Verve Jazz Masters 14

Performer: Wes Montgomery
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Wes Montgomery (guitar), Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly, Phil Woods. All tracks have been digitally remastered. This is part of the Verve Jazz Masters series. Contains 14 tracks. Shedding the temptation of bop purist revisionism that creeps into most assessments of Wes Montgomery, this Verve Jazz Masters volume gives newcomers a good cross-section of his Verve recordings: the orchestral Wes along with the small-group Wes. The sequencing, though out of chronological order, is quite clever and musical. Someone who has never heard Montgomery before will be drawn in most enticingly with his brief yet unforgettably catchy hit with Oliver Nelson, "Goin' Out of My Head." That is followed by the burnin' "Impressions" with the Wynton Kelly Trio live at the Half Note, which in turn gives way to a luscious Bumpin' outtake with strings, "My One and Only Love" and the Latin-grooving "Tequila," and the sequence rolls on smoothly and with considerable diversity from there. There are omissions -- nothing from the two albums with Jimmy Smith, nothing from the A&M catalog (which Verve's parent corporation, PolyGram, owns and could have easily drawn from). But one can still get an idea of how Montgomery's awesome technical facilities and magical melodic touch dazzled the musicians and wooed the general public of his time. If you don't watch yourself, buying this CD might lead to a full-blown Wes Montgomery addiction. ~ Richard S. Ginell

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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