Matthew Montfort: Solo World Music for Guitar

Guitar Player Magazine Presents: Mattthew Montfort performing 'Purple Raga' on Glissentar 11 string fretless guitar.
Originally recorded on Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.

Mattthew Montfort performs 'Soul Serenade' from Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.

Featured Sound Files

Soul Serenade (Montfort) 6:28 (>audio). From Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2008). Pre-Release Signed CD- $24.98: Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now.

Amber (Montfort. 2:09) (lofi. Free MP3 excerpt: 0:28, 459K.) From Guitar Works by various guitarists. (Narada Lotus ND-61032) CD- $16.98: Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now.

I Mett Her in the Medowe, a and b (traditional, arr. Montfort. 5:31) (>audio. Available with free trial subscription at Planet Passion @ eMusic.com. ) Scottish lute melody from 1615. From Planet Passion by Ancient Future. (Ancient-Future.Com AF-2001). CD/Gift Card, $17.98: Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now.

Quotes

"Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar." – GUITAR PLAYER

"Montfort is a pioneer player of the scalloped fretboard guitar." – SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"This longtime world music/fusion guitarist offers a solo and lightly-backed recording for acoustic "scalloped fretboard" guitar, and however that may di!er from a regular guitar (OK, there are actually no [flat surfaces between the] frets and he touches only the strings), he plays it just beautifully, at times hypnotically, and makes it sound like some sort of sitar hybrid on a "modern raga," a "Celtic raga," and even a "purple" one based on Jimi Hendrix's music. With even the dreaded didj blending in tastefully, this is a very fine set, meditative and rhythmic all at once." – Steve Heilig, THE BEAT

"Matthew Montfort has been the leader of the seminal world fusion group Ancient Future for over 30 years. In that time, he and his group have often led the way in crafting exquisite, timeless melodies reflecting musical influences from the Middle East, India, Asia and beyond. Now Matthew has released his first solo CD, 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.' You may well be asking, as I did, what exactly is a scalloped fretboard guitar? It turns out that it's not a new idea for stringed instruments. Many lutes, for example have scalloped fretboards, where some of the wood between the frets on the guitar neck is removed to facilitate 'bending' notes. Matthew has been experimenting with this idea on an acoustic guitar for many years, and has developed a unique sound that may remind you of a sitar. The delightful result forms the core sound of 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar,' a series of improvisational masterpieces that somehow manage to sound both traditional and contemporary at the same time. Matthew’s playing is always impeccable, filled with subtle emotion and even wanderlust. I don't know of anyone who plays quite like Matthew. His mastery of the scalloped fretboard guitar seems unequaled. For a richly rewarding journey into the magic of acoustic world fusion music, look no farther than 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.'" – Steve Ryals, FRESH TRACKS, DrunkWithWonder.com

"Leader of the world-music band Ancient Future since 1978, Matthew Montfort has adapted many string instrument styles – from sitar to zither – to his guitar. His special scalloped fretboard allows him to tweak the strings in unique ways, but his virtuosity is
a lot more than technical."– David Rubien, Datebook Pink Section: This Week: Friday Chronicle Pick, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Don’t miss the chance to see a pioneer of a newly modified instrument live as Matthew Montfort, leader of the world music group Ancient Future, gives a solo performance."– MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNEL

"It isn't every day that acoustic guitarists make their instrument sound a lot like an Indian sitar, but that is exactly what Matthew Montfort accomplishes on the instrumental Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar. What exactly is a scalloped fretboard guitar? According to Ancient-Future.com, guitar maker Ervin Somogyi took an acoustic guitar back in 1978 and "carved out the wood between the frets so that the pads of Montfort's fingers touch only the strings, reducing friction while he bends them to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar." And while that might sound technical to those who aren't professional musicians, there is no question that the scalloped fretboard guitar that Montfort plays on this early-2009 release is very sitar-sounding. Traditional Indian music is a strong influence on instrumentals like "Purple Raga," "Gauri the Golden," and "Lilalit," which is not to say that this is a traditional Indian album in the Ravi Shankar vein. Instead, Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar is best described as world fusion; Indian music is an influence, but it isn't the disc's only influence -- and Montfort also draws on everything from Spanish flamenco to blues to folk-rock. Celtic music is an influence on "Celtic Raga," which successfully combines Irish-Celtic and Indian elements. Through it all, Montfort demonstrates that even though he has considerable chops and technical prowess, he is much more interested in feeling and expression than technique. This 56- minute CD is an adventurous, consistently engaging demonstration of what Montfort can accomplish on the scalloped fretboard guitar." – Alex Henderson, ALL MEDIA GUIDE

"Though he plays guitar, Montfort's music isn't merely guitar music; it's a sonic environment that features a guitar. Strong Indian and Balinese influences permeate these seven exotic soundscapes. Beautifully recorded, this sumptuous music creates a unique wall of sound that you won't soon forget." – Steven Stone, VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE

"As founder of the pioneering world fusion band Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort was instrumental in shaping that genre. For his first solo album, he casts the spotlight on the unique musical characteristics of the scalloped fret board guitar, an instrument with a highly different “personality,” which is revealed through Montfort’s considerable talent. This type of guitar sounds quite different—notes can be “bent” and the music acquires an exotic, sensual characteristic. Some tracks feature Montfort going solo, while on others he’s joined by artists on santur, didgeridoo, or violin. Many of the CD’s seven tracks carry an East Indian flavor, but “Michelle’s Star” has a breezy folk-like feeling and “Celtic Raga” pulses with the lively spirit of Irish-pub music. The closing “Lilalit” is a 14-minute solo tour de force!" – Bill Binkelman, PLAY LIST, N.A. RETAILER

"Matthew Montfort, leader of the world fusion group Ancient Future, steps out solo here with a set of carefully crafted tunes on scalloped fretboard guitar, giving it a distinctly Indian feel. The 7 tracks span just about an hour of fine acoustic listening pleasure,
perfect for an early morning or mealtime experience. Our picks include the tracks Sangria and Celtic Raga. Montfort's guitar combines qualities of the South Indian veena and the steel string guitar. He intensively studied with veena master K.S. Subramanian, and has also performed flamenco guitar, charango and mandolin. He has recorded with Indian tabla maestros Swapan Chaudhuri and Zakir Hussain."– Madanmohan Rao, RAVE INDIA MAGAZINE

"Matthew plays a scalloped fretboard guitar, a new instrument for me. It’s sound is similar to a sitar, and many of the tunes on this CD sound as if they were from India. I am choosing to highlight Michelle’s Star because it brings the same tonality to a western-sounding melody in a beautiful way. The CD is good for relaxing with a cool drink, perhaps even Sangria (another tune from the album) after cleaning up after a loud raucous bbq."– Eartaste.com

"Virtuoso guitarist with extensive classical training in India plays with a scalloped fretboard that lets him produce embellishments similar to those heard from a sitar. Very creative and energetic arrangements."–Jeffrey Pascoe, WRUV 90.1 FM

"Matthew Montfort’s "Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar" is an impressive collection of meditative sonic excursions. Montfort currently teaches music theory and guitar at the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco. He has also recorded with legendary Bolivian panpipe master Gonzalo Vargas and tabla extraordinaire Zakir Hussain. As the title aptly suggests, this recording features the intricate nuances of a scalloped fretboard acoustic, which has subtle qualities of both the Indian vina and the steel string guitar. On the opening, "Gauri the Golden," Montfort delicately weaves Middle Eastern inspired motifs over opaque tonal layers provided by Patty Weiss’s electric violin and Alan Tower’s didjeridu. "Celtic Raga" is an interesting solo piece exploring the common ground found in Northern Indian and Irish music. All of these contemporary ragas are pristinely recorded using rich, lush reverb. Matthew Montfort is a true pioneer and master of the scalloped fretboard acoustic and this recording is highly recommended for all fans world music." – James Scott, Minor7th.com

"The relationship between musicians and composers varies tremendously from one world tradition to another. In European classical music, the musician’s job is to play exactly what the composer says to play. That is why when a European classical musician says the word “music,” he usually means sheets of paper, not actual sound: “Put your music on the stand,” etc.

In Indian music, this relationship is dramatically reversed. A musician is someone who makes music, in the sense of actual sound, not marks on paper. Many teachers do use a form of written music, but it is regarded with suspicion and usually only used to teach exercises. The preferred form of teaching is having the student copy a melody directly with voice or instrument. In the Karnatik music of South India, this fundamentally oral tradition has preserved compositions by 18th century composers, who dominate Karnatik music the way their contemporaries Mozart and Haydn dominate European music. These Karnatik compositions, however, are supplemented by long improvised passages, which means that the musician is a creative artist, in addition to an interpretive artist.

In the Hindustani music of the North, the musician has even greater creative responsibility. The “composer,” as understood in the West, does not exist at all. A Hindustani raga is not a melody, but rather a set of rules, both firm and flexible, which always create a similar mood, but are never “played the same way twice.

Students learn fixed compositions from their teachers, and must play them perfectly during the lesson. But the experienced musician must use those compositions as raw material to create music on the spot, which must be both completely new and firmly rooted in tradition.

This paradoxical blend of freedom and discipline was both appealing and a bit frightening to guitarist and composer Matthew Montfort. He once had dreams of becoming a classical sitarist and studied extensively at the Ali Akbar College of Music. But Ali Akbar Khan was an understandably intimidating role model. The patterns he taught in class were amazingly beautiful and profound, but the ability to improvise great music based on those patterns seemed to elude almost all of his western students.

Montfort concluded that he could not do his best work if he pretended that he had grown up in a village in Maihar and only had one teacher. Northern California was (and still is) home to music from almost everywhere: South America, Bali, Africa, the Middle East, as well as North and South India. Montfort decided to create a style he would call World Fusion music, which would combine elements from all of these traditions. Stitching together all of these different traditions could not be done instinctively and spontaneously. It required careful musical scholarship and a discovery of connections between styles that had developed in separate cultural universes. The kind of freedom enjoyed by Hindustani musicians would not be possible. Instead, Montfort became a master of arranging instruments that had never been played together before. Although improvisation was frequent, it was usually allocated to specific points in an otherwise fixed composition.

Montfort’s band, Ancient Future, sold hundreds of thousands of albums, received rave critical notices, and won numerous awards. However, the trials of managing an unclassifiable band inadvertently pushed him back to being an improvisational musician. As his studio arrangements became richer and more complex, it became harder to recreate them in live performance, particularly as he began collaborating with international musicians with worldwide concert commitments. Montfort was thus frequently required to book whoever he could find and see what music came up. The good news was that his decades of studying and performing so many different styles of music gave him a depth of skill far beyond that of the young man who had once decided he couldn’t be a classical sitarist. He could now respond to unpredictable situations with completely fresh music created on the spot—music that deserved to be not only performed but recorded.

Montfort’s newest album, Seven Serenades, is remarkably similar to a classical Hindustani improvised performance. There are brief guest spots featuring supportive background performances of didjeridu, santoor, and violin, but most tracks are single note melodies on guitar, accompanied by nothing but an unobtrusive drone. The basic form of most of the tracks is the Hindustani alap/jhor/jhala, that slowly explores every part of the selected scale, first with no rhythm at all, then with a slowly increasing rhythmic pulse that builds to a heavily strummed crescendo.

But although some of the scales on this album are based on traditional ragas, they do not come from a single guru, but from every corner of Montfort’s diverse musical history. “Celtic Raga” is based on the Hindustani scale khamaj, known as mixolydian in the west, which is the basis for many Irish fiddle tunes. Montfort’s interpretation starts by evoking a slow Celtic air, then gradually falls into the structure of a dancing Irish reel as it picks up tempo. “Lilalit” is built on the challenging scale of raga lalit. Montfort’s interpretation combines the broad stark intervals of that raga to reveal jazzy chords that sound dissonant at first, but are actually following a special kind of consonance. “Purple Raga” unpacks the melodic rules contained within the guitar riff of the famous Jimi Hendrix song “Purple Haze” and reveals some powerful connections between Afro-American and Hindustani musical roots.

Because Montfort’s guitar has a scalloped fretboard, his fingers touch only the strings, enabling him to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar. This album reveals a thorough knowledge of Hindustani microtonal ornaments, transferred in ways that create one of the most distinctive guitar sounds in contemporary music. However, it also reveals a lifetime of exploration in world music, which can be immediately summoned in a flash of inspiration. When this level of mastery is reached, there is no need to rewrite. The first improvisation has the depth of a reworked composition." – Teed Rockwell, INDIA CURRENTS

"Matthew Montfort is a true guitar master. His instrument conveys the smallest nuances of the artist’s emotions. Also, Matthew Montfort’s manner of playing scalloped fretboard guitar is very diverse. He masterfully combines a perfect performance with Eastern meditative approach. As a result his music sounds very unique. And it is filled with the delicate flavor of the East.

The artist is not afraid to improvise and to blend various genres in his guitar music. His “Purple Raga” is adorned with the captivating drones of an Australian didgeridoo. I could name this composition as world raga rock. In general Matthew Montfort’s music goes beyond any boundaries. He is truly one of the world’s best guitarists.

The first solo effort of Matthew Montfort is a real handbook for guitarists and a great pleasure for the ears of all guitar music lovers!" – Serge Kozlovsky, SergeKozlovsky.com

"I reviewed a CD (a long time ago, in issue #57) called "Planet Passion", not realizing that it was Matthew who had pulled that effort together. While talking with him recently, he mentioned this release, so (of course) I asked him to send it my way... when he titles it "serenades", he isn't kidding. Even if you've never been totally attracted to music labeled "New Age" or "World", you will find something you can enjoy on this magical sonic journey; it is full of rich and totally engaging compositions that easily capture you and keep you listening. My particular favorite was his improvised piece titled "Soul Serenade", track 3... I'm assuming that is because it is in E minor, with a distinctive feel of blues combined with hope. My other favorite piece was "Purple Raga"... Montfort's willingness to let the music just "flow", without forcing it to move in a particular direction, shows more skill at improvisation than many self-proclaimed improv "masters" have. A wonderful musical excursion that is all based on the moment as the motive... this gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as well as our "PICK" of this issue for "best guitar improvisation". Get more information at www.ancient-future.com/serenade.html" – Rotcod Zzaj, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION

"Matthew Montfort cooperated for a long time (since 1978) with Ancient Future, a World Fusion group with now its own label and organizing talent. He studied with gamelan director K.R.T.Wasitodiporu, with North Indian sarod master Ali Akhbar Khan, with vina master K.S.Subramanian. He performed with his scalloped fretboard guitar with people like tablaist Zakir Hussain, Chinese zither master Zhao Hui and so on, this is in fact his first solo release showing his improvised skills on guitar. Some other members from the label and friends helped him well for a texturing background or for some interactive idea.

On the first track, Alan Tower provided a didgeridoo drone replacing the Indian tampura, while Patty Weiss played an electric violin passage. On the second track we hear a great interaction between a musical theme composition on santur by Mariah Parker, in 7/8 improvising with guitar to it mixing styles perfectly. The most wonderful thing also is that Matthew Montfort fluently and colourfully paints his compositions of improvisation, without really becoming entirely one specific traditional style. That way, he more moodily touches the colours of an Indian raga, remains in between the conditional explorative and moodiness. Very interesting for instance is his “Celtic Raga”: “This improvisation applies Indian melodic exploration techniques to a prominent scale used in Celtic music, commonly known as the Greek mixolydian mode, which corresponds to Khammaj”…from the North Indian classicification system. On “Purple Raga” he created a raga based upon “the Jimi Hendrix chord” (D7#9). The music sounds pure and not too complicated, while remaining explorative creative all the time. Very nice." – Gerald Van Waes, PSYCHE VAN HET (Folk Radioshow & Webzine)

"Matthew Montfort resides on the same label as Mariah Parker, the Ancient Future impress, but is far more exotic, further dug into the essence of what composes the sinew and soul of the musics of other cultures. Like Parker, he has a pronounced affinity for Indian musics (and I aver that Carnatic is the most difficult and masterful form of music on the planet); thus, like so many Indian ensembles, he keeps the personnel roster low on each cut in order to carve out slices from the living heart of the form.

The lead cut, Gauri the Golden, is a long song with Patti Weiss on violin for interludes and Alan Tower taking the didjeridu to bridge between Australian and Indian drone accompaniment. Montfort chose the unusual scalloped fretboard guitar in order to best execute a South Indian vina method of note bending, obtaining a perfect cross between sitar and guitar. Like much of Alice Coltrane's work, another musician deeply informed by Indian schools, the song is an unceasing build-up without release, something Western musics rarely even contemplate, forcing the listener to experience art in a different way.

Any perplexity at that unorthodox environment is resolved in his take on Parker's (Mariah, not Charlie) Sangria, which she wrote for this CD then transported over to her own for a completely different read. Parker plays the santur, with Weiss appearing again on violin and Montfort on guitar for a very expressive recital, Montfort waxing a bit Gabor Szabo-ish after the McLaughlin-esque refrains of the previous cut. That song's followed by a completely solo piece that carried me back to when John Stowell and others were initiating this sort of work but also to the CDs and cassettes one finds in Indian markets, where players are encouraged to trot out their chops in culturally classical airs. Here, not a second or a note is wasted.

If you saw the Monterey Pop Fest film with Ravi Shankar, who blew all the most talented rockers off the stage with his mind-bending chops and then completely entranced The Master (Jimi Hendrix), you know why Montfort was inspired by a photo of Jimi sitting gape-mouthed in the presence of such galactic artistry. The pure astonishment on Hendrix's face prompted him to compose the Purple Raga as tribute to rock's greatest guitar player and to the singularity of the music that stunned him. None of this, I hasten to add, is rock and roll, nor should it be, because it's important that more of the American culture hear what Indian musicians have been producing for hundreds of years, a sound and discipline that can enrich us as much as it has them." – Mark S. Tucker, FOLK & ACOUSTIC MUSIC EXCHANGE

"The mind-bending playing abilities of guitar virtuoso, Matthew Montfort, stems from the note-bending capabilities of the scalloped fretboard guitar. This produces a different sound than the more familiar guitar, because the fretboard is carved out, so the fingers only touch the strings. Musically, the songs verge on a flamenco-Indian-jazz continuum. This is partly due to Matthew's playing technique and the sitar-like sounds of his guitar. The crystal-clear picking on guitar and accompaniment on didjeridoo (with Alan Tower), violin (with Patti Weiss) and santoor (with Mariah Parker) provides a rich musical texture. Vocals are absent on this recording. For everyone interested in the sounds of guitar, especially fans of Bob Brozman or Ben Bowen King, then this is definitely for you." – Matthew Forss, InsideWorldMusic.com

"SEVEN SERENADES FOR SCALLOPED FRETBOARD GUITAR, the debut recording by MATTHEW MONTFORT showcases his work on the scalloped fretboard guitar, a special modified instrument able to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar. Montfort is a pioneer among guitarists who have had their fretboards scalloped in order
to play various forms of world music that require intricate notebending ornaments while still being able to play chords. This first solo effort features his improvisational music."– Melissa Wolcott Martino, ACCENT MAGAZINE, Tampa Bay, Florida

"Matthew Montfort is part of the Ancient Future world music group, and this is his first solo recording with his wondrous work on the scalloped fretboard guitar. Back in 1978, he had the wood between the frets carved out so that his fingers would only touch the strings, allowing a more intricate, note-bending style. He was trained in the gamaka (note-bending) technique in India. His album has a soulful Indian sound with a beautiful fusion effect. Highly recommended." – Richard Giles, NEXUS, Australia

"Label head and and leader Montfort continues with his free thinking guitar man ways on this outing of improvs that don’t fit into any of his other guises but need to be heard nonetheless. At it now for 30 years, he’s a throwback to the kind of great underground 70’s guitarists currently being unearthed by labels like Tompkins Square and Numero Group except this is no reissue, he’s carrying the torch here and now. Working with a like minded crew that’s as open minded as he is, this is music for people that remember what music was like and how much fun it was to find something rather than have it force communicated upon you. Tasty throughout."– Chris Spector, MIDWEST RECORD

"About thirty years ago, Ervin Somogyi, a Hungarian-born luthier from California, carved out the wood between the frets of Matthew Montfort’s guitar, making it sound more like a sitar when played. On his official web site, Somogyi mentions he knows four rules of success. He only lists three, the last of which being not to reveal everything one knows.

Four tracks on this 56-minute debut album of Ancient Future’s leader are solo pieces for this modified instrument: “Soul Serenade”, “Michelle’s Star”, “Celtic Raga”, and “Lilalit”, which, at over 14 minutes, is the longest. There are also: didjeridu (“Gauri the Golden” and “Purple Raga”), violins (“Gauri the Golden” and “Sangria”) and santur (“Sangria”). “Purple Raga” sounds almost like Pink Floyd “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” part I but is, in fact, inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s guitar solo on “Purple Haze” (hence the title). The only non-Montfort original composition, “Sangria”, is slightly shorter than the version on Mariah Parker’s eponymous album (please see the review ).

This album is recommended for fans of Ravi and Anoushka Shankar music, for classical guitar aficionados, and for those into meditation. Elaborate liner notes enrich the listener’s experience. For those interested in the origins, sources of inspiration and the making of the Serenades, there is even more information on the Ancient Future’s website."– Eduard Antoniu, usaprogmusic.com

“I first realized Matthew Montfort was a true guitar wizard when he called me on the phone and played me one flawless Hendrix riff after another. We were in the seventh grade. By the time we escaped high school, Matt had gone acoustic, turning coffee house basements into his own planet with fierce improvisations touching on an occasional Spanish or Celtic launching pad.

Now a pioneering master of world fusion, Matt continues to travel, study, absorb and immerse himself in musics and traditions all over the globe. His knowledge and depth are staggering, yet he doesn't let it get in the way of the joy and spirit and soul that we like about music in the first place.

The sparkling presence and sustain you hear is not an amplified acoustic with a lot of reverb, but a scalloped fretboard guitar. Matt's the only person I know who can play one. Most rock musicians I've mentioned it to seem shocked that it even exists.

The Mid-Eastern ventures are my favorite.” – Jello Biafra, (seminal punk rock singer, Dead Kennedy front man turned spoken word activist, politician, mail recycler) ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES RECORDS

"Matthew Montfort, leader of the world fusion group Ancient Future, steps out solo here with a set of carefully crafted ragas. Montfort uses a scalloped fretboard guitar (as the title makes pretty clear) and gives the album a distinctly Indian feel. A gentle reverb coats the tracks here, to beautiful effect." – Amelia Raitt, Daily Download, EMUSIC.COM