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A self-taught prodigy, José André discovered the piano at the age of three and a half and from then on, he has been fascinated with music. His mantra is: “Life is a gift,” and he lives each day to the fullest, exploring his God-given talents. By the time he was six, Montaño formed his first Latin Jazz band, playing piano and keyboards at eight. Montaño named his band the José André Jazz Trio and, over the past ten years, has developed a particular musical style that includes swing, Latin jazz, bossa nova, samba, and bebop—all of which fall within either the classical or traditional jazz style. With this band, he has performed at large and small venues around the world, including festivals of different genres such as jazz, rock, blues, and Latin American folk music. He has been invited and has performed at global venues in Finland, Malaysia, Italy, Brazil, among others, as well as locally in Washington D.C. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at the annual D.C. Jazz Festival, at Blues Alley, and other venues.

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Matthew Whitaker’s love for playing music began at age three after his grandfather gave him a small Yamaha keyboard. At age 13, he became the youngest artist endorsed by Hammond. At 15, he became the youngest Yamaha Jazz Piano Artist. In 2022, he joined the ranks of the Nord Keyboard Artists. Whitaker tours within the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia performing on prestigious stages such as the Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and music festivals at home and internationally. He has appeared on television programs such as FOX TV's Showtime at the Apollo, the Today Show, Harry Connick Jr. Show, Ellen, and 60 Minutes! Whitaker recently starred, produced, and scored the All Arts documentary, About Tomorrow, as well as composed the original score for the film Starkeisha, which is currently streaming on Hulu. As an advocate for persons with disabilities, Whitaker has assisted multiple companies in testing the accessibility features of their products and software. Whitaker and other disabled persons appear in the Apple TV commercial, “The Greatest,” currently running on national television. In 2019 and 2020, he was the winner of the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award for original compositions Emotions & Underground! Whitaker has three studio albums: Outta The Box, Now Hear This, and Connections, where he collaborated with Derrick Hodge, Ray Chew, Jon Batiste, Christian McBride, and Regina Carter.