‘Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings’ with the Wynton Kelly Trio only bolsters the case that Wes Montgomery is the greatest jazz guitarist of all time.

‘The Complete Full House Recordings’ finds Wes Montgomery in a small group setting where nothing distracts from his creative yet accessible style.

‘Smokin’ in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (1966)’ will quench the thirst of anyone wanting more of Wes Montgomery with Wynton Kelly.

Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 list for blues, jazz and R&B also included Marc Cary, Robben Ford, Dave Douglas, Papa Mali, Matthew Shipp and others.

This Mid-Year Best of 2015 list also includes Boz Scaggs, Pops Staples, Papa Mali, Wes Montgomery, Robben Ford, the Word, Steve Earle and Beth Hart.

The magic, and the mystery, of ‘In the Beginning’ is in hearing a frisky young Wes Montgomery start his journey toward greatness.

Though it’s always existed in the shadow of Wes Montgomery’s earlier Incredible Jazz Guitar, there is much to recommend about this easy-swinging 1961 follow up for Riverside — beginning with his able young sideman Ron Carter. You May Also Like: Wes Montgomery – ‘The Complete Full House Recordings’ (2023) WesRead More

In one way or another, each of these recordings confounded and delighted me. Pushed me to new vistas, either in the way I approached the artist, their own original work, or the tunes they covered. Made me think, and feel differently. You May Also Like: Robert Cray – Robert CrayRead More

Stuck on a desert island, you’re going to want to rock every once in a while, right? That’s where this string-bending, axe-swinging, fretboard-melting, amp-blowing list comes in. You May Also Like: Here’s how Genesis’ ‘The Musical Box’ gave rise to Eddie Van Halen Robben Ford’s Tasty, Energetic ‘Soul on Ten’Read More

Already, we’ve seen the blues and jazz genres enlivened by a series of out-of-nowhere surprises that included Little Feat, Wes Montgomery (yes, Wes Montgomery!) and Bonnie Raitt — even as a new supergroup of fusion-heroes formed. Spectrum Road muscled its way onto this list thanks to virtuoso performances by theRead More