© Photo – Amabilis Insania
You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Wes Montgomery’s version of ‘Round Midnight.
, said the email… And after I heard it, I believed it! Wes was a pioneer – one of the first Jazz guitarists, he has influenced countless others. And even if he wasn’t, or hadn’t, he would still be one of the best Jazz men that ever lived. Coming from a heavy Rock diet, to be frank with you, it took me a long, l-o-n-g time to get used to the nuances of Jazz! And Mr. Montgomery’s guitar made it just that wee bit easier – after all, a Rock child always shuts up and listens when there’s a guitar playing!
This track is of course a staple Jazz standard, a kind of baptism-by-fire for all Jazz musicians – living or dead. It was written by Monk and has been covered by Gillespie as well as Miles and Ella, amongst countless others. My favourite nonetheless is Miles’ consummate version. He truly brings out the haunting qualities of the melody – I love his economical use of notes. Of course it is sacrilege to say his version is better than Monk’s – but it sound better to me and that’s what I’m talking about!
Below you will find videos from YouTube of Wes, Monk, Gillespie, Ella and Miles covering the track. No matter which version you like, you will have to admit that this is one helluva track!
(The email I mentioned above is one of numerous sent to me by Lester Perkins with links to great Jazz videos on YouTube. No reason for you to be jealous though – you sign up here like a good boy and Lester’s gonna send you those emails as well!)
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