Portraits In Color

Ryan Montaño recalls learning a valuable lesson from reading legendary producer David Foster’s memoir. The lesson? Compromise breeds mediocrity. It was a lesson that guided his songwriting and production in the early days of his solo career. Admittedly, Ryan says this dictum no longer fully applies and that it actually made him averse to collaboration early on. It also made him second guess himself often when thinking about musical approach, stylings, and overall production of his music.Now, with two Billboard charting singles, a growing fan base, and a musical “squad” that includes Paul Palmer III, Artha Meadors, Steve Figueroa, and others, Ryan is seizing the moment. His genre-spanning sound can be heard on the country influenced single Never Really Said and the John Mayer inspired Honey Girl. He is a staple on contemporary jazz stations across the country and is headlining jazz clubs and jazz festivals throughout the U.S.Ryan also relishes the role of bandleader, composer, and horn section lead for the lik