Dean MONTANARO

Shortly after starting out on the electric bass, from a young age, Dean started studying with the players he liked the most, picking up the double bass later on. Years later, he still consider the electric bass to be his main instrument. Dean has since attended masterclasses from the likes of Scott Colley, Omar Avital and Matt Penman, while my long-term mentors include Gary Willis, Jeroen Vierdag and Alessandro Fongaro.

In 2018, he was awarded the Malta Arts Scholarship which he used to fund his studies at Codarts Rotterdam, graduating with honours in 2021. He was also lucky enough to play in 12 countries around Europe and beyond, including tours in Austria, Paris and Slovenia, and took part in festivals such as Dusseldorf Jazz Rally and Dubai Expo. Dean has recorded on 6 albums and a number of EPs and at the moment, he is following a master’s course at the Conservatory of Amsterdam while performing, composing and teaching.

At the moment Dean has a number of projects with whom he performs regularly. Last year he recorded on 3 albums and played in 6 countries with the following bands:
Blue Tangerine: A Franco-Maltese nonet playing Brazilian music inspired by Hermeto Pascoal and contemporary jazz, debut released last year.
I N D A: Noise-rock, a harmony-less trio with influence from electronica including techno and EDM.
Loek van den Berg Quintet: Classic 5-piece jazz quintet with saxophone and trombone with a lyrical and energetic flare.
Eargonauts : Odd-time signatures, free improvisation and experimental rhythmic patterns underlying melancholic melodies, album debut released last year.

Photo credit: Emre Namli