My first big band arrangement ever! This is my arrangement of Chick Corea's "Sea Journey," featuring the University of Miami's Concert Jazz Band. The guitar solo is taken by Tim Jago.

Sea Journey

This is an interview I did with KCSM Jazz Radio in San Mateo, California in October of 2017. I was asked to choose 30-40 minutes worth of music that I would bring with me onto a desert island (as well as one book and one luxury item). In the interview, I discuss how I got into music, some of the gigs I had with my quintet in San Francisco at the time, my album "Storyteller", and how my dad convinced me that the tuba is the "King of the Instruments". Enjoy!

Talking Points:
3:06 - 8:42
21:58 - 24:27
34:44 - 37:58
50:53 - 54:28

The songs I chose were:
Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan
Crooked Creek - Brian Blade Fellowship
Road Song - Tigran Hamasyan
Each Coming Night - Becca Stevens 
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - The Temptations
Day and Age - Julian Lage
Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Gustav Holst
Laila - Dan Montgomery

Dan Montgomery "Desert Island Jazz" KCSM Radio Interview

This is an AWESOME tune of Nick's, from a live recording at Lagniappe House in Miami, FL a few months back.

Nick Hetko - Composition/Piano
Dan Montgomery - Upright Bass
Mike Piolet - Drums

Rise (by Nick Hetko)

This song is dedicated to an incredible woman I met about a year and a half ago. This is a live performance by my quintet from our 5 night residency at the Black Cat in San Francisco in October of 2017.

Dan Montgomery - Upright Bass/Composition
Sam Priven - Alto Sax
Neil Carson - Tenor Sax
Jake Shapiro - Piano
Evan Hyde - Drums

Kelly

"Soft is the Sun" is the 7th track from my debut album, "Storyteller". This is a story that is supposed to represent someone's remorse after having lost someone they care deeply about. The person then believes for a moment that this loved one may come back to them, only to realize that this is just a fool's dream, and that their loved one is truly gone. 

After finishing this piece, I realized that I had made some interesting musical choices concerning the melody, phrasing and harmony. That same week, during a creative writing class, the phrase "Soft is the Sun, and the light you used to bring to me" popped into my head. I then wrote lyrics to the song (though this version is instrumental), which validated many of the interesting compositional decisions I had made within the piece. They are as follows: 

"There, there you are
In the light beneath the sun,
A golden glow shimmers from you now, my dear

And I am here!
Here to take you from this place,
Bring you back into my world!

But you cannot go

You're a dream,
just a dream, a foolish dream

Soft is the Sun, 
and the light you used to bring to me"

Soft Is The Sun

This is the fourth track from my debut album "Storyteller" (available on Spotify, Apple Music, CD Baby and more), dedicated to an incredible person I met several years ago. It features:

Dan Montgomery - Bass/Composition
Sam Priven - Alto Sax
Neil Carson - Tenor Sax
Jake Shapiro - Piano
Evan Hyde - Drums

Laila

This is the 6th track from my album "Storyteller" (available on Spotify, Apple Music, CD Baby and more). I wrote this while in Lisbon, Portugal, following both the International Association of Schools of Jazz Meeting and a sensational performance by the Miguel Zenon Quartet in the summer of 2015. This piece is dedicated to the wonderful city of Lisbon, the people I met there and at the conference, and to Miguel, one of my musical heroes. The band features:

Dan Montgomery - Bass/Composition
Sam Priven - Alto Sax
Neil Carson - Tenor Sax
Jake Shapiro - Piano
Evan Hyde - Drums

Lisboa

This is a piece I wrote back in 2013, titled after the "bouncy" nature of the bassline. This recording features:

Dan Montgomery - Bass/Composition
Tal Cohen - Piano
Evan Hyde - Drums

Bounce

This piece is the 5th track off of my debut album, "Storyteller". It is dedicated to my wonderful hometown of Rochester, New York, and all of my friends and family that live there.

Home

Homage

New York bassist Dan Montgomery's music, though ranging widely in style and character, can be best described as emotionally connected and fiercely intense. His music tells a distinct story, while also allowing for the individual voices of the other musicians to shine through. Montgomery's open and inviting personality are ever present in his music, and he is eternally grateful for any and every opportunity he has to share his music and spirit with the world.

DanMontgomery

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