" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery listeners who haven't hunted down the bootlegs might still be aware of the general background: the guitarist's 1965 tour of Europe would turn out to be the only one he made in his short life, and the March 27th show from Paris has been regarded as one of his all-time finest. It's an arbitrary designation of course, but one doesn't need to compare with other shows to hear something special here. This is simply a snapshot of a cooking band on a magical night, and anyone coming to Paris for the first time (so to speak) can tell why this gig has kept its reputation all those decades.

Longtime listeners can't help recognizing the mid-'60s as a pivotal time for Montgomery, considering the polarizing period of smoother, more accessible "pop jazz" he drifted toward next. Skeptics of that phase need not worry here, though, as the program is an exuberant romp of bebop and blues. A couple spots tone it down to show the leader's distinct feel for simple balladry. He tastefully glides his way through "The Girl Next Door" and a smoky read of "'Round Midnight"—although the latter still gets a surprising jolt from guest saxophonist