A Musical Tribute: Wes Montgomery Feat. Jack Pantazis Group
Schedule
Thu Apr 09 2026 at 09:30 am to 12:30 pm
UTC+10:00Location
Paris Cat Jazz Club | Melbourne, VI
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The Jack Pantazis Group are proud to present to you an evening of music representing the music of the legendary jazz guitarist and musical ‘super’ talent of the one and only Wes Montgomery.To help put Wes in context in the big ‘jazz’ picture here’s a little background on the great guitarist:
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, and countless more...
Montgomery toured with Lionel Hampton early in his career; however, the combined stress of touring and being away from family took him back home to Indianapolis. To support his family of eight, Montgomery worked in a factory from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, then performed in local clubs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. Cannonball Adderley heard Montgomery in an Indianapolis club and was floored. The next morning, he called record producer Orrin Keepnews, who signed Montgomery to a recording contract with Riverside Records. Adderley later recorded with Montgomery on his Pollwinners album. Montgomery recorded with his brothers and various other group members, including the Wynton Kelly Trio which previously backed up Miles Davis.
The ensemble for this auspicious occasion will be made up of some of Melbourne’s (…and Australia’s) best musicians.
Jack Pantazis (guitar),
Gianni Turcio (piano),
Jordan Tarento (acoustic bass),
Gerry Pantazis(drums) and
Phil Binotto (percussion)
…. and the blistering ‘4 on 6’ horn section that includes:
Lachlan Davidson (alto sax/flute),
Greg Clarkson (tenor sax),
Roger Schmidli (tromb) and
Tom Jovanovic (Trumpet)
Here’s a small quote from Wes, from 1967, in regards to this somewhat controversial ‘commercial’ career move:
“Since everybody has to survive, economics forced musicians out of jazz," Montgomery said. "And what is playing music for anyway? People to enjoy themselves. That is my direction now. But I still don't have a commercial mind for picking tunes. 'A Day in the Life' wouldn't have crossed my mind at all. I let somebody else think of the commercial tunes, and I try to adapt myself to the material they pick and get inside of it.”
And..here's the link to book your tickets.
https://bookings.pariscat.com.au/checkout/2171/
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Where is it happening?
Paris Cat Jazz Club, 4-6 Goldie Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia, MelbourneEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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