Solitude

AMG Review of Solitude

Richard S. Ginell
All Music Guide

Here's more from the memorable 1965 Paris concert where Montgomery allowed himself the freedom to stretch out and re-explore the hard bop idiom that wowed the connoisseurs in the beginning. There is some mislabeling to watch out for; the track entitled "Mister Walker" is actually "Jingles" taken at a furiously burning speed and "To Django" is really a mellow treatment of "The Girl Next Door." The high point of the LP is the extended small-group treatment of Wes' bossa-nova version of "Here's That Rainy Day," in which he comes up with some lovely ideas that he would use two months later when he recorded it with strings. Finally on "'Round Midnight," Johnny Griffin sits in with an intimate ballad tone and a few of his lightning runs, though Wes is still the center of attention. If anything, the sound here is even better than that on Impressions.