoso Monty Alexander is acclaimed the world over for his seemingly extraterrestrial technique and sublime, heartfelt swing. Now with the release of his Jazz Legacy Productions debut Uplift, the pianist opens his personal concert archives to eager listeners everywhere, for an unforgettably riveting recorded affair.

“Music is a healing force,” Alexander says, who is joined by bassist Hassan Shakur, drummer Herlin Riley, as well as drummer Frits Landesbergen (on one track). “My hope is that by the end of a concert, and by the end of this album too, everybody will be taken with a feeling of uplift. That’s what I always want to do.”