Wes Montgomery, Echoes of Indiana Avenue (Resonance)
It is part of jazz lore; when Cannonball Adderley heard Wes Montgomery in Indianapolis in 1959, he was so impressed that he insisted his label, Riverside, record the guitarist at once. Orrin Keepnews of Riverside took Montgomery and his trio into a studio. After a dozen critically acclaimed albums for Riverside, Montgomery signed with Verve, then with A&M. By the end of the 1960s he was one of the few jazz artists—and one of the last—to become a pop star. He achieved that while, in his few years of life, establishing himself as a major role model for guitarists.
Producer Michael Cuscuna, who over the years has preserved so much timeless music in his Mosaic and Blue Note projects, got wind that there were tapes of Montgomery in his pre-Riverside days. After Cuscuna heard them, he looked for a company that would understand the tapes’ significance and treat them accordingly. Resonance was the company. Echoes of Indiana Avenue finds Montgomery in 1957 and 1958 in performances about evenly divided between studios and clubs. His brothers, pianist Buddy and bassist Monk, are with him for a “Straight No Chaser†that discloses not only Wes’s advanced blues conception but also his skill as an accompanist able to provoke hard swing.
With pianist/organist Melvin Rhyne and drummer Paul Parker, who would be with him on his first Riverside records, we hear the Montgomery who got Adderley so excited. There are splendid versions of “’Round Midnight,†“Nica’s Dream,†and “Darn That Dream†with Rhyne and Parker. Pianist Earl Van Riper, bassist Mingo Jones and drummer Sonny Johnson have spirited give-and-take with Montgomery in club performances of “Take the ‘A’ Train,†“Misty†and a medley of “Body & Soul†and “Don’t Blame Me†(incorrectly identified in the notes as “My Old Flameâ€). The first piece in the album is a tasteful treatment of “Diablo’s Dance†by Shorty Rogers, a hero of west coast jazz. The last is a club performance of down-home country blues guitar so funky that many in his audience can’t—and don’t—restrain themselves. It is like no other Montgomery on record.
The 21-page booklet attached as an integral part of the CD package has essays by Cuscuna; jazz historian Dan Morgenstern; Buddy and Monk Montgomery; trombonist, cellist, educator, Indianapolis native and Montgomery contemporary David Baker; guitarist Pat Martino and critic Bill Milkowski.
Wes Montgomery made an enormous impact on music in his 43 years. This CD lets us hear that he was fully formed before most of us knew he existed.
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