Monty Alexander hooks up with drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, the best-known and most prolific rhythm section from the pianist's native Jamaica, and the results are friendly and accessible, if occasionally a little frustrating. The combination of the leader's heavy chops and the riddim-intensive tremor groove of the celebrated studio duo promises something of a bold cross-cultural exploration, maybe an edgier version of the creative collision of jazz and reggae heard on last year's "Stir It Up" and several earlier Alexander albums. That doesn't happen.

Instead, we get a decidedly lighter concoction, a sure source for dance-club remixes if less than a perfect fit with mainstream jazz audiences. It's not quite as edgy as might have been, and a tad too smooth, thanks in part to rather routine horn arrangements and the synthetic feel of much of the music. Still, one has to admire - and move to - the interlocking layers of syncopated rhythms that define this disc from the get-go, with a funky, chunky take on Herbie Hancock's classic "Chameleon." It's a tricky symphony of acoustic, electric and electronic riffs, clicks and squiggles, with Alexander's sophisticated improvisation straddling the infectious rhythms. The stripped-down vibe of dub reggae is at the heart of "Monty's Groove," and its composer slips into slinky blues for "(Do the) Kool Step." Crank up some of these tracks, and check out the way your walls rattle to the low frequencies.

Alexander's originals and Hancock's '70s funk favorite are mixed with R&B and soul-jazz tunes from the late '50s and '60s: "Soulful Strut," Ramsey Lewis's "The In Crowd" and the Stylistics' "People Make the World Go 'Round" are revisited with versions that are laidback to the extreme, verging dangerously close to easy listening. Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," with Shakespeare's rubbery line sitting precisely in Dunbar's pocket, fares better. So does Bobby Timmons' gospel-infused "Moanin', " and a meditative, slow-milked version of Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" that doubtless would elicit smiles from Cannon and Nat.
- PHILIP BOOTH

(This review originally appeared in Down Beat. The magazine is available online at http://www.downbeatjazz.com)