CCMusic.com

• Track Listing

Today, the name Wes Montgomery is synonymous with jazz guitar. In the early ’60s, he was a rising jazz star. But in ’57 and ’58, before his 1959 Riverside debut, he was working in obscurity in nightclubs. Not only do these recordings take us back to those Indianapolis beginnings of this future jazz icon—but they also make for the first new album of previously unreleased Wes Montgomery recordings in more than 25 years! You’ll hear studio tracks as well as live ones captured at the famed Hub Bub club, and the 24-page booklet that accompanies the CD (this is also available here on limited-edition, 180-gram double vinyl in a gatefold sleeve) is full of family photographs featuring brothers Monk and Buddy, who are heard playing with Wes here. These exciting glimpses at the awakening of a jazz genius include "Diablo’s Dance," "’Round Midnight," "Straight No Chaser," "Nica’s Dream," "Misty," "Body and Soul," "Darn That Dream," "Take the ‘A’ Train," and an inspired improvisation called "After Hours Blues!"