Wes Montgomery Day: Celebrating The Legacy
The last event of the Art & Soul festival this month celebrated Wes at 100! The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation and Indy Jazz Fest is a proud partner for the festival and this event was so important for our city. There was a paramount moment at the tribute last Saturday honoring the legendary Indianapolis jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery.
Mayor Hogsett proclaimed March 6, 2023 as Wes Montgomery Day in the City of Indianapolis.
Everyone is asked to join in celebrating this day! The Mayor’s introduction included a short biography and highlighted some of Wes Montgomery’s biggest accomplishments. The son of Wes Montgomery, Robert Montgomery, was asked to receive the proclamation. Robert spoke about his fathers influence and thanked everyone.
The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation went live during the event.
Watch this video of the proclamation and acceptance.
Still Relevant After 100 Years
The influence of Wes Montgomery is significant and will live on. He was a self-taught jazz guitarist known for his unusual thumb plucking technique.
Wes Montgomery is one of the most influential jazz guitarists ever.
Wes Montgomery played hard bop, soul jazz, and post-bop styles and had mainstream success with pop instrumentals. His musiccal style influenced jazz fusion and smooth jazz. And, he was inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Hall of Fame in 2002.
