I have been very blessed to work with some of the most talented musicians in Philadelphia and Europe. Their gifts are so precious, not only in the music they make, but in the love they share with all who surround them. I have learned an immense amount from all of them, and am grateful to them all. I am trying to get bio information on all of them, but you know musicians....Einstein's ideas on time are definitely in play.
If you are interested in my biography/curriculum vitae, please scroll down after the musicians.
Piano
Bill Schilling
Ray Grant
Tom Lawton
Aaron Graves
*Eddie Green
Barry Sames
Father John D'Amico
Dennis Fortune
Sid Simmons
Jason Shattil
Kenny Gates
Rich Budesa
Dave Posmontier
Farid Barron
Rudolf Rokl (Czech Republic)
Gabriel Jonas (Slovakia)
Antonio Ciacca (Italy)
Pavol Bodnar (Slovakia)
Jeff Gordon
Don Wilson
Pierre Sibille (France)
Michael Franks
Saxophone
Ron Kerber
Herwig Gradisnig (Austria)
Rob Roth
Bootsie Barnes
Chris Farr
Tony Williams
Louis Taylor
Lynn Riley
Byard Lancaster
Soprano Saxophone
Craig Handy
Joe Ford
Baritone Saxophone
Jay Davidson
Trumpet
TimThompson
Sean Jones
Kimbal Brown
John Swana
Diane Lyle-Smith
Bob Meashey
Randy Waldman
Terell Stafford
Guitar
Tom Giacobetti
Twig
Steve Giordano
Jimmy Bruno
Matus Jakabcic (Slovakia)
Joe Federico
Craig Ebner
Johhny DeFrancesco
Ron Jennings
Monnette Sudler
Jimmy Bruno
Bass
Darryl Hall
Arthur Harper
Doug Kershner
Dave Brody
Derrick Hodge
Madison Rast
Jeff Pedraz
Steve Beskrone
Michael Cruse
Steve Green
Cliff Kellam
Kenny Davis
Franta Raba (Czech Republic)
Steve Meashey
Lee Smith
Tyrone Brown
Mike Boone
Pete Colangelo
Charles Fambrough
Craig Thomas
Juraj Grieglak (Slovakia)
Chuck Taylor
Chico Huff
Rob Swanson
Drums
Dan Monaghan
Greg McDonald
Pete Vinson
Butch Reed
Jim Miller
Byron Landham
Dodo Sosoka (Slovakia)
"Big Jim" Dofton
Bruce Klauber
Bobby Shomo
Marlon Simon
Glenn Ferracone
Dave Brown (New York)
Brian Farr
Wilby Fletcher
Jimmy Cole
François Réau (France)
Craig McIver
Vibes
Randy Sutin
Toni Miceli
Violin
John Blake
Flute
Lynn Riley
Percussion
Squirrel
Doc Gibbs
Abdu Mboup
Marlon Simon
For more information please visit Philly Jazz -- great site hosted by Jan Klincewisz
Barbara Montgomery has been in the entertainment field for over thirty years as a music industry executive, publisher, producer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, as well as working in production for film and television. She began performing as a jazz vocalist in 1970 but took a detour in her music career by joining the NBC/Westinghouse television station that produced the "Mike Douglas Show", working for that program and others. During this time she also freelanced, working on the seminal PBS series, "The Constitution: That Delicate Balance", as well as touring as a lighting designer for international popular music groups. She was also the managing director of a major recording studio servicing the music, television and film businesses.
She has been Music Director for Richard Simmons since 1986. This has given her the opportunity to produce the music for over 20 exercise videos ranging from oldies to disco to Broadway to Latin music, working in studios from New York to Los Angeles with hundreds of world class studio musicians.
After a twenty-year break, she returned to her passion, performing and recording as a jazz musician. Her relationship with Chick Corea and Neville Potter led to her third CD "Dakini Land" and was a springboard for the original songs on her fourth CD "Little Sunflower". This endeavour blessed her with the gift of friendship, performance, and collaboration with the great jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. She has produced six CDs of her own, arranging and writing original material for five of them in collaboration with Steve Giordano (“Ask Me Now”) and Barry Sames (“Dakini Land” and “Little Sunflower”) . Her 2005 release, “Trinity” was with pianist Aaron Graves, whose short list includes work with Stanley Turrentine, Cassandra Wilson, Dakota Staton, the legendary Jimmy Scott, and Oscar Brown, Jr. Both “Little Sunflower” and “Trinity” were honored with the Blue Chip Award for Best Jazz Vocals by Dr. Herb Wong of the International Association of Jazz Educators.
She has produced music for numerous television infomercials, for Christian artist Sandi Patty, provided music supervision for award winning independent films, recently finished producing music for “Champions On Ice”, the Olympic ice skating tour, and is an advisor to many jazz musicians for their music production.
In December of 2002 she produced a multi-media, sixty piece jazz performance, "The Rhythms of Christmas" at Verizon Hall at the Philadelphia Kimmel Center honoring Ambassador Walter Annenberg. Included were narrations and rear screen projections of a DVD montage focusing on the spirit of giving (produced and written by Ms. Montgomery), a fifteen piece string ensemble, a thirty voice gospel choir, five jazz vocalists, four percussionists from Latin and African traditions, and a nine piece jazz ensemble. Ms. Montgomery also performed and narrated.
In May of 2003 she co-produced and performed in The Philadelphia Jazz All Star Benefit, honoring George “Butch” Ballard (original drummer for the Duke Ellington Orchestra) and benefiting the music programs for the Radnor School District/PA. Students of the various jazz ensembles rehearsed with the professional musicians in a workshop setting and performed onstage with Mr. Ballard and the entire jazz ensemble. Performers also included co-producer and drummer Leon Jordan, international jazz violinist John Blake, world renown trumpeter Terell Stafford, blues vocalist Frank Bey, vocalist Jeanne Brooks, pianist Aaron Graves, Venezuelan percussionist Marlon Simon, alto saxophonist Tony Williams, tenor saxophonist Chris Farr, bassist Lee Smith, and guitarist Steve Giordano.
Ms. Montgomery also leads LADIES NIGHT OUT, her band of top female jazz musicians including Monette Sudler on guitar, Lynn Riley on saxophones/flute/clarinet, Lee-sa Robinson on drums, all international recording artists and performers in their own right.
She has been asked to write and contribute for jazz publications, including the premier issue of the AllAboutJazz newspaper, Jazziz Magazine, and Downbeat, and was featured in the July 2004 issue of Jazziz. She is writing a book on life as a private citizen in Saigon during the Vietnam War in the early 1960's.
While raising her two children, she performed primarily in the PA/DE/NJ/NY area (Iridium, Borgia Cafe, Zanzibar Blue, Ortlieb's, Chris' Cafe, jazz festivals, Philadelphia Museum of Art Jazz Series among others); has had three sold out tours in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, performing in Prague, Usti nad Labem, Olomousc, Bratislava, Trencin, Piestany, Banska Biasnica, Martin, Zvolen, Banska Biastryka; and has performed often in Paris.
She has been volunteering with The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, an international institute that works with the families of brain injured children, since 1980, in their programs for hurt kids and well children. She home schooled her two children (now 26 and 18) from birth via the neurological program guidelines of the Institutes, teaching languages, art, music, violin, sciences, history, literature, and gymnastics among other areas in the academic and physical programs; became certified at the teaching level; has volunteered for many years in their clinical work, most recently proving translation services for the French speaking families; participated in over 20 twenty world meetings on brain research. She has received the Brazilian Gold Medal of Honor for her efforts in this field.
She is deeply involved in gun violence prevention, stemming from the years she lived in South Vietnam in the early 1960's. A more recent tragedy was the murder-suicide in January 2002 in Ardmore, Pa. of the family of five that included her daughter's dear friend, 14-year-old Alexandra Wake. Since that time she has hosted town meetings to address the dilemma of gun accessibility, spoken at press conferences state wide, and lobbied often in the Pennsylvania state capitol and Washington, D.C. This led her to become the President of The Pennsylvania Million Mom Chapters of the Brady Campaign. She has presents numerous gun violence prevention workshops to middle schools, high schools, community organizations, and colleges; produced a state-wide assault weapons ban conference in the spring of 2004; and testified in front of and advised the City of Philadelphia on firearms legislation. She also works with Mothers In Charge and Mothers Opposed to Murder, both groups of Philadelphia mothers who have lost children to homicide, as well as Mantua Against Drugs, Men United for a Better Philadelphia and other grass roots organizations in Pennsylvania. She performed at the national Million Mom March on Mother’s Day of 2004 in Washington, D.C. on the west lawn of the Capitol honoring Alexandra and the many victims of gun violence , and each year produces and performs the Mother’s Day Remembrance Service for the Pennsylvania Million Mom March.
Barbara Montgomery, President
Mr. Bean and Bumpy Music, Inc., ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers)
Two Beans Music, BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)
bjazz.com records, a division of Mr. Bean and Bumpy Music, Inc.
b&bjazz, inc. (501c3)
Discography:
Barbara Montgomery (1992)
Ask Me Now (1998)
Dakini Land (2001)
Little Sunflower (2002) **Blue Chip Award for Best Jazz Vocals, IAJE, 2003
Trinity (2005) **Blue Chip Award for Best Jazz Vocals, IAJE, 2005
Noel – One From The Heart (2005)
Associations:
-Co-President, The Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia
-President, Pennsylvania Million Mom Chapters of the Brady Campaign
-Board Member, The Women's Board, The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
-Board Member, Loan Review Board, Philadelphia Federal Credit Union
-Board Member, David Katz Scholarship Fund, benefiting The Esther Boyer College of Music, Temple University
-Board Member, TYL II Daycare and Montessori School
-Member, Coalition For A Safe Future For Our Children
-Member, Veterans for Peace
-Member, Vietnam Veterans for Peace
-Member, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
-Member, International Association for Jazz Education
-Member, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
-Member, International Campaign for Tibet
-Member, Middle Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
-Songwriter Member, Broadcast Music Inc.
-Publisher Member, ASCAP
-Publisher Member, BMI
-Jazz Series Coordinator, The Red Room at the Society Hill Playhouse
-French translator for The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, an international institute serving the families of brain injured children
-B.A., University of Pennsylvania
-Certified at the Teaching Level, The Evan Thomas Institute, The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, specialising in neurophysiological applications for brain growth
-Jazz Theory and Piano under Samuel Gold, New York City
-Classical Theory and Harmony under Luis Prado, the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music
