This French avant-garde guitarist is important not only as a performer, collaborator, and bandleader but also because of his involvement since 1978 with the GRIM cooperative, which roughly translates as the Group of Search and Musical Improvisation. Besides fostering a variety of ensembles featuring the noisy, sometimes lyrical stylings of Jean-Marc Montera, the organization has presented both concerts and festivals in Marseilles and helped create the Montevideo venue in that city, out of which flourishes theater and film activity as well as music. This suits Montera fine; his activity has always flowed through several media, his catalog of compositions including work for film and theater.

Montera performs solo as well as in diverse ensemble settings, quite frequently matching licks with other far-out guitarists. In 2006 he performed in a guitar trio with fellow Frenchmen Noël Akchoté and Jean-François Pauvros. Guitar freaks can also check out his recordings with Loren MazzaCane Connors and Thurston Moore. Montera's solo work can be heard on the FMP label release Hang Around Shout and on Smiles from Jupiter, an outstanding CD released by the Germen Grob imprint. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi