Subtitled “Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola NYC” but also taped in Jamaica and several European venues, this is Monty’s reggae-meets-jazz project, and there lies the rub. Despite the surprising revelation that he does not read music, Alexander has always been a remarkably sophisticated pianist, a graceful improviser whose polished flow of hard-swinging ideas in all keys and tempos is a thing of wonder. With any half-decent straightahead rhythm section he sounds fabulous, but the moment those reggae homies come lumbering in, all that creativity is drowned out. Horn players can hold their own in such situations, as Gary Crosby’s Jazz Jamaica big band can testify, but acoustic pianists have no chance. For that reason died-in-the-wool jazz lovers may have misgivings about this project, but Monty is a proud Jamaican who will have kept tabs on the island scene throughout his long career in the United States and possibly regards reggae as part of his birthright. It is only in recent years, however, that he has attempted to incorporate it into his performances and one wonders if some marketing muscle has been exerted. Co-producer Todd Barkan could be excused for believing that a jazz album with strong crossover elements will have broader commercial appeal. Time will tell.