Concrete Jungle: The Music of Bob Marley (Telarc, 2006)

Smooth jazz and reggae aren't two genres you'd immediately think are complementary of each another, but renowned Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander achieves as cohesive a fusion as one can imagine on this his second Bob Marley tribute (after 1999's Stir It Up).  Sort of like a reggae-fied Joe Sample album, Concrete Jungle features mellow, jazzy piano-led instrumentals with the occasional vocal (on "Three Little Birds," the title track, and "War," which features Luciano).  This album bends and stretches Marley's music in a similar, dreamy way as the ambient Marley album Dreams of Freedom -- breathing new life into the classic material.  These songs aren't nearly as well-known as those on Alexander's previous Marley tribute (Stir It Up having used up much of the Legend fare), but what Concrete Jungle lacks in recognition it makes up for in atmosphere.  Many of the songs start out with a slow, acoustic, piano that builds the anticipation of which Marley song this will transform into.  Alexander shows the perfect amount of restraint in not going overboard with musical embellishments, yet he adds enough spice that we are allowed to see (or rather, hear) these songs in a new light.  The bluesy, strumming, off-the-cuff "inna de yard"-style "Three Little Birds" is particularly striking, along with the choral rendition of "War," the soulful title track, and breezy instrumentals like "Trench Town," "Chant Down Babylon," and the somewhat darker "Crazy Baldheads."  With his Marley tributes, Alexander practically re-invents the legend's music, revealing a depth and universality even beyond what was previously known.