I thought I knew everything there was to know about legendary pianist Monty Alexander; the Jamaican pianist surprised me on this session when he dedicated and named the album after his birth date, the legendary “D Day” of June 6, 1944 when the Allies created the largest invasion of an army in world history. The album mixes songs from that era with a dash of originals, as well as brief messages from a pair of Monty s, one being the pianist, and the other the famed tank commander Bernard “Monty” Montgomery.
From the Swing Era, a gentle read of “Smile” oozes of nostalgia, while a classy read of “I’ll Never Smile Again” is quite the dream. His own “Restoration/Renewal” has a nice re gg ae feel to it, and “You Can See “ is earthy and Afro Cuban. He boogies on a playful “ V.E. Swing” and is bluesy for “Jne 6” with a hip post bop feel on “Aggression/The Serpent”. Monty gives a rich salute to a period in time when it was easy to figure out who were the good guys and the bad guys.