Compact Jazz: Wes Montgomery

1. Bumpin' on Sunset

2. California Dreaming

3. Movin' Wes, Pt. 1

4. Golden Earrings

5. Sunny

6. Shadow of Your Smile

7. O.G.D. (aka Road Song)

8. Tequila

9. Caravan

10. Once I Loved

11. Movin' Wes, Pt. 2

12. Here's That Rainy Day

13. Goin' Out of My Head

14. How Insensitive

15. What the World Needs Now Is Love

Compact Jazz: Wes Montgomery,Wes Montgomery,Polygram Records,Crossover Jazz,Hard Bop,Jazz,Jazz Music,Jazz-Pop,Pop

Jazz

Music

jazz

Tracks:

'S.K.J.'
Stablemates
Stairway To The Stars
Blue Roz
Sam Sack
Jingles
Delilah
Bonus Track: Stairway To The Stairs (Alternate Version)
Bonus Track: Jingles (Alternate Version)
Bonus Track: Delilah (Alternate Version)

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant Pair.......2007-03-23

This has to be one of my all-time favorite jazz albums, hands down. As the very first notes and the soothing sounds of Philly Joe's brushes come alive, the listener quickly becomes aware that you are entering a realm of pure musical bliss. Wes Montgomery and Milt Jackson complemented each other so well, as they they both loved the blues and added a subtle poignancy to every note they played, especially on "Stairway to the Stars" and also "Delilah". One of the great forgotten records in jazz history that you will go back to again and again.

My "Desert Island" Album!!!.......2006-02-17

'Bags Meets Wes' was one of the first jazz LPs I acquired way back in the 60s, and it's still my all-time favorite. I never tire of listening to the masterful virtuosity and interplay of Wes, Milt, and Wynton Kelly with the able support of Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones. The opening riff of the first track, S.K.J. (Mrs. Jackson's initials) always blows me away, and keeps me there throughout the rest of the tracks.

You can tell from the grins on Milt's ("Bags") and Wes' faces on the cover photo that something special was going on here when Riverside's brilliant producer, Orrin Keepnews, got these two pals together to record in New York in December 1961.

I have an extensive collection of Wes' recordings, and they're all great, especially his early small group albums for Riverside. Even the later Verve sessions with heavy-handed Oliver Nelson arrangements of sappy pop tunes still show what he could do with lesser material and the confines of a large orchestra chart. But this album is the one I always come back to.

Any fan of jazz guitar, small combos, or aspiring jazz guitarist needs to listen to this album.

Milt & Wes.......2005-11-17

Since this album first came out in 1962, I have seen it come under fire as being a failure of two great (jazz) minds not at their best, not coming together well, but I've never been able to agree with that assessment. I think it's a great album.

The opener, S.K.J., is a medium-slow blues and is not only the highlight of this session, but one of the best things either Milt or Wes ever recorded, in my book. It's a simple A-A-A blues based on a descending scale, and the solos by everyone are as relaxed and natural as could be. Drummer Philly Joe Jones's tasty brushwork is the icing on the cake. BLUE ROZ and SAM SACK are other blues pieces, the latter taken medium-up and featuring the rhythm section. Benny Golson's STABLEMATES gets a nice up-tempo reading, kicked off by a short Jones drum solo, follwed by excellent solos by Wes, Milt, and Barry Harris on piano. This is a solid date all around.

Classic.......2005-09-24

This is a classic work where two genuise collaborate to make magic. It is worthy of any serious jazz collectors' stash.

Great Minds Think and Play Alike.......2004-12-04

A warped vinyl copy finally prompted replacement. Though a purchase of necessity for me, the bonus tracks and judiciously remastered sound of the CD reissue make it an attractive pick-up even for an owner of a vintage LP copy.

To state that Bags makes a more satisfying complement to Wes' musical voice than to Coltrane's (which is not to say that the Jackson-Coltrane session is without its own merits) may be obvious, given their mutual love of that common ground of blues and basic, pretty melodies that, for lack of a better term, was synonymous with "soul jazz" in the late 50's/early 60's. Small wonder that even the normally unfailingly hip, often "in-a-hurry" Philly Joe can't resist providing a big back-beat to the no-holds-barred funk of the three lead soloists (once he settles in behind Wyn Kelly on "Blue Roz," you wish they'd keep it going for another couple of rounds). And listen to Wes comping behind Bags on "Sam Sack," supplying not just chords but infectious riffs.

It's fascinating to hear how this particular rhythm section meshes. Paul Chambers was the paragon of bass players, but listening to Sam Jones' gritty, more focused tone and more unforgiving pulse reminds me that he wasn't far behind the master. And whereas Paul could occasionally lose concentration, going along with the speed-up pulse of Philly Joe or the occasionally yielding one of Jimmy Cobb, Sam keeps Philly Joe in the pocket through all of the musical proceedings here.

Finally, Riverside did admirably by players like these (not to mention Bill Evans and the Adderley brothers). The drums and cymbals may not be as "forward" and the bass and piano as blatantly present as on a Blue Note-Van Gelder date. But the important sonorities have been captured, allowing for a "truer" sound from all of the principals, perhaps most notably Kelley's deft piano touch. The music stays in over-drive, not for an instant wearing out its welcome.

The fact that the bonus tracks are barely distinguishable from the masters hardly matters: more of the same is plenty good enough. (Either take is superior to all other versions--including Clifford's--of Victor Young's "Delilah.")

Average customer rating:

Wes Montgomery jazz guitar is incredible!
So much Wes
Great sessions from a guitar titan
I stand corrected...but still awed
So Much to say...

So Much Guitar
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Dcc Compact Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Movin' Along
The Wes Montgomery Trio
Boss Guitar
Far Wes
Full House

ASIN: B000000180
Release Date: 1995-03-31

Tracks:

Twisted Blues
Cotton Tail
I Wish I Knew
I'm Just A Lucky So And So
Repetition
Somethin' Like Bags
While We're Young
One For My Baby

Customer Reviews:

Wes Montgomery jazz guitar is incredible!.......2007-07-05

Wes is the greatest of modern jazz guitar.This cat playing was unique,even today a lot of his stuff you can still hear it in others jazz guitarist like George Benson, Henry Johnson and others great jazz guitarist. This CD "So Much Guitar" you can hear his incredible sound and his signature of his octive.

So much Wes.......2007-02-20

Wes Montgomery started recording late and died young - and some might unkindly say it was hard to tell the difference on his final Verve records. The best of Wes' playing is on his early Riverside discs, notably Incredible Jazz Guitar, the live Full House and this record (Bags and Wes under Milt Jackson's name is another fine record from this period). Movin' Along, which falls chronologically between Incredible and So Much, is spoilt by Montgomery's inexplicable decision to solo on bass guitar, thus eliminating one of the most attractive features of his style, his mellow, glowing tone. Most critics rate Incredible Jazz Guitar as the pick of the bunch. While not disputing that album's many strengths, I find So Much Guitar slightly more enjoyable. There's no hint of lethargy or cruising here. The single note runs are crisp and consistently inventive. There's less of the uninspired strumming that so marred Wes' later work. Ballads like One More for My Baby have a real after hours feel without becoming syrupy. Wes solos at a blistering pace on Cottontail. Pehaps the best thing to do is buy and enjoy both discs.

Great sessions from a guitar titan.......2006-12-11

We have all heard Wes Montgomery, either from the great man himself or referenced by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who did a good approximation of Montgomery's signature octave picking.
Of course, that's not all Wes could do. This session, recorded in a few days time, is precise, mindblowing and represents some of guitar oriented bebop's finest moments.
"Twisted Blues" starts off with a friendly jump, and "Cotton Tail" follows with a nearly incomprehensible rhythm pattern that no novice should ever attempt without a safety net.
The album is smooth and shows us what a well rounded guitarist could do for the instrument. Perhaps Montgomery's only real contemporary competition was Chet Atkins. Like Atkins, the chord knowledge and voicing is encyclopedic. No guitar player should be without this CD as a lesson for great rhythm work (not to mention lead work, too), and no fan of be-bop should neglect to have this gem in his or her collection, either.

I stand corrected...but still awed.......2003-08-28

Below, in a previous review, I stated that "While We're Young" was written by Wes. It was not. It was written by Alec Wilder. It is still the most precious tune that Wes ever recorded...

So Much to say..........2003-07-06

Given the fact that Wes Montgomery died at age 43, you almost want to finish this title with the words "so little time", but Wes packed a whole 'nuther career into the time between this LPs release and his death. While this is not my absolute favorite single Wes CD, one of my favorite Wes 'Riverside era' tunes is on it. 'While We're Young' is, as far as I know, the only solo tune that Wes ever wrote and recorded. It is the sweetest, most honest, closest thing to heaven I've ever heard come out of a man's soul through an electrified wooden six string instrument. There - is that enough accolade for one less than 2 minute tune?! The rest of this original LP is great with some really superb piano playing by Hank Jones, smokin' bass lines by Ron Carter, beat-bumping from Ray Barretto on congas and drummer Lex Humphries. 'Twisted Blues' is superb, as are all the tunes. The only reason that this is not included in my all-time Wes "5-star" line-up is because I do miss Jimmy Cobb on drums, and because at times ("Cottontail") the tempo is pushed almost to the uncomfortable point. However, it is still Wes at his very best...and if "Cottontail" drops to "4-star" status, then "While We're Young" with its "10 stars" more than makes up for it. If you love Wes, this is a 'must-have' CD.

Average customer rating:

Compact Jazz
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000004730
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Bumpin' On Sunset
California Dreaming
Movin' Wes (Pt. 1)
Golden Earrings
Sunny
The Shadow Of Your Smile
OGD (Road Song)
Tequila
Caravan
Once I Loved
Movin' Wes (Part 2)
Here's That Rainy Day
Goin' Out My Head
How Insenstive
What The World Needs Now Is Love

Average customer rating:

Goin' Out of My Head
Gone Out of My Head in My First Audition at 16 Years Old.
A gold record.

Goin' out of My Head
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Dcc Compact Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bumpin'
Road Song
California Dreaming
Movin' Wes
Smokin' at the Half Note

ASIN: B000000179
Release Date: 1993-11-22

Tracks:

Goin' Out Of My Head
O Morro
Boss City
Chim Chim Cheree
Naptown Blues
Twisted Blues
End Of A Love Affair
It Was A Very Good Year
Golden Earrings

Customer Reviews:

Goin' Out of My Head.......2006-08-29

A reviewer from Italy thought that Nelson Riddle did the arrangements for this LP. The correct name of the arranger for this LP would be the late, great saxophonist/arranger/composer Oliver Nelson.

Gone Out of My Head in My First Audition at 16 Years Old........2005-02-13

by David Ponce de León, Los Angeles.

(NOTE TO AMAZON.COM: Dear Amazon, This review may be a little long, but it SHARES with readers how I WAS IMPRESSED the first time I head the Audio Cassette (before CDs). I hope you like it too. Thank you.)

BOSS GUITAR INDEED AN APT DESCRIPTION

As a young boy in the 1960s, I often heard Jazz in many movies -- American, Mexican, French, British, and Spanish movies. In the 1970s -- when Heavy Metal and Disco were in -- I was drawn to Jazz. I wondered if something was wrong with me.

To me, the sound of Jazz seemed universally hip, although I knew little about music in general, let alone Jazz. I was unfamiliar with the protagonists of the genre. To me Jazz seemed intense.

When George Benson made his hit "On Broadway" (Weekend in L.A. Album), I knew I loved that full Jazz guitar sound and the chromatic scales, syncopation, etc. On the album is a song "We All Remember Wes" by Stevie Wonder. I wondered who Wes was.

When I was a John Marshal High School senior, the lady who was my girlfriend at the time was a UCLA student. When I had time off from classes but she had classes, I would visit her at UCLA (which I began attending a year later and where I was fortunate enough to have studied under Kenny Burrell).

To enjoy time while my girlfriend was in her lectures, I discovered the Audio Room in Powell library. Having studied intensely in High School in preparation for a Physics Major at UCLA, having studied Honors and Advanced Placement English, French, Spanish, Mathematics, Biology and Physics, by the time I was sixteen I felt that I had already had developed some judgment of authenticity and quality in many things, including but not limited to . . . . music (this review is about Wes Montgomery's "Goin' Out of My Head;" this brief interlude into my history is only to establish my "qualification" to review music; I also play the guitar, saxophone, piano, clarinet, and bass, have led my own band(s), and worked professionally for years in the past).

I'm a purist type of guy. I don't care for layers of "production" Barry Manilow style. I particularly dislike excessive use of musical devices (musical tricks) to make music appear grander than it is to conceal the lack of substance in the essence of a musical piece. These devices "impress" the amateur music enthusiast. The overwhelming majority of today's popular music is laden with these. A notable exception: Nora Jones. So as you can see, I'm not easily impressed. By consequence, I don't easily praise a musical work.

In the list of audio cassettes that one could listen to in the audio room (while studying, of course), was "Goin' Out of My Head," by . . . . Wes Montgomery. I said to myself, "this must be the "Wes" referred to in George Benson's album and Stevie Wonder's song. So I said, "let's take a listen."

In the Audio Room, listening stations had cassette playback units install in individual listening booths, with jacks for stereo headphones. Don't forget: headphones typically provide the best listening quality for "quality" music.

BOSS GUITAR INDEED AN APT DESCRIPTION! THE LUSH SOUND, THE DEPTH, THE SUBTLETY, THE COUNTERPOINT, THE INTENSITY OF HUMANITY, THE CREATIVITY, THE ARRANGEMENTS, THE GENIUS (where should I stop)!!! I said to myself: this is me, this is what I love! I have heard that Album (or cassette; I suppose I should buy the CD) a thousand times over. I IMMEDIATELY became a Wes Montgomery fan. This is the DEFINITE MUST HAVE album for any Wes Montgomery collector or the "in-general" jazz guitar enthusiast or student, or even the general admirer of America's contribution to music, Jazz.

From the opening title cut is stated the definition of BOSS GUITAR (what a name, don't you think). The second tune, O Morro by World Great Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim displays Wes' comfort with Brazilian subleties and Wes' beautiful melody chords. In all, one comes to comprehend the genius of Wes Montgomery -- a man who could NOT read music, and only chose to play the guitar at the late age of 29. With this album alone, one comprehends why Wes was and continues to be an American Legend, revered the globe around. I noticed that the price for the CD - new or used, is $24.99; i.e., not cheap. I'm lucky to own an original LP, scratch sounds and all.

Wes left us with the gift of his recorded music -- a gift for the entire world -- a gift that shows the potential greatness of the human spirit and ability to create beauty (to contrast with with the human spirit to wage war and to destroy, generally speaking, unbeautiful).

The guitar is a formidable instrument -- on occasion under appreciated -- to my delight, generally considered a Spanish instrument, if it had to be given a nationality. Whether one enjoys Classical, Ensemble, Jazz, Heavy Metal, Pop, Classic Rock, New Age, the guitar has earned the respect of a dinstinguished instrument.

Wes Montgomery increased its greatness and gave it a truly American nationality to the descendant of its Spanish ancestor.

FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT: Buy the CD WITHOUT pre-listening, and based on my review alone. Play it back (remember the term, "playback"?) ON YOUR VERY BEST SOUND SYSTEM (it deserves nothing less) as loud as you reasonably can, or better yet listen on your best headphones.

Just like I can say that I will never forget that girlfriend nor the very first time . . . . . . . . . when I heard Wes Montgomery and "Goin' Out of My Head," I PROMISE YOU that when you do hear it for the first time, YOU WILL BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN, AND YOU WILL GET GOOSE BUMPS.

A gold record........2004-09-07

Nowadays the rarest album in the whole Montgomery catalog this album went out of print long ago. I own everything Wes recorded in his life, all the original stuff (Verve, Riverside, A&M) plus some concerts recorded in those magic 9 years Wes played professionally (1959/1968). I consider this album as one of his best, Riverside albums included. It is very rare but more than ten years ago I have been lucky enough to find a copy of this cd and to buy it. It was the "Real 24 carat gold" edition of this album (I mean real gold), a part of a very limited edition serie of some of the best Jazz albums ever (for example Soultrane from John Coltrane was included in the serie). It was very very expensive, something like 40 or 50 US dollars here in Italy, but you have to consider that it was 1990's ... (1993 to be exact) so it was VERY expensive. However I bought it. I'm happy I did it because this album's value is 2, 3, 10 times more. I'm not Joking. If I was not having it, I'd spend that money to buy it.

These nine years with Wes has been only nine years yes, but how intense they were for the jazz world and for the guitar community in particular! Wes introduced a new way not only of playing the guitar in Jazz but another incredible way of playing Jazz in general! He was an hard bopper for sure just like Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Coltrane himself, but in the end his own man with an immense personality! I consider him as one of the greatest talent Jazz gave us and probably the guitar's Charlie Parker! Wes seemed unable to do something which was not absolutly outstanding (at least until A&M records which are less beautiful but not for Wes's fault but for A&M responsibilities). He recorded in those nine years a masterpiece after another and this record is no exception! This album belongs to an happy period in Wes career. The Verve period. He was already very successful thanks to the fantastic Riverside albums he recorded and he changed record company at the time arriving in Verve where they gave him a lot of money and so they were decided to take Wes to the highest heights of success. And they did. But with quality material, with quality music. With albums like this one.

This album is an orchestrated one. The director (if my memory is not going wrong) was no less than Nelson Riddle the best "easy Jazz orchestra" director of them all! He surrounded Wes with very balanced arrangements, powerful in some points and tender in other points. A perfect velvet background for Wes's fantastic solos. Wes blows here exactly like he did in the Riverside hard bop albums simply the enviroment is richer. This is not an A&M record and Nelson Riddle is a way better director than Don Sebesky (A&M choice for director chair in Wes's albums). A&M records were commercial, radio albums. This is a Jazz album with fantastic arrangements! Big difference! Wes begins here without any hurry. The title track is pure winning sixties soul jazz. What a tone Wes had! Unbelievable! So big, so warm so surrounding! He was unreachable! Jim Hall once joked that one day in the sixties he "thought to close Wes's thumb in a car's door" ... just to tribute his talent. He was SO big!! Then the album's program goes on with some popular tunes. On some of them Wes outplay every cat in the biz. For real. Listen to what he did to "Chim Chim Cheere". Unbelievable! He transformed a simple childish tune in a Jazz anthem! Faaaaaaaantastic! Phenomenal! And a big applause to Oliver Nelson too! Then you have a couple of Wes's best originals, "Naptown blues" and "Twisted blues" and in the end some superlative standards interpretations.

Really. This album is one of the best in the entire Wes's career along with "Smoking at the half note", "Willow weep for me" and all his Riverside recordings. Wes blows here with happyness and abandon and show his talents at the fullest. There will never be another Wes. His jazz always send me out of my head!

Average customer rating:

Wes shines through.
Warmly recorded and Wes playing great in a loose mood
poorly recorded-wes struugles with a weak rhythm section

Live at Ronnie Scott's
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Dcc Compact Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music

Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Sonny Boy
Wes' Easy Blues
Solo Ballad In A Major
Gone With The Wind
Broadway
Body And Soul
I'll Remember April
Here's That Rainy Day
Words From Wes

Customer Reviews:

Wes shines through........2005-08-22

Wes plays brilliantly on this live album in spite of the less than satisfactory recording conditions. First of all, the audience on this session is not "hushed" as described in an earlier review. In fact, they are loud and talkative through many of the guitar solos. Secondly, the pianist sounds like he can't decide whether to play like Monk or George Shearing. Still, if you are a Wes Montgomery fan, you will want to pick up this CD.

Warmly recorded and Wes playing great in a loose mood.......2004-01-29

I hope potential buyers of this cd weren't scared off by the other review of this cd. It's an excellent recording. It's not your typical live soundboard recording, but that makes it even better. This is like the best sounding bootleg you could ever hear that makes sterile soundboard recordings seem terrible. You actually feel like you are in the club back in 1965. You hear the tinkling of glasses and a bit of hushed conversation creating a 3-D atmosphere. And even though there is the real life background noise all of the instruments are perfectly recorded and great separation between them all.

As for the playing-- It's Wes in a relaxed mood doing what he does best. The backing band isn't the tightest, but that may just be the laid back club atmosphere where everyone is enjoying themselves and having a good time. The backing band is more than competent and Wes is in fine form playing an endless vocabulary of jazz licks on extended jams that most of the tracks contain.

If you can't find this new then hunt it down used. Hopefully Amazon will get more in stock again.

poorly recorded-wes struugles with a weak rhythm section.......2002-05-19

first off, in my humble opinion, wes montgomery is the finest jazz guitarists who have ever picked up the instrument. as i like to say, "there's wes and then there's everybody else." as such, i eagerly anticipated receiving this title. unfortunately, it is very badly recorded-sounds like an audience recording at best. i could live with that. afterall, anything by wes live in a club setting with a basic rhythm section (piano, bass ,drums) should be a welcome addition. unfortunately, the rhythm section here (i believe the house band at ronnie scott's) is not very rhythmic or together. wes literally struggles to keep them together, sometimes reverting to comping in the middle of his solos to show the other players where he is in the tune. wes himself is awesome, but the rhythm section players, especially the pianist, are quite weak, often getting in the way or playing wrong changes (at least selecting chord voicings that clash with wes). there is one solo guitar piece though. it alone is enough to send most players (guitar or otherwise) back to the woodshed or to simply just give it up!
wes fans are much better suited buying the wonderful "smokin' at the half note" with wynton kelly, paul chambers and jimmy cobb (miles' rhythm section at the time) providing sensitive accompaniment and outstanding solos. another greaat live wes recording is "full house" - live in san francisco with the aforementioned rhythm section and tenor saxophonist johnny griffin- can't go wrong here!
so, unless you need/want everything wes has done live, avoid this CD or try to find a used copy.

Average customer rating:

Soooo close to 5 stars
Terrific live Wes recording
One of two Wes Montgomery Classics
Wes & Co. stretch out to devastating effect
Genius at Work

Full House
Wes Montgomery
Manufacturer: Dcc Compact Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music

Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Smokin' at the Half Note
Boss Guitar
Complete Live in Paris 1965
The Wes Montgomery Trio

ASIN: B00000018R
Release Date: 1997-03-18

Tracks:

Full House
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
Blue 'N' Boogie
Cariba
Come Rain Or Come Shine
S.O.S
Born To Be Blue
Come Rain Or Come Shine
S.O.S

Amazon.com

Recorded live in performance, this 1962 recording is evidence that Wes Montgomery was first and foremost a live player, able to build long, sinewy solos, giving justification to the concept of "stretching out." And the excitement only builds when tenorist Johnny Griffin jumps in. Fiery and articulate, Griffin was at the top of his game as his excellent solos on Montgomery's "Cariba" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue 'n' Boogie" testify. Add the Miles Davis rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb on drums, Paul Chambers on bass, and the elegant Wynton Kelly on piano, and you have some truly sparkling live jazz from the classic era. --Wally Shoup

Customer Reviews:

Soooo close to 5 stars.......2006-12-10

This is a live set of Wes Montgomery playing with Wynton Kelly, Johnny Griffin, the omnipresent Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Wes plays his typically fluid, beautiful, amazing guitar. The songs are mostly up-tempo, so they avoid Wes' sometimes maudlin streak on the soft stuff. "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" is nearly solo Wes, but Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb provide some subtle help. This wasn't a working band, so there's only three Wes originals and the rest are standards. The CD is at a very high level, but somehow it's missing the extra umph to push it over the edge to a rare (from me) 5-star rating.

Terrific live Wes recording.......2006-11-23

I had the privilege of seeing Wes live in Chicago and it is true that his live appearances were exciting. This one shows him at his best with wonderful solos that build on each chorus. He has Miles Davis's rhythm section of Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers and Wynton Kelly plus the great Johnny Griffin on sax. Get this one for your collection. The recording quality is very good.

One of two Wes Montgomery Classics.......2005-10-24

This cd and "Live at the Half Note" are Wes Montgomery's two best cd's, and they are both live. If you like the one, get the other. If you have both, buy anything Wes did on Riverside. All those cd's are great!

Wes & Co. stretch out to devastating effect.......2005-07-01

As one of the most influential jazz guitarists of all time (second only to perhaps Charlie Christian), Wes Montgomery created a vocabulary of techniques and mannerisms for jazzers similar to how Andres Segovia did for classical players. His trademarks - octaves, extended block chord solos, and above all, melodicism - blew many away in the forceful manner which Wes employed them. I feel that on this release, Full House, Wes demonstrates his talents as a bandleader and player better than most of his recordings, except for perhaps the legendary Smokin' at the Half Note.

The engineering on this record is superb; every instrument comes through in the mix loud and clear, yet retains a special spot in the audio spectrum and blends nicely with the other instruments. I personally own the 20-bit remaster, but it sounds to me like the basic mix itself was pretty good to begin with.

This is one of the most superb bands that jazz has perhaps ever seen. We have the esteemed Wynton Kelly trio, with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums, to back up Wes, of course, and also on this occasion the formidable talents of saxophonist Johnny Griffin (who would pair with the same quartet on several later dates). Wes and Johnny often harmonize on the melodies, especially on "Cariba" and "S.O.S.", and it works quite well, especially with the notable difference in tone color between their instruments. Griffin has a sound that I can't quite pin down; to my ears, it doesn't sound distinctly like any of the sax masters, so it's a surprise that he isn't better known in the jazz canon. Regardless, his playing is superb and he goes toe-to-toe with Wes on nearly every cut.

The blues is in strong effect on this record, as with most Wes recordings; "Cariba", in fact, is at its core a basic 12-bar Latin blues, with a unique bassline that gives it a little bit of a distinctive sound. "Cariba" is also the cut with the best Wes solo (although "Full House" comes rather close as well). Really, the whole ensemble works together to make an overall appealing sound, and it's not just like the rhythm section is ticking away while the soloists blow. The drummer and Wynton are always in tune with the soloists, whether they're doing repeating riffs and Cobb comes in with a few synchronized cymbal hits, or the soloists step it up dynamically and the rhythm section follows them all the way. This is a little more evident on Smokin' at the Half Note, but that was several years later, when Wes had been playing with Wynton's trio on a regular basis; this is the genesis of their collaboration, and it's an impressive one.

So why only 4 stars if the record is overall incredible? Well, having multiple takes of the same song to fill space on a jazz record is not something I am particularly fond of. It makes it a little hard to listen to the record straight through multiple times and not get a little annoyed. Plus, each extra take is pretty routine. Also, the track selection is not quite perfect; "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" was not a good choice, as Wes's chord-melody playing is nowhere near his octave- or single-note talents. He is a master chord soloist, true, but he can't play chord-melody like Joe Pass or anything. Also, "Come Rain or Come Shine" is kind of a substandard tune on the record - not bad by any means, but every other track is killer, so it weighs down the others a bit.

This is still a very worthy purchase; the band is hot, and so are Johnny Griffin and Wes, and that's pretty much the fundamental selling point of any great jazz record. If multiple takes don't bother you much, this record is only more recommended. For everyone else, it's still a great album to just plain listen to; it's not boring like some jazz records, due to the incredibly dynamic playing of the band. Plus, hearing Wes live is pretty much the only way to go, and that's probably the best compliment I can give. I'm sure the club was a Full House on this night for sure.

Genius at Work.......2004-11-24

I have listened to this album over and over again. I just can't understand where Wes Montgomery got all that beauty and rhythm and melody and soul from. Hands down the man was a genius. He just had it, that's all, like Mozart and Haydn and Miles. Listen to all the performances on this live album, because they're all good, but Wes is explosive, with ideas coming at you from all directions and well-thought out lines that reach right down into you and satisfy. The great thing about his music: the more you listen, the more you hear. That's what genius provides.

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Jazz Music

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