Chris Montague

As a founder member of Troyka he has garnered a reputation for his distinctive approach to the guitar and has gained much acclaim for his contribution to many contemporary recordings. Chris’ new trio Warmer than Blood with Kit Downes (ECM) on piano and acclaimed bassist Ruth Goller, released its debut album in May 2020 with Whirlwind recordings and will be touring this material.

Chris was born in Gateshead in the UK and began playing guitar at an early age. Some of the musicians and bands Chris has worked with have included: Troyka, Squarepusher, Benny Greb’s Moving Parts, Janek Gwizdala, Monocled Man, Charlie Watts, Django Bates, Shinya Fukumori, BJ Cole, Colin Town’s Blue Touch Paper, Nick Smart’s Trogon, Trish Clowe’s Tangent, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Chris is also a Spitfire Audio Recording artist.

As a composer Chris has received several commissions to write for different musicians, including the Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra, Threads Orchestra, EFG London Jazz Festival and several large guitar ensemble pieces for Hull and London Jazz Festivals.

In 2017 Chris was selected as a finalist and prize-winner in the Jazz composer category by the Arts Foundation, an organisation which has been recognising and supporting artists of all disciplines for the past 25 years.