Montreux (band)
Encyclopedia
Montreux was the name of an American
fusion
band, specializing in the blend of jazz
and bluegrass
, with jam
elements. The band was active from approximately 1982 until 1990 and recorded on Windham Hill Records
. The name of the band came from the jazz festival in Switzerland of the same name
.
Additional members included:
Philips, in particular, was a prominent member of the band early on, stemming from his connection with Anger and Marshall when they played together in the David Grisman Quintet
.
. After performing together, they began writing music. Anger later met violin player David Balakrishnan through David Grisman
and, along with Mike Marshall formed the band Saheeb (1980–1983). Anger met Will Ackerman around the same time (1980), and Ackerman, impressed by Anger's fiddling on his solo record Fiddlistics
, asked Anger to record a record for Windham Hill. Anger and Higbie released their first record, Tideline in 1982 (Higbie stated in 2006 that the mixing and production studio "was still in Will's garage"). The record was a success.
Anger brought in long-time colleagues Mike Marshall and Todd Philips to join he and Higbie (they were later joined by Andy Narell
). They quickly became known for their unique acoustic jazz and soloing styles. Balakrishnan left the band to study composition and Anger took on the violin roles full-time. In 1984 Anger, Phillips, Marshall Higbie and Narell performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival
, and their recording during the festival marked the second album for the band.
In 1985 Anger and Marshall embarked on a separate project, focusing on their bluegrass roots. The result was 'Chiaroscuro', named for their love of the Italian
culture. In addition to Higbie, Narell and Philips, Marshall and Anger also brought in Michael Manring
, a leading session recorder with Windham Hill, to record with them. The chemistry worked well between the group, and Manring joined the band full-time (Phillips left to peruse solo projects).
After extensive touring, the four core musicians wrote and recorded another album in 1987, Sign Language. Windham Hill recognized the group as the All Star band of the record label. Montreux's style became distinctive and unique, and by this time they adopted their band name. They also picked up Anne-Marie Martins as their agent and manager, who led them to become one of the most successful Windham Hill bands live.
After more touring, the band got into the studio for last time, creating in 1989 Let Them Say. In 1990 the band broke apart. Marshall
went off to create the 'Modern Mandolin Quartet' (specializing in classical
pieces arranged for mandolin) and recorded albums on Windham Hill. Anger, again with David Balakrishnan, formed the Turtle Island String Quartet in 1985 and left to pursue that group full-time. Manring released a few solo albums on Windham Hill, and Higbie released one (Signs of Life).
All members of the band still perform as of 2006, and Manring and Higbie reunited for the August 27, 2006 Windham Hill Records
reunion concert in Saratoga, California
. Though the band has not reunited since their initial breakup, Anger and Marshall still collaborate, and Higbie and Manring occasionally record with Marshall and/or Anger.
Since the BMG
buyout of Windham Hill, no artist has returned to record on the record label, though their music is consistently recycled in new collections published by BMG (now Sony Music Entertainment
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fusion
Fusion Music
Fusion Music is a sub genre of Reggaeton. Calle 13 helped introduce this genre, and are the most famous artists to sing it. It's also known as Alternative Reggaeton. Danny Fornaris is the most famous producer in this sub-genre, known as its Luny Tunes...
band, specializing in the blend of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, with jam
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
elements. The band was active from approximately 1982 until 1990 and recorded on Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
. The name of the band came from the jazz festival in Switzerland of the same name
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
.
Band members
The group consisted of four core members:- Darol AngerDarol Anger-Career:Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandolin in The David Grisman Quintet's 1977 debut. He co-founded the Turtle Island String Quartet with David Balakrishnan in 1985 and performed,...
- Violins - Barbara HigbieBarbara HigbieBarbara Higbie is a Grammy nominated, Bammy award winning pianist, composer, violinist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has played on over 65 CD's including 3 tunes on the recent Carlos Santana CD. A longtime Windham Hill recording artist, she has also recorded for Olivia/Second...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and voiceVoiceVoice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal... - Mike MarshallMike Marshall (bluegrass musician)Mike Marshall is an American mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist who grew up in central Florida and now lives in Oakland, California. Marshall has been a part of New Acoustic Music since the early 1980s. He has performed and recorded with many musicians in a variety of styles, including...
- mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
s and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
- Fretless bass, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and voiceVoiceVoice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
Additional members included:
- Todd PhilipsTodd Phillips (musician)Todd Phillips is an American double bassist. He is the bassist of choice for many of the most innovative, as well as traditional, acoustic instrumental and bluegrass recordings made since the mid-1970s...
- BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Andy NarellAndy NarellAndy Narell is a musician and composer specialized in the steelpan.-Biography:He was born in New York City and moved to California in his teens. He took up the steelpan at a very young age in Queens, New York...
- steel drumsSteelpanSteelpans is a musical instrument originating from The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago... - Tom Miller - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Will Kennedy - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Philips, in particular, was a prominent member of the band early on, stemming from his connection with Anger and Marshall when they played together in the David Grisman Quintet
David Grisman Quintet
David Grisman Quintet is a self-styled alternative bluegrass/ acoustic jazz band founded by David Grisman in 1975 in San Francisco, California, USA. Following the Bill Monroe's bluegrass legacy and Django Reinhard's 30s swing, the David Grisman Quintet comes with entirely new style to the acoustic...
.
History
The group's roots started in the late 1970s when Darol Anger met Barbara Higbie in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After performing together, they began writing music. Anger later met violin player David Balakrishnan through David Grisman
David Grisman
David Grisman is an American bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist and composer of acoustic music. In the early 1990s, he started the Acoustic Disc record label in an effort to preserve and spread acoustic or instrumental music.-Biography:Grisman grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey...
and, along with Mike Marshall formed the band Saheeb (1980–1983). Anger met Will Ackerman around the same time (1980), and Ackerman, impressed by Anger's fiddling on his solo record Fiddlistics
Darol Anger
-Career:Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandolin in The David Grisman Quintet's 1977 debut. He co-founded the Turtle Island String Quartet with David Balakrishnan in 1985 and performed,...
, asked Anger to record a record for Windham Hill. Anger and Higbie released their first record, Tideline in 1982 (Higbie stated in 2006 that the mixing and production studio "was still in Will's garage"). The record was a success.
Anger brought in long-time colleagues Mike Marshall and Todd Philips to join he and Higbie (they were later joined by Andy Narell
Andy Narell
Andy Narell is a musician and composer specialized in the steelpan.-Biography:He was born in New York City and moved to California in his teens. He took up the steelpan at a very young age in Queens, New York...
). They quickly became known for their unique acoustic jazz and soloing styles. Balakrishnan left the band to study composition and Anger took on the violin roles full-time. In 1984 Anger, Phillips, Marshall Higbie and Narell performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
, and their recording during the festival marked the second album for the band.
In 1985 Anger and Marshall embarked on a separate project, focusing on their bluegrass roots. The result was 'Chiaroscuro', named for their love of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
culture. In addition to Higbie, Narell and Philips, Marshall and Anger also brought in Michael Manring
Michael Manring
Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
, a leading session recorder with Windham Hill, to record with them. The chemistry worked well between the group, and Manring joined the band full-time (Phillips left to peruse solo projects).
After extensive touring, the four core musicians wrote and recorded another album in 1987, Sign Language. Windham Hill recognized the group as the All Star band of the record label. Montreux's style became distinctive and unique, and by this time they adopted their band name. They also picked up Anne-Marie Martins as their agent and manager, who led them to become one of the most successful Windham Hill bands live.
After more touring, the band got into the studio for last time, creating in 1989 Let Them Say. In 1990 the band broke apart. Marshall
Mike Marshall (bluegrass musician)
Mike Marshall is an American mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist who grew up in central Florida and now lives in Oakland, California. Marshall has been a part of New Acoustic Music since the early 1980s. He has performed and recorded with many musicians in a variety of styles, including...
went off to create the 'Modern Mandolin Quartet' (specializing in classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
pieces arranged for mandolin) and recorded albums on Windham Hill. Anger, again with David Balakrishnan, formed the Turtle Island String Quartet in 1985 and left to pursue that group full-time. Manring released a few solo albums on Windham Hill, and Higbie released one (Signs of Life).
All members of the band still perform as of 2006, and Manring and Higbie reunited for the August 27, 2006 Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
reunion concert in Saratoga, California
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
. Though the band has not reunited since their initial breakup, Anger and Marshall still collaborate, and Higbie and Manring occasionally record with Marshall and/or Anger.
Since the BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
buyout of Windham Hill, no artist has returned to record on the record label, though their music is consistently recycled in new collections published by BMG (now Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
).
Popular tunes
Though many may not recognize Montreux's tunes by name, the group's music is often heard during radio shows and on commercials:- "To Be" (Higbie) was featured on baby diaper commercials and was, for a short time, used by Rush LimbaughRush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
during his radio show. National Public Radio occasionally uses it for their Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
and Morning EditionMorning EditionMorning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
programs. MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
also produced and filmed a music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of "To Be" in 1988 (shortly after the tune was nominated for a Grammy), and, as of 2006, showcases the video on their website. - "Let Them Say" (Higbie and Marshall) is used as the promotional preview song for Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
and Talk of the NationTalk of the NationTalk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Its focus is current events and controversial issues....
on NPR and is usually heard every morning during the Morning Edition program.
Discography
- Tideline (1982) (As 'Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie')
- Live at Montreux (1985) (As 'the Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet') (Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Engineering) - Chiaroscuro (1985) (As 'Mike Marshall & Darol Anger')
- Sign Language (1987) (Grammy Award nominated for the song "To Be")
- Let Them Say (1989)
- Montreux: A Windham Hill Retrospective (1993) (a greatest hitsGreatest hitsA greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
; compiled by Windham Hill producer Robert 'Bob' Duskis)