Down Here On The Ground [Digipak]

Performer: Wes Montgomery
Artist: Ron Carter; Grady Tate; Herbie Hancock; Ray Barretto; Mike Mainieri; Hubert Laws
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Eumir Deodato, Don Sebesky (conductor); Hubert Laws, George Marge, Romeo Penque (flute, oboe); Gene Orloff, Raoul Poliakin (violin); Emanuel Vardi (viola); George Ricci (cello); Mike Mainieri (vibraphone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Grady Tate (drums); Ray Barretto, Bobby Rosengarden (percussion). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on December 20 & 21, 1967 and January 22 & 26, 1968. Wes Montgomery acceded to the whims of producer Creed Taylor for this, one of the very first CTI productions that would, over the next decade, popularize jazz with string backdrops or rhythm & blues beats. Much to either the delight or chagrin of urban or traditional jazz fans, the music changed, and Montgomery was in the middle, though his delightful playing was essentially unchanged. On the plus side, the legendary guitarist was allowed to collaborate with great musicians like bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, flutist Hubert Laws, and percussionist Ray Barretto. While the small orchestral trappings never dominate this session, the seeds for a more grandiose style of music had been planted with the release of this date in 1968. The arrangements of Don Sebesky are for the most part pretty, unobtrusive, and pleasant but lack groove and soul in the main. "Wind Song" is exactly as its title suggests, a light funk loaded up with chords and woodwinds. The melody of "Georgia on My Mind" is barely stated although the strings are subtle; "I Say a Little Prayer" is a sappy tune made into Muzak; oboe and cello bring "When I Look Into Your Eyes" into an ultimately maudlin arena; and Lalo Schifrin's theme from "The Fox" has the same instrumental complement, more film noir, and parallel to Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Theme to the Eulipions" if you compare them side by side. The best material is the light funk of Montgomery's original "Up & at It" in a small ensemble, nice enough, and the roots of so-called "smooth" jazz. The bright samba "Know It All" best showcases the guitarist and Hancock's luminous piano, reflecting the classic "No More Blues," while "Goin' on to Detroit" is a typical Montgomery-styled, cool road song featuring Laws. In may real and important ways, this is the beginning of the end for Montgomery as a jazz artist, and the inception of bachelor pad lounge/mood music that only lasted for a brief time. This recording, with no extra material, alternate takes, or bonus tracks, cannot compare to Charlie Parker with strings. It does fall in that category of recordings where the musicians chose to produce, rather than create their personal brand of jazz, and is at the very least an historical footnote. ~ Michael G. Nastos While it may be frustrating that Wes Montgomery all but stopped making "real" jazz records after the demise of the Riverside label in 1963, he didn't stop being a great musician, even if later recordings gave him less room to manifest the more exciting aspects of his talent. He continued to write and record original tunes, create turbulently logical solos with those dazzling octaves and block chords, and to include at least a few cooking tunes on his more produced albums. "Up and At It" is one of these, and while there isn't that much room to stretch out, it's still Montgomery all the way. Likewise the other original, "Goin' On to Detroit," is hardly the sound of a man just laying down the melody in octaves, as Montgomery was often accused of doing during this period. The rhythm section is none too shabby either: Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums.

Wes Montgomery's warm sound and hard-driving swing are, for many listeners, the epitome of jazz guitar. Rising from relative obscurity in the late 1950s, he became a huge sensation in the '60s, to the point that his recording career veered increasingly into commercial realms. Montgomery could tear off exhilarating solos with effortless grace, and in his relatively brief career he left an enduring legacy of brilliant playing.

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