Montuno Blue

Artist Bio

Pianist Andrew Carroll is an award winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and producer. He began piano studies at the age of four and discovered jazz piano when he was nine years old under the tutelage of Rick Montalbano. With more than two decades of professional experience, Andrew has spent years listening to his musical heroes in efforts of capturing the essence and sounds of great piano players. He has shared the performance stage with many of the greats in the music industry, including Burt Bacharach, Steve Miller, Jane Monheit, Elliot Mason, and Peter Eldridge.

Bassist Chris Colabello is the newest memeber of the band, and is fluent in all styles of electric bass playing. He has played with many staples of the Upstate New York Music music scene, including Atlas, The Minds Eye, Spaces, Paul Bollenbeck, and Latin jazz legend Dave Valentin.

Drummer and music director, Michael Cortese, has performed throughout the Syracuse, Philadelphia, New Jersey and NYC areas. Michael has performed and shared the stage with Pablo Battista, Eddie Gomez, Edward Simon, Eric Marienthal, Ingrid Jensen, Jeff Kashiwa, Micro Big Band, Nelson Rangell, Ralph Lalama, Stanely Clarke and Zawinul Syndicate.

Percussionist Dave Donley, who is originally from Los Angeles, grew up playing Afo-Cuban folkloric music. Dave is a featured performer in the band on congas, shekere, pandeiro, timbales, and more. Dave has performed Rhythm Tribe, Chaka Khan, Tierra, War and regionally with Grupo Pagan.
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Vocalist, Melody Rose
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Melody Rose is a singer/songwriter from New York. Melody has been fortunate to have many prestigious opportunities, such as touring Europe on two occasions and performing at various music conferences and festivals along the east coast. Rose recently opened for Howard Jones at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY. Cryptic Rock says "Rose harkened back to the best female acts of the ’60s and ’70s as she gave off the vibe of an edgy Carole King, the sharp wit of Rickie Lee Jones, and the power and confidence of a seasoned Diana Ross." Melody attributes her unique vocal style to her various musical upbringings. She trained classically in opera for nine years, and studied jazz for seven. Upon receiving her M.A. in music composition, Melody continued to work on her craft as a singer-songwriter, and subsequently released her E.P. in February 2015.

Montuno Blue Backline Requirements
Drum Kit with hardware (preferebly Yamaha, Pearl, DW, Mapex, Tama)
18” - 22” Bass Drum 14” Snare Drum
10” - 12” Rack Tom 14” - 16” Floor Tom drum throne
bass drum pedal 3 cymbal stands drum set rug
Piano or Keyboard
Grand Piano or Baby Grand Piano, tuned to “A” 440 pitch (tuned prior to performance)
OR
*Professional 88 weighted keys keyboard with a keyboard amplifier including a stand for keyboard
Amplifiers
Bass Amplifier: Gallien Krueger, Ampeg, SWR or equivalent *If keyboard is used, one keyboard amplifier
Congas and Percussion
3 LP drums 1, 11 3/34 conga 2, 12 1/2 Tumbas.
(Each drum tuned, middle 11 3/34 C, left Rumba E, right Tumba G)
Rock& Sock Hydrolic drum throne
1 LP percussion Table
1 cutaway Mienel Timbale
Double bar chimes with stand/ or mount.
Mountable tambourine
Assortment of different pitched blocks
Agogo bells, mambo bell all mounted on rack.
Each drum should be with a monitor, and sound checked prior to performing.
Microphones (Total: 12)
1 microphone for vocals (e935, SM58, or equivalent)
6 microhpnes for drums (4 dynamic, 2 condensers for overheads)
2 microphones for piano
3 microphones for percussion (combination of dynamic and condensers) DI for bass amplifier
DI for keyboard if keyboard is used
Monitors
A minimum of 5 monitors.