Requisites

Movin’ Along ~ Wes Montgomery | By Eddie Carter

Submitted for your approval this morning is an overlooked, underrated gem by one of my favorite jazz guitarists: Wes Montgomery. Movin’ Along (Riverside RLP 342/RLP 9342) was his third release as a leader and one of six albums he recorded in 1960. Two as a leader, plus one each with Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Harold Land and his brothers. All six albums received critical acclaim, underscoring how rapidly Wes Montgomery’s star was rising. The personnel on this release are James Clay on flute (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B1) and tenor sax (B2); Wes Montgomery on guitar (A1, A3, B2, B3) and bass guitar (A2, A4, B1); Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. I own the 1977 Victor Musical Industries Japanese Mono reissue (Riverside SMJ-6199M).

Wes Montgomery’s Movin’ Along, which opens the album, is a perfect tune to listen to and unwind to after a long workday or week. The quintet’s soothing, soul-pleasing melody starts at a leisurely pace. James steps up first with a relaxing solo as enjoyable as spending time with old friends, then Wes follows with a velvety-smooth reading. Victor takes a mellow stroll last before the group’s theme reprise fades out softly. The temperature moves upward for the ensemble’s spirited theme to Tune-Up by Miles Davis. Wes switches to bass guitar and gets a nice little swing groove going in the opening statement. James cruises into the second interpretation with vigorous enthusiasm, and Victorhas the last word with a few energetic choruses ahead of the theme’s restatement.

Ghost of a Chance by Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, and Victor Young is a beautiful ballad from the thirties that later became a jazz standard. This rendition becomes a quartet showcase for Wes and the rhythm section. The foursome begins the melody delicately, then steps aside for the guitarist’s thoughtful and tender opening solo. Victor shares a reflective moment of lyrical beauty in a short statement leading to the gentle closing chorus. Sandu by Clifford shifts the mood to a medium groove for the opening ensemble, with Wes back on bass guitar. Wes takes the reins first, and the listener will snap their fingers and tap their toes along. Sam comes in next for a short walk before engaging in a brief exchange with Wes before the theme’s return.

Side Two starts with Body and Soul, by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, and Johnny Green. Wes, on bass guitar, introduces a warm, gentle melody as soothing as a summer breeze. The rhythm then becomes lively for James’s spirited opening solo. Wes follows with a wonderful reading, and Victor wraps up with a bright and sparkling finale. Wes slows down softly to conclude the song beautifully. Wes Montgomery’s So Do It slows the ensemble’s beat down slightly to medium for their opening chorus, featuring James on tenor sax. Wes moves right into the first solo with a bouncy effervescence. James handles the second statement with a few inspired ideas. Victor shapes the third interpretation into something special. Wes, Louis, and Sam take turns in a short three-way conversation before the quintet takes the song out.

Sam Jones’s Says You ends the album with the group’s upbeat theme. Wes gets things started with a cheerful, engaging solo. Victor follows with an easygoing interpretation, and Sam takes a brief walk before the quartet returns for the climax. Orrin Keepnews produced the album, and Wally Heider managed the recording console. The Victor reissue sounds excellent, offering a spacious soundstage that emerges from your speakers with superb fidelity. Wes Montgomery possessed a special gift for drawing listeners into his music, giving them a glimpse into the creative world of a true master. is one of the best albums in his discography. With the added talents of James Clay and the Cannonball Adderley Quintet’s rhythm section, I highly recommend checking it out on your next record-shopping trip!

~ Body and Soul, Ghost of a Chance – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2026 by Edward Thomas Carter

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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TIM JAGO

Australian guitarist/composer Tim Jago currently resides in New York City and maintains a busy schedule worldwide as a leader and sideman. His recent album ‘Time Shift’ (2025) was released to wide acclaim with glowing reviews in publications such as DownBeat, Paris Move, Jazz Life (Japan), All About Jazz and many more. With a deep foundation in the jazz language, Jago presents fresh interpretations of the classic repertoire jazz listeners know and love, always playing with a tasteful sense of melody, swinging phrasing and rhythmic excitement.

The Quartet
Tim Jago – guitar
Angelo Versace – piano
Colin McIlrath – bass
Arthur Vint – drums

Cover: $41.00~$45.00

1/2 Price Student tickets are available in the Tables & Banquettes sections. Use code “student” at checkout, (25 & Under w/ valid ID)

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Laurindo Almeida was born Laurindo Jose de Araujo Almeida Nobrega Neto was born in the village of Prainha, Brazil on September 2, 1917. A self-taught guitarist, during his teenage years, he moved to São Paulo, worked as a radio artist, staff arranger and nightclub performer. At 19, he worked his way to Europe playing guitar in a cruise ship orchestra. While in Paris, he attended a performance at the Hot Club by Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, who became a lifelong artistic inspiration.

Returning to Brazil, Laurindo composed, performed and became known for playing classical Spanish and popular guitar. He moved to the United States in 1947 when one of his songs “Johnny Peddler” became a hit record by the Andrews Sisters. Once in Los Angeles, Almeida immediately went to work in film studio orchestras.

Almeida was first introduced to the jazz public as a featured guitarist with the  Stan Kenton band in the late 1940s during the height of its success. His recording career enjoyed auspicious early success with the 1953 recordings now called Brazilliance No. 1 and No. 2 that was widely regarded as “landmark” recordings. Almeida and Shank’s combination of Brazilian and jazz rhythms in which Almeida coined the term “samba-jazz” and he recorded Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays in 1966. He would go on to have a classical solo recording career with Capitol Records beginning in 1954, winning a Grammy at the first awards ceremony.

Almeida won five career Grammys, toured, recorded and performed with the  Modern Jazz Quartet, Charlie Byrd,  Baden Powell, Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, Larry Coryell, Ray Brown, Shelly Manne and Jeff Hamilton to name a few. In addition he performed on more than 800 motion picture and television soundtracks such as The High Chaparral, Peter Gunn, Funny Girl, The Godfather and Unforgiven. He has been inducted into Fanfare’s Classical Recording Hall of Fame, received the Latin American & Caribbean Cultural Society Award and was awarded the “Comendador da Ordem do Rio Branco” by the Brazilian government.

Guitarist, composer and educator Laurindo Almeida was taught, recorded and performed until the week before passing away from leukemia on July 26, 1995 at age 77 in Van Nuys, California.

 

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CHRIS STANDRING

Chris Standring is a British jazz guitarist known for his heavy use of 1970s-style musical nuances. In an illustrious career that stretches back over the last 25 years, Chris has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most virtuosic guitarists, with considerable radio and chart success. With a catalog of fourteen solo albums, including the critically acclaimed Blue Bolero from 2010 (which spawned the single and #1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Track of the Year, “Bossa Blue”), Standring continues to push the boundaries of the format with every new album he releases.

He has enjoyed ten number-one radio singles in total (seven of his own and three with other artists he has worked with). His 2024 release, As We Think, is an upbeat, eleven-song, super soulful workout with exotic arrangements and dazzling solos, all wrapped up in Chris’ inimitable contemporary jazz style, earning him another set of singles in the top 10 Smooth Jazz charts.

Standring continues to tour the USA and Europe annually, and we are thrilled to have him back for another night of his signature contemporary urban jazz, to showcase his latest 2026 album “Time of Change”!

Tickets
General Admission: $66.15
Baby Grand Member: $54.15

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SAMARA JOY, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, MEI SEMONES & FRIENDS

Samara Joy and Christian McBride Celebrate Verve’s 70th Anniversary & Mei Semones & Friends play the music of Getz/Gilberto | Sparklmami delivers a DJ set. Presented by the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment.

Performers for this celebration of the label’s 70th anniversary include Samara Joy, a six-time GRAMMY winner and Bronx native, and Christian McBride, a world-class bassist and bandleader, a Juilliard graduate and 11-time GRAMMY winner who has recorded with legends of both the jazz (McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Palmieri, and more) and pop (Sting, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion) spheres. Also, Mei Semones, an American indie rock musician who writes jazz-influenced songs in both English and Japanese, has invited her own crew of friends including aron!, Liana Flores, and John Roseboro to perform music from Getz/Gilberto, the classic collaborative album by João Gilberto and Stan Getz released on Verve in 1964. Sparklmami will begin the show with a DJ set.

Tickets: Free

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