New Wes Montgomery Retrospective, ‘Back on Indiana Avenue,’ Boasts Previously Unheard Work from the Jazz Guitar Great

Resonance Records has announced the release of Back on Indiana Avenue: The Carroll DeCamp Recordings, a collection of early unheard work from Wes Montgomery. You can listen to “Mr. Walker,” a track from the new set, above.

Back on Indiana Avenue, Resonance’s sixth album devoted to unreleased official Montgomery performances, will be released as an exclusive limited edition 180-gram two-LP set on Record Store Day on April 13. Deluxe two-CD and digital configurations will be available April 19. 

All iterations of the collection will include essays by jazz scholar Lewis Porter and Resonance co-president and producer Zev Feldman; plus interviews with master jazz guitarists George Benson and John Scofield; saxophonist, educator, and publisher Jamey Aebersold and guitarist Royce Campbell, nephew of Carroll DeCamp, the late Indiana musician and arranger who captured the revelatory music heard on the new album.

Back on Indiana Avenue surveys the music Montgomery made in his hometown during the years before he rocketed to fame after signing with Riverside Records in 1959. Said Zev Feldman, “In many ways, this is another case of Resonance solving a mystery. When we released Echoes of Indiana Avenue, we didn't know the story of where the tapes had come from, but now with Back on Indiana Avenue we know they came from the great composer/pianist Carroll DeCamp. This release is another holy grail find for Wes Montgomery fans.”  

The 22 selections on Back on Indiana Avenue include embryonic versions of several of the numbers Montgomery would record at his early sessions for Riverside, including “Round Midnight,” “Jingles,” “Whisper Not,” “The End of a Love Affair,” “Ecaroh,” “West Coast Blues,” “Four On Six,” “Mister Walker,” “Tune-Up,” and “Sandu.” 

Said Feldman, “These are very exciting recordings that Resonance is honored to present in conjunction with the Montgomery Estate. To be able to contribute to a large part of the legacy of such an iconic artist as Wes — with even more newly-discovered, great music — is very special. Unearthing not just run of the mill recordings, but some really great material from one of the guitar's most distinctive voices, is a momentous event. Stuff like this just doesn't pop up every day.” 

Back on Indiana Avenue track list:

DISC ONE:

1.         Four On Six (4:45)

2.         Mr. Walker (3:45)

3.         'Round Midnight (7:12)

4.         So What (4:56)

5.         The End of A Love Affair (4:25)

6.         Tune Up (4:34)

7.         West Coast Blues (3:14)

8.         Jingles (8:19)

9.         It's You Or No One (4:29)

10.      Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You (5:56)

11.      Ecaroh (3:49)

12.      Sandu (4:26)

13.      Whisper Not (6:45) 

DISC TWO:

1.         Stompin' at the Savoy (7:26)

2.         It's You or No One (Alternate Take) (9:21)

3.         Opus De Funk (6:52)

4.         Summertime (9:38)

5.         Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (4:51)

6.         Easy Living (5:49)

7.         Four (5:36)

8.         I'll Remember April (5:23)

9.         The Song Is You (8:48)