History

The pH Factor Big Band was formed in January of 2008 under the direction of Paul Harshman and was formerly known as the Musicworks Jazz Orchestra. Paul's focus on exciting and challenging repertoire has drawn a highly talented ensemble of musicians that enjoy performing great big band compositions at the highest level. The players are some of the finest in the area and the band has a nice mixture of established and younger musicians that gives the group great chemistry. Together, the band strives to entertain the audience and itself by exploring a wide range of music from composers and arrangers such as Bill Holman, Fred Sturm, Maria Schneider, Astor Piazzolla, Peter Herbolzheimer, Chico O'Farrill, Jim McNeely, Tommy Newsom, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. Mat Montgomery has been composing for over 10 years and started leading the band in 2023. His music has been inspired by other Seattle area composers like Marius Nordal and Jim Knapp as well as pulling inspiration from outside of jazz, including rock, dubstep, and Indian classical music. His music explores the wide array of sounds available from a traditional big band instrumentation.