The Complete Riverside Recordings [Box]

Performer: Wes Montgomery
Artist: Harold Land; Nat Adderley; Milt Jackson; George Shearing; Kenny Burrell; Paul Chambers; Philly Joe Jones; Jimmy Cobb
Distributor: Fantasy (distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Wes Montgomery (guitar, electric bass); Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Harold Land, Johnny Griffin (tenor saxophone); Nat Adderley (cornet); Sam Jones (cello, bass); Victor Feldman, Buddy Montgomery (vibraphone, piano); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Hank Jones, Dick Hyman (piano, celeste); Tommy Flanagan, Bobby Timmons, Barry Harris, George Shearing, Wynton Kelly (piano); Melvin Rhyne (organ); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Percy Heath, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Monk Montgomery, Paul Chambers, Milt Hinton (bass); Albert "Tootie" Heath, Louis Hayes, Lex Humphries, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Osie Johnson (drums); Ray Barretto, Armando Peraza (congas). Producers: Orrin Keepnews, Cannonball Adderley. Compilation producer: Orrin Keepnews. Engineers: Jack Higgins, Wally Heider, Ray Fowler. Recorded between 1959 and 1963. Includes liner notes by Jim Ferguson, Nat Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter, Kevin Eubanks, Tommy Flanagan, Jim Hall, Orrin Keepnews, Steve Khan, Buddy Montgomery, and John Scofield. Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1992, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California). Wes Montgomery recorded exclusively for the Riverside label during the four years covered by this massive 12-CD box set and, although his later albums for Verve and particularly the pop/jazz A&M dates sold many more copies, it is from his Riverside dates that his legacy was primarily formed. Virtually unknown at the time of his debut on Riverside, Montgomery soon became a major influence whose style is still copied decades later. The guitarist is heard in quite a few different settings here: in trios with organist Melvin Rhynbe and a quartet with pianist Tommy Flanagan; as a sideman on different sessions with Nat Adderley, Harold Land, and Cannonball Adderley; performing with his brothers, Buddy and Monk; holding his own with pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and tenor great Johnny Griffin; and (for an album ironically titled Fusion) playing with strings for the first time. All in all, there is a tremendous amount of rewarding performances included in this essential set, most of which show why Wes Montgomery is still considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. ~ Scott Yanow

JazzTimes (5/93, p.60) - "Everything you could possibly want to know about Wes Montgomery....his most creative phase....The setting changes from disc to disc--trios, quartets, quintets, live gig, strings date--the one constant being Montgomery's phenomenal melodic and harmonic intuition, his intense drive and exceptional soul..." Musician (5/93, p.88) - "...a simple man with a gift almost too enormous to assess even with the benefit of 30 intervening years..."

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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