Biography
The eldest among the three Montgomery brothers, Monk Montgomery earned recognition as the pioneering major figure on jazz electric bass after taking up the instrument in 1953. Although he reached age 30 before beginning to play the bass, he quickly developed sufficient command to join Lionel Hampton's Orchestra from 1951 to 1953. In Indianapolis between 1955 and 1956 he performed with the Montgomery-Johnson Quintet alongside his siblings Wes and Buddy, tenor saxophonist Alonzo Johnson, and drummer Robert Johnson. After relocating to Seattle, where Buddy soon followed, the pair established the Mastersounds, a well-regarded quartet that remained active from 1957 through 1960. Throughout the 1960s Monk appeared intermittently with his brothers, including a brief ensemble known as the Montgomery Brothers, while also working as a freelance musician; he performed with Cal Tjader in 1966 and established residence in Las Vegas in 1970. There he continued local engagements, among them a stint in Red Norvo's trio from 1970 to 1972, hosted radio programs, and recorded little-noticed dates for the Chisa label in 1971 and the Philadelphia International label in 1974. In his final period he devoted energy to the Las Vegas Jazz Society, which he founded.
Albums
