Jamaican Jazz Legend Dr. Monty Alexander Takes New York And New Orleans By Storm This April

NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, March 25, 2026: April 2026 belongs to Dr. Monty Alexander. The Grammy-nominated Jamaican-born pianist, widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians alive, is set to deliver two landmark performances this month – first at New York City’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club for a sold-out Easter weekend run, and then as the headliner of the Jazz Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where Jazz Fest will honor Jamaica in an historic celebration under his banner.

Dr. Monty Alexander, C.D., O.J. (Jazz Baltica image)

Hot off a triumphant reception at Miami’s Moss Center last month, Alexander brings his electrifying “Jamaica to Jazz” concert experience to two of America’s most storied music stages – commanding a full ensemble of up to seven world-class musicians and turning every performance into an unforgettable journey through the soul of Caribbean sound and the art of jazz.

NEW YORK CITY – BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB | EASTER WEEKEND, APRIL 2–5

Beginning Thursday, April 2 and running through Easter Sunday, April 5, Alexander takes the Blue Note stage for eight shows across four nights – two each evening at 8:00 PM and 10:30 PM. The Blue Note Jazz Club, at 131 W. 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, is the most celebrated jazz venue in the world, and Alexander’s return there is nothing short of a homecoming.

“Jamaica to Jazz” traces the blazing arc of Jamaican music into the heart of modern jazz – from the early ska sessions of Kingston’s first recording studios to the international stages that made history — told through the hands and voice of the man who helped build it all. From the American Songbook to the blues, from gospel to bebop, from calypso to reggae, every set is a living history lesson delivered with irresistible joy.

Alexander personally introduces each musician from the stage – a signature touch that makes every show feel like an invitation into his world. With as many as seven musicians joining him on stage, the ensemble is an event unto itself.

Venue: Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 W. 3rd St., New York, NY 10012

Dates: Thursday, April 2 – Sunday, April 5, 2026

Shows: 8:00 PM (Doors 6:00 PM) & 10:30 PM (Doors 10:00 PM) nightly

Tickets: bluenotejazz.com/nyc • Phone: 212.475.8592 • $20 minimum per person

NEW ORLEANS – JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL | APRIL 23: “JAMERICANA”

Three weeks later, on April 23, Dr. Monty Alexander brings the celebration south – to New Orleans, the other great capital of jazz in the African diaspora – for a performance that is already being called one of the most historically significant moments of Jazz Fest 2026. Alexander headlines the Jazz Tent Stage at 5:45 PM, closing out the day as its marquee act.

But this is more than a headline slot. Jazz Fest 2026 is honoring Jamaica – co-presented under Alexander’s name – in a landmark cultural celebration dubbed “Jamericana.” The Jamaica Tourist Board is actively involved, with representatives confirmed to be on the ground in New Orleans with a full program of Jamaica-themed activities and presentations surrounding the performance. When Alexander sits down at the piano that evening, it will be a moment where Kingston and New Orleans, reggae and jazz, the Caribbean and the American South, converge on one stage.

“Jamericana” is Dr. Alexander’s signature artistic concept: the electrifying fusion of Jamaica’s African-rooted rhythmic tradition with the jazz born in America’s Deep South. At Jazz Fest, the concept reaches its fullest expression – not just music, but a celebration of two cultures, two cities, and one unbroken line of Black musical genius.

Festival: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2026

Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2026

Stage: Jazz Tent – Headliner

Time: 5:45 PM

Festival Info: nojazzfest.com/music

ABOUT DR. MONTY ALEXANDER, C.D., O.J. – A PIONEER WHO SHAPED THE SOUND OF THE WORLD

Born on June 6, 1944, in Kingston, Jamaica, Monty Alexander was playing Christmas carols by ear at four and performing in local clubs by 14. As a teenager in late-1950s Jamaica, he played in the island’s earliest recording studios – taking part in the foundational ska sessions that would give rise to reggae and reshape global music culture forever.

At just 16, he had recordings on the Jamaican hit parade. By 19, he had made his way to New York City, where he captivated audiences at Jilly’s – the legendary club owned by Frank Sinatra’s close confidant Jilly Rizzo. That connection ignited collaborations with Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, Wes Montgomery, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins.

Today, with more than 75 albums and performances at virtually every major jazz festival and concert hall on earth, Alexander is ranked the fifth greatest jazz pianist of all time in

The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time (Hal Leonard Publishing). The prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival has presented him 23 times since 1976.

HONORS

Commander in the Order of Distinction (C.D.) – Jamaica, 2000

Order of Jamaica (O.J.) – 2022, for sterling global contributions to Jamaican music and jazz

Honorary Doctorate (DLitt) – University of the West Indies, 2018

Grammy Nomination – One of jazz’s most celebrated recording artists

STAY CONNECTED WITH MONTY

Facebook: facebook.com/officialmontyalexander | Twitter/X: @_MontyAlexander | Instagram: @monty.alexander | montyalexander.com