WES MONTGOMERY AUTOGRAPH

Wes' Autograph
When I learned that Wes was to play at Ronnie Scott's Club in London in 1965 I knew that I had to be there to
see for myself exactly how it was that he could do the things he did. I got to Ronnie's (the old place) at around
8.00pm and was the first through the doors. I was able to position myself at a table in front of the tiny stage
slightly to the left of where Wes' stool was already placed with the guitar lead hanging over it ready to go. At
around 9.30pm Ronnie did one of his more subdued intros and the man was there on stage! Accompanied by
Stan Tracy on piano, Rick Laird on bass and Ronnie Stephenson on drums he worked his way through a
varied set which included West Coast Blues, Impressions, Four on Six, Misty and others delighting the
packed house with his easy going attitude and seemingly effortless execution at all tempos. He even smiled
while he played! There was a greater concentration of guitarists in that room that night than probably
anywhere else in the UK and we all knew that what he was doing on his records was impossible. Now he was
here in front of us proving that it was impossible for mere mortals but not for Wes Montgomery.

During a break between sets I decided to ask him to sign a book which I had bought that afternoon in Ivor
Mairants Music Centre. It was a book of Charlie Christian Solos, which I thought would be appropriate.
Catching him at a quiet moment by the bar he seemed slightly embarrassed by my request but said "Sure".
He wrote - "The Best.Wes Montgomery". I have never quite understood if he meant Charlie Christian was
the best or if he meant "All the best." But I remember thinking that the next time I met him I would
ask
The next set began with Wes' now famous and unique arrangement of the beautiful "Here's That Rainy Day"
which hadn't, at that time, been released on record. One of the most memorable numbers played that night
was Wes' beautiful version of "Round Midnight" which was also the first thing I had ever heard him play some
5 years earlier. Sitting next to me was the classical guitarist/composer John Duarte who quietly asked Wes,
between numbers, would he like to play "Laura" which he immediately did. There followed around ten minutes
of the most beautiful music ever to have been played on a guitar. I had the impression that anything he was
asked to play would have sounded as good. I left with all the other customers in the early hours of that
morning holding the autographed book and knowing that I had seen a legend of the jazz guitar play.

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