Jamaican-born pianist Alexander moved to New York and made an early break-through in the 1960s, cast by some as the ‘new’ Oscar Peterson. Certainly, Peterson’s influence is apparent in this trio recording but what comes across best is Monty’s creative zest and his impressive facility or, to put it another way, the joy inherent in his playing. It’s this aspect of his keyboard personality that makes him such a compelling performer in person, this evident from the way he still commands SRO audiences at Ronnie Scott’s on his regular visits. Now a veteran, he has sought more recently to capitalise on his Jamaican roots; this, though, is a more conventional outing, albeit with the accompanying patter from Montego Joe on some pieces, as on bassist Richard Evans’ enticing ‘Montevideo’, Alexander happy to try anything on this date, coincidentally his 27th birthday. This goes too for ‘Where Is Love? ’ with its occasional allusions to Errol Garner’s sense of drama, this further emphasised on the title track, a Beatles theme, given a romping boogie-flavoured treatment, the 18-year-old Duffy Jackson up for everything. Shame it had to fade… ‘Love Walked In’ is heavily chorded at first before Alexander digs in and takes off on a Hines-like exploration, inspired and complex, Wright walking fast, the overall effect exhilarating, Jackson happy to oblige. ‘Brown Skin Gal’ has a calypso feel and Alexander responds with relish, building his improvisations over the percussive input from Montego Joe. All in all, a pleasing guide to early Alexander: playful, inventive, and just plain old-fashioned enjoyable. Try the 10-minute workout on ‘So What’ to be convinced.