By the time guitarist Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio opened at The Penthouse in Seattle in April 1966, Montgomery was a jazz superstar. His third album sat at number 12 on the Billboard R 'n B charts - the record would eventually sell a million and win him a Grammy. These live sessions were certainly a big deal at the time for the jazz community who gathered at the Penthouse.
On 10 mostly lively selections, originally broadcast on radio, Wynton Kelly on piano, Ron McClure on bass and Jimmy Cobb drums pull out the stops, joined by Wes on five tracks.The Kelly trio kick off with There is no Greater Love, something that truly smokes, which must have got many Seattle feet a-tapping. Not a Tear slows down proceedings before changing into a kind of uptempo, blues strut.
Jingles, the first track on the selection featuring Wes - he is on five in all - continues the upbeat, jubilant note. What’s New and If You Could See Me Now are slow but not wistful ballads while a reading of The Bossa Nova standard O Morro na Tem Vez is a delightful piece of swing.
The Deluxe CD has a booklet featuring essays by Ron McClure, a tribute by guitar icon Pat Metheny and illuminating interviews with Jimmy Cobb and Kenny Barron. "The experience of playing with those guys was like being baptized," says Ron McClure in his essay. "The music was joyous. It was buoyant. It was happy; positive — like they were as people."
Jazz for a summer’s day in short, effervescent and charmingly unpretentious. Recognised as the greatest player since Charlie Christian, 43-year old Wes Montgomery was at the zenith of his career at the time of these recordings. Not much later, on June 15, 1968, the legendary guitarist collapsed at home in Indianapolis, and died of a heart attack. Too soon.
Paddy Kehoe
