Live at Ronnie Scott's

AMG Review of Live at Ronnie Scott's

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

In 1965, Wes Montgomery was growing increasingly commercial and was making his presence felt in the pop market more and more. One could argue that in the mid-1960s, Montgomery provided some of the first NAC recordings -- his heavily arranged covers of R&B and pop-rock songs certainly foreshadowed the NAC/smooth-jazz radio formats of the 1980s and 1990s. But the distinctive guitarist was still quite capable of embracing standard hard bop, which is exactly what he does on Live at Ronnie Scott's. This CD finds Montgomery performing at the famous London jazz club in April and May 1965, when he was joined by pianist Stan Tracey, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Ronnie Stephenson. There are no hints of pop-jazz or NAC music on this disc. Montgomery is in fine form on "Wes' Easy Blues" as well as performances of standards like "I'll Remember April" and "Body and Soul." Although not quite essential, Live at Ronnie Scott's is a CD that lovers of Montgomery's straight-ahead playing will appreciate.