Three Generations of Swing in One Room
Shearing's touch and the Montgomery Brothers' ease made something natural and unforced, even if lightweight.
George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers brought three separate jazz traditions into the studio together. Shearing had built his reputation as a precise, harmonically sophisticated pianist; Wes Montgomery was already establishing himself as a guitarist of immense fluency and warmth; and Buddy Montgomery on vibraphone and Monk Montgomery on bass represented a third lineage altogether. The session paired Shearing's formal European-influenced approach with the looser, more blues-rooted sensibility of the Montgomery family, and the result leans toward the latter. The rhythm section of Monk, Walter Perkins on drums, and the conga players Ricardo Chimelis and Armando Peraza keeps things light and grooving rather than architecturally ambitious.
The album sits comfortably in Shearing's catalog but doesn't rank among his most substantial work. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow called it "an enjoyable if slightly lightweight outing," a fair assessment—there's real craft here, and Wes's soloing is worth hearing, but nobody was stretching very hard. The best moments come when Shearing stops trying to lead and lets Wes and Buddy trade ideas over a steady, unfussy pulse. It's the sound of musicians who liked each other and trusted the material enough not to overthink it.
This is a solid mid-career encounter between two respected voices, not a peak moment for either. If you've already heard Wes's best records or Shearing's most inventive sessions, this one fills in the gaps pleasantly. It's the kind of album that reminds you why session work mattered in jazz—sometimes the point wasn't revolution, just good people playing well together.
Who's playing
Monk Montgomerybass
George Shearingpiano
Wes Montgomeryguitar
Walter Perkinsdrums
Ricardo Chimeliscongas
Armando Perazacongas
Buddy Montgomeryvibraphone
Where next?
More by George Shearing
All 32 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
