When Resonance Records undertakes a project, they persist even if it takes seven years as did in this case from unearthing yet more work from iconic jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Montgomery is one of the mainstays for the label’s efforts to release unissued archival jazz. This is the label’s sixth Montgomery collection, a 2CD, 2LP set. These recordings, although not specifically dated, likely come from the mid to late fifties, both live and in the studio from Montgomery’s home base in Indianapolis. The benefit of Resonance packaging is not just the music, but the historical information provided in the extensive accompanying booklet. This one has essays from label head and chief researcher Zev Feldman, jazz scholar Lewis Porter, a biography of pianist/arranger Carroll DeCamp, reminiscence from Carroll’s brother, Malcolm DeCamp, and his nephew Royce Campbell, as well as interviews with John Scofield and George Benson; and saxophonist/educator and publisher Jamey Aebersold who fortunately preserved DeCamp’s original tapes.
These recordings come before Montgomery’s rise to fame when signing with Riverside in 1959. Feldman, who is now splitting his time between Resonance and Blue Note is known in the industry as the “Jazz Detective.” One can only imagine the disappointment Feldman had when releasing Echoes of Indiana Avenue in 2012 because he never knew where the tapes originally came from. Through this project, he’s learned that they, as well as these, came from the composer/pianist Carroll DeCamp – thus the credit in the title. Feldman explains, “Around the time of the album’s release in 2012, I was contacted by a gentleman names Brook Reindollar, a protégé of a pianist and arranger named Carroll DeCamp. Pianist and scholar Lewis Porter had put Reindollar in touch with me. I was told point blank by Brook and Lewis that DeCamp made the recordings and they were his! DeCamp told Porter that some had been made in a local studio, with an engineer doing the actual recording , and some were recorded “live” by Carroll himself.”
DeCamp had been a pianist and arranger for Stan Kenton and Les Elgart, lived in Indianapolis and had access to Montgomery. He knew Montgomery had special talents and had the foresight to document it. There are more players and history involved as you can learn in the liners, but this aspect of the story is especially intriguing. In the late ‘90s, Jamey Aebersold transferred the original tape reels lent to him by DeCamp to DAT tapes. Sadly, after Aebersold returned the originals to DeCamp, he learned that DeCamp lost everything in his home during a fire. There were no notes and Feldman and staff had much difficulty identifying the musicians on these tracks but after persevered through their research to do so.
Montgomery is heard in a variety of configurations across the 2CD set. Disc One features seven tracks with piano quartets consisting of guitar, piano, bass, and drums: four organ trio and tracks: and two in sextet with trombone and saxophone. Disc Two features what’s labeled as Nat “King” Cole Style trios with guitar, piano, and bass. Although the musicians are not assigned to each track in the notes, as that proved impossible without the notes, they are listed on the back and include Montgomery’s brother, pianist Buddy. Wes’s longtime organist Melvin Rhyne, pianist John Bunch, and the young Indianapolis-born pianist Carl Perkins, a prodigious talent who passed due to an OD in his early twenties.
The selections include earlier versions of tunes Montgomery would later record with Riverside including “Round Midnight,” “Jingles,” “Whisper Not,” “The End of a Love Affair,” “Ecaroh,” “West Coast Blues,” “Four on Six,” “mister Walker,” “tune-up,” and “Sandu.” All of those are on Disc One. Disc Two, which features the drummer-less trio has Montgomery really cooking across mostly standards like “Stompin’ at the Savoy” the only one with drums), “It’s You or No One,” ‘Summertime,” “I’ll Remember April” and five others.
We are hearing Montgomery some 60 years later but it’s clear through this material that his style was already well-developed. Scofield says in his interview, “on the short tracks, he takes short solos, as does the piano player, and he doesn’t go through his whole routine, where he would play single notes, then octaves, then chords in his solos on those. …On some of the longer tracks, he stretches out and plays more octaves and chord solos, like the second take of ‘It’s You or No One.”” Later Scofield claims that he doesn’t try to play like Montgomery because there was only one Wes Montgomery. For his part, George Benson recalls hearing Montgomery for the first time while driving in 1961 and says, “I had to pull over to the side because I’d never heard this great a tone in all my life.”
Resonance has done it again. This is a must-have for fans of Montgomery and jazz guitar in general – it’s classic material that we’re now fortunate enough to hear.
