Monty Alexander

Bandleader Monty Alexander has never hidden the influence Afro-Jamaican rhythms and American jazz have on his music.

The pianist will showcase his eclectic inspiration in his Harlem-Kingston Express show scheduled for the Lincoln Center in New York City next month.

The four shows will be held at the facility's Allen Room from October 2-3.

The Kingston-born Alexander leads a band that includes several Jamaicans, including drummer Karl Wright, bassist Glen Browne, guitarist Wayne Armond, banjo player Carlton James and Courtney Panton on percussion.

Janice Hart, a Portland-born, Connecticut-based folklorist known as Miss Matty Lou, acts as the show's narrator.

"It's really a concept of my personal experience, from growing up in Kingston to coming to America in the 1960s. It's quite a programme," Alexander told The Gleaner.

The Harlem-Kingston Express has already made stops in the United States and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. It is driven by music from artistes Alexander admires - from Burning Spear to Marley, as well as mento standards.

There are also songs from jazz legend Duke Ellington, whom Alexander worked with early in his career, and High Boltage, an Alexander original inspired by sprint superstar Usain Bolt.

"The set changes according to the mood. Nothing is cast in stone," Alexander said.

Harlem-Kingston Express is Alexander's latest tribute to his Jamaican roots and Caribbean heritage. He has recorded albums of Marley songs and collaborated on instrumental albums with jazz guitarist Ernie Ranglin and dancehall greats Sly and Robbie.

Last year, Alexander led a Caribbean band in the Lords Of The West Indies show which was also held at the Lincoln Center. That event was a nod to legendary regional performers like Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Kitchener.

Alexander recorded locally as a musician during the early 1960s but his international reputation as a jazz pianist was made working with top-drawer acts like Ellington, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra. His latest album is Calypso Blues: The Songs of Nat King Cole.

Robbery date

A US robbery suspect was arrested when he asked his victim out on a date.

Police in Ohio say Stephen Bennett - who is suspected of robbing a home with two acquaintances - was caught when he returned to the crime scene two hours later to woo his victim.

Columbus police Sergeant Sean Laird said the shocked woman recognised the man and asked a family member to telephone police.

Bennett was arrested outside the woman's home and is being held in Franklin County jail until his court appearance for aggravated robbery.