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.
"Bumpin' on Sunset" is the follow-up work to the previous year's "Bumpin'" with an added menace to the street. The harshness is reflected in blues that is very harsh sounding yet couched in the softness of the night. Claus Ogerman expertly paints the after hours feel with a very lean arrangement, letting Montgomery be the focus of this work. Ron Carter is on bass, Ray Barretto is on congas and ...
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"Goin' Out of My Head" by far represents the song writing talents of the 1960's at their peak. The lyrics are double-edged, so that what can sound like a highly descriptive love song could also be a song about getting dumped very hard. For Wes Montgomery, "Goin' Out of My Head" became his greatest hit recording. With a sensuous rhythmic walking riff, the chart by the great Oliver Nelson turns t...
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When Johnny Mandel was called in to write the score for "The Sandpiper," he turned in an expertly written score that reflected the beauty of the Big Sur country in California with the tensions rising and falling between two oddly paired people. Don Sebesky writes a very hip chart for the accompanying orchestra with little fillers for Margaret Ross' harp. Montgomery plays a complex series of mel...
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When "Bumpin'" was first recorded in May of 1965, the word "bumpin'" meant investigating the night life in all of its bleary-eyed, half awake glory. Guitarist Wes Montgomery (1924 - 1968) certainly knew of this world for many years. He was the most important jazz guitarist since Charlie Christian and had evolved by trial and error his own method of playing his instrument. With his thumb playing...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Goin' Out of My Head |
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| 2 Impressions |
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| 3 My One and Only Love |
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| 4 Tequila |
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| 5 Bumpin' |
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| 6 What the World Needs Now Is Love |
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| 7 No Blues |
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| 8 The Shadow of Your Smile |
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| 9 Caravan |
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| 10 Bumpin' on Sunset |
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| 11 Twisted Blues |
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| 12 Oh, You Crazy Moon |
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| 13 Con Alma |
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| 14 The Thumb |
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 "Verve Jazz Masters 14")
