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Maynard: “Color Him Wild” (later released on Cd as “Dues”) and a sextet album for Mainstream, with Bobby Shad as producer. My next career changing opportunity came while playing with Maynard Ferguson’s big band at a club in Atlantic City opposite the great Wes Montgomery with the Wynton Kelly Trio. After our set, everyone in Maynard’s band was sitting in the front row of the club in anticipation of hearing this great band. I was a huge Paul Chambers admirer. Due to illness, Paul hadn’t arrived. Jimmy Cobb, who I had never met, hit a couple of rim shots and gestured for me to come up and fill in for Paul. I’ll never forget that experience. They were visibly upset and concerned about Paul, but once we started to play Wes turned around and laid a huge smile on Wynton. It was the greatest moment of my life. Two months later, I had another occasion to play with Wes, Wynton and Jimmy at the Village Gate in New York City. Ron Carter, who had replaced Paul Chambers, had a record date that went overtime and Wynton asked me if I’d play their first set. Ron Carter called the following day and asked me to plat the first set that night. He said: ‘I’ll give you $20.’’! After having played with them three times, Wynton asked me for my phone number. A few months later, in July of 1965, it was 106 degrees in New York, when Wynton Kelly called me and invited me to go out to the west coast for a tour. I stayed with the band for a couple months before Wes, who had become a star, went out on his own. Wynton Kelly didn’t have as much of a name and as great as he was, his career sadly faded away.

JC: How did you know their repertoire when you played with them?

RM: “There wasn’t much written music in those days. Wes didn’t read music.”

JC: What tunes did you play?

RM: “On the Trail,” “Old Folks,” “4 on 6,” “West Coast Blues…”

I have a good ear and what I couldn’t hear Wynton would show me with his left hand. The first chorus of a new tune he’d play out 22 The Jazz Culture, VI:41