AMG Review of Fusion! Wes Montgomery with Strings

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Although most Wes Montgomery fans associate his playing with strings with his later A&M and Verve recordings, the influential guitarist actually fronted a string section for the first time on this Riverside date from 1963, which had the ironic name of Fusion. As with his later albums, Montgomery's guitar solos here are brief and melodic but the jazz content is fairly high even if the emphasis is (with the exception of "Tune Up") on ballads. This CD has three additional performances not included on the original LP and is worth picking up; the music is quite pretty and pleasing.