Her fans know her for many different things, but Denise Montana is perhaps most closely associated with the platinum hit song “Merry Christmas All," which was written by her father.
Back when disco was king and the airwaves were filled with the sounds of ABBA, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Chaka Khan, Sister Sledge and KC and the Sunshine Band, Pembroke Pines resident Alberto Moreira, 58, was a teenager growing up in Queens, N.Y.
He loved disco, Donna Summer and the English group, Yazoo. He hung out at Bonds International and The Fun House in New York City and roller-discoed at USA Roller Rink in his hometown of Jackson Heights.
Luis Mario O. Rizzo is the founder and CEO of the Legends of Vinyl. In the 1970s, he was a well-known deejay.
Friends who were older than he introduced him to tunes he never heard on FM radio. He learned to appreciate disco classics from the years 1974-78 and then the later sounds from 1979-81. His tastes evolved to include electronic music, dance and funk, so it is no coincidence that Moreira, who now works as a broadcast engineer at ABC affiliate, Miami's WPLG-TV, Local 10 and who owns Creative Moments Media and Heavy Vibes – The Film, LLC, set out to make his first foray into filmmaking about Vince Montana, The Godfather of Disco.
His film, "Heavy Vibes: The Vince Montana Retrospect" has its world premiere at this year's 37th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 13.
Moreira's movie screens Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Savor Cinema, 503 S.E. Sixth Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It’s a look back and forward on the musical legacy and influence of Montana and the MFSB Orchestra (Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers).
“The film festival audience is so well-rounded in the arts,” says Gregory van Hausch, president of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. “They love theater, dance, the visual arts and music. When I find a film that has music at its soul, I know audiences will love it. With 'Heavy Vibes,' you add a dose of nostalgia and it’s a winner.”
Filmmaker Alberto Moreira of Pembroke Pines first feature documentary "Heavy Vibes" gets is premiere at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival Thursday, Nov. 13.
Moreira, a father of three, who has filmed many events, bar mitzvahs and parties felt he was ready to take his skills to the next level to create a full-length feature. "I love telling stories. People were always impressed by my work,” he says. “They said ‘wow, that's like a movie.’"
Long-time client William Braemer, of Art Fusion Galleries in Miami says, “Alberto is a brilliant cameraman and devoted to his work. I am thrilled that his documentary has been recognized by the film awards industry. He deserves the spotlight with this significant film.”
As devoted to disco as Moreira was, he was unaware of the depth and breadth of Montana’s reach in the music industry.
(Watch the "Heavy Vibes" trailer below)
“I knew of the Salsoul Orchestra, but did not know the scope of Montana’s influence,” says Moreira. “When I researched his life and found how much he loved music and persevered as musical styles and genres changed, I realized that people needed to hear his message of inspiration.”
There was also another reason for him to make his film.
"I wanted to combine my skills with doing something I love,” he says. “People have a soundtrack in their heads of their lives and I have great memories of that era and of my youth."
Spending some time researching Montana on YouTube and social media where there are lots of fan groups for disco music and that time period of the 1980s, Moreira realized that Montana (sometimes known as the white Quincy Jones) had fallen into the cracks and didn't receive the recognition he deserved. "Vince Montana was a genius," says Moreira. “He was able to blend classic disco and dance music together with orchestral instrumentation so consistently that Billboard Magazine recognized Salsoul Orchestra as the top disco band three years in a row.”
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Denise Montana speaks about growing up as the daughter of a famous father Vince Montana.
In the 1940s Montana played with Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan and Red Garland. He appeared on records with Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker. In his hometown of South Philly (11th and Warton – “where the vibes all started,” his daughter Denise Montana says in the film), he was part of session groups with the Delfonics and The O'Jays.
In 1974 Montana founded the Salsoul Orchestra (known as the first disco orchestra) and was a member of MFSB and recorded several albums with the orchestra, including the international hit track, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" which won a Grammy award in 1973. His first record for the Salsoul Orchestra label, "Salsoul Hustle" was also a hit.
Ushering in a long tradition of live bands on TV talk shows (think Johnny Carson and Doc Severinsen, Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks, and John Batiste and Stephen Colbert,), Montana appeared for a year in the band on the Mike Douglas television show in the 1960s, where Douglas compared him to Fabian, Eddie Fisher and Frankie Avalon.
In 1978 Montana left Salsoul Orchestra to join Atlantic Records before launching his own Philly Sound Works label. His recording of "Heavy Vibes," (the song referenced in the film’s title) a reworking of part of MFSB's "Love Is the Message" credited to the Montana Sextet, reached #59 on the U.K. singles chartin 1983.
Much later in his career, Montana expanded his musical language to include house music working with the likes of Masters At Work, Dimitri From Paris, David Morales, Nuyorican Soul and the Pet Shop Boys.
He was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016, and over the span of his career, won more than 25 gold and platinum album awards.
In 2000, Montana was awarded a lifetime achievement award in a four-day World Disco Classic event at the Hilton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, scenes of which appear in Moreira’s film. He died in 2013 at the age of 85.
Moreira interviewed Montana’s daughter, Denise Montana, also a singer and performer who appears in the film. With her father, the two collaborated on a Christmas song with the Salsoul Orchestra in 1976, titled, “Merry Christmas All.” She was the vocalist and her father played vibraphone.
According to Moreira, that song tracked #82 on the Top 100 Billboard in the U.S. He notes that the only other father/daughter duet to hit the top 100 were Frank and Nancy Sinatra in 1967 with “Something Stupid,” and The Tribute to Nat King Cole in 1992, a digital duet of Natalie Cole and her father Nat King Cole (since deceased) together singing his signature song, “Unforgettable.”
What’s next for Moreira?
Nothing concrete, yet, but he says, “It’s always good to have projects in the pipeline. I’d like to do a trilogy; I think there’s an audience for this type of subject matter and we like to get people out and throw a good party."
- “Heavy Vibes: The Vince Montana Retrospect” screens at Savor Cinema, 503 S.E. Sixth Street, Fort Lauderdale. Red Carpet and Cocktails at 6:30 p.m. Screening at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, click here.
- Special guest is Denise Montana, daughter of Vince Montana and a singer and performer.
- To learn more about FLIFF, visit fliff.com This year the festival’s line-up includes 157 American Indie and International features, documentaries and short films in a variety of genres. There are 11 World Premieres, 7 U.S. Premieres, 7 North American Premieres, and 18 Southeast Premieres.
