“Many composers would have been wary of a commission to write a tribute to the 200th anniversary of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’...Ms. Montgomery readily accepted the challenge, writing an urgent, inventive piece titled ‘Banner’...She daringly transforms the anthem, folding it into a teaming score...to create a musical melting pot.”
“Turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life, “Strum” sounded like a handful of American folk melodies tossed into a strong wind, cascading and tumbling joyfully around one another.”
...marks her debut as a leading composer and performer
- Maggie Molloy, Second Inversion
'Connections rises above a rote tribute disc with the inclusion of violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery’s five-part suite In Color. Stewart commissioned her to compose the suite based on certain multiphonics techniques that he has crafted. “The interesting challenge with In Color was to find a blend between the unique timbre of the tuba and the strings, to find a place in the middle where these two opposing timbres could meet,” Montgomery explains. “I spent a lot of time with Bob learning about his technique and the array of effects and colors that have become a part of his palette, and I used those as a basis for the techniques employed by the string quartet.”'
- John Murph, JAZZTIMES
"Strum is the first album dedicated solely to Montgomery’s music, and marks her debut as a leading composer and performer...The album combines classical chamber music with elements of folk music, spirituals, improvisation, poetry, and politics, crafting a unique and insightful new–music perspective on the cross-cultural intersections of American history."
- Maggie Molloy, Second Inversion