When Monty Alexander grabs the keys and draws from full potential, a good mood is guaranteed. The pianist, born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1944, is an exuberant swing optimist who knows how to combine the virtuosity of Oscar Peterson with influences from the Caribbean (calypso, reggae, ska etc.) in an absolutely thrilling way. Alexander recently released an album with “Wareika Hill: RastaMonk Vibrations”, on which he enriched pieces by the jazz visionary Thelonious Monk, whom he admired, with Rastafarian elements in an unbelievably unique way: surprises on the running meter guaranteed.