“Montague has a voice that is immediately appealing, and is adaptable to the variety of tunes that she has chosen for the album. Her sound is smooth with a soulful edge. She never gets tied up with vocal excesses, emphatic when she needs to be, and tender at the appropriate moments.”
—Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz
“Antoinette Montague has a powerful voice, the ability to hold long notes without wavering, and a knack for making every song sound bluesy.”
—Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene
“Jazz players love to accompany a genuine jazz singer and Antoinette is as real as they come: good range, phrasing and taste.”
—Jazz Times
“Her lusty and soulful voice reaches your most inner core. Her strength is combining the heartfelt passion of the Blues with the sophistication of Jazz.”
—EAGLEyeONE Magazine (Canada)
New Release & Upcoming Performances
Behind the Smile
NEW RELEASE
February 2010
Buy here »
RECENT PRESS COVERAGE:
Click here to see Antoinette on WBGO's photoblog.
LEADING
Click here to read coverage of Antoinette's triumphant return gig at the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation Black History Month Cabaret in Syracuse.
LEADING
View John Herr's Picasa photo album of Antoinette's performance at the Sheraton University Ballroom, February 13, 2011 here.
LEADING
Click here to see Antoinette interviewed by Jackie Lennon on "Jackie & Company" Friday, April 8, 2011 12:30 am. Time-Warner Cable CH 67/69, RCN CH 85, Verizon CH 36.
"In sum, she has it all – voice, taste, soul, swing and clarity of expression."
Real jazz singers tend to work with first-rate instruments and that is certainly true of Antoinette Montague. (There is a video on YouTube of her singing “Muddy Water” with Mike Longo and his 17 Piece NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble).
Her new album is named “Behind Smile” and she flashes a dazzling smile on the cover. As the lyric (which she penned) says, what's behind her smile is the blues. Her vocals evoke smiles as she digs into 13 songs, with the splendid accompaniment of woodwind player Bill Easley, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington.
She has a happy, bluesy sound (and that's not a contradiction in terms). As she demonstrates on Big Bill Broonzy's “Give Your Mama One Smile.” She pleasingly Latinizes Ellington’s “Lost in Meditation” but she can also perform a sensitive ballad, such as Dave Brubeck's "Summer Song" or swing “The Song You.” She convincingly remakes “Get Ready” and “What's Goin' On” as jazz tunes, not to mention the “23rd Psalm.”
In sum, she has it all – voice, taste, soul, swing and clarity of expression.
Arts Beat – Barry Bassis
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Sunday, March 12, 2012
6:00 pm
Antoinette Montague
with UMOJO
Presbyterian Jazz Society
Second Sunday Jazz Series
The First Presbyterian Church
199 North Columbus Avenue (corner East Lincoln Ave.)
Mount Vernon, NY 10553-1196
Tickets: 914-667-0823
PJS Members $10, Non-members $18, Students $15
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Antoinette Montague
Jazz Vespers in Harlem
Part 3 of the 3 Part Divine Duos series
for Women's History Month
More info to come. . .
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singer, musician, performer
Antoinette Montague
Born and raised in Newark, Antoinette Montague considers Carrie Smith, Etta Jones, Della Griffin and Myrna Lake to be her mentors. Antoinette has worked extensively in the New York area during the past decade with such musicians as Bill Easley, Norman Simmons, Winard Harper, Wycliffe Gordon, Frank Wess, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Mike Longo's New York State of the Arts Orchestra. more info...
