🎷 AotW: CTI Wes Montgomery - A DAY IN THE LIFE (SP-3001)

[Rudy]

The ashtray photo is actually a Pete Turner "comment on life" photo:

WES MONTGOMERY: A DAY IN THE LIFE
Before I was married, I was with this woman who I thought a lot about and had mixed feelings for. The next morning after we’d been together, I was looking at this ashtray…and it looked like how things were going in that department. You could say it was “a day in my life.”

http://www.amcorner.com/features/interview_view.php?fetchtopic=14

I'm not a big fan of his A&M albums, but still have some favorite tracks. On here, "The Joker" and "Eleanor Rigby" are my standouts.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Thanks for the link! Good refresher...most likely Milton Nascimento's "Courage" and Quincy Jones' "Walking In Space" were the only purpose-shot CTI covers.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[Rudy]

He had a unique way of photographing for the album covers, too--I like the portraits on the back covers. I know he had Wes in a thoughtful profile pose on one of them. And I remember Tamba 4 being lit with red off to one side.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Those were great. To avoid confusion...in the posts above, I'm talking about the front cover pictures...the ones of the artists on the back of the LP were certainly shot specifically for that album.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[rickster]

"A Day In The Life" is a great cover, and a fine album, but my favorite A&M
-CTI cover has GOT to be Wes' "Road Song" ---- A brilliant , striking cover that I never tire of looking at.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I've read some reviews that accused Wes of sounding "bored" when he recorded these sets, and it is a much more pop-flavored series than his earlier work;

I don't think he was bored at all. His guitar work is great - just listen to "Willow Weep For Me", my favorite track. The trick is get past those syrupy strings that Creed Taylor engulfed the records with. That was the real crime. I've said this many times before: they should do a stripped down version of Wes' CTi albums a la the Beatles Let It Be - Naked. I think the albums would sound much better that way.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[rickster]

I don't agree --- those "syrupy strings" got Wes the airplay he much needed during that period. I remember hearing "Windy" , "The Joker", and a bunch of others on AM radio at that time. People miss the point about these albums --- they weren't MEANT to be out and out straight ahead jazz albums. They were basically pop albums with a jazz flavor that introduced Wes to millions of people that normally wouldn't have checked him out at all. There are plenty of Verve and Riverside dates that show Wes at his pure jazz best. I, for one, really enjoy the Don Sebesky charts. I thought it was great that Wes was able to make a little money near the end of his all too short life. THAT was not a crime.

 

[Rudy]

I've said this many times before: they should do a stripped down version of Wes' CTi albums a la the Beatles Let It Be - Naked. I think the albums would sound much better that way.

In a few cases, though, spaces were left for the "orchestral" parts of songs. If you hear the bonus tracks on the "From The Hot Afternoon" CD reissue, there are parts where Paul Desmond doesn't play anything, a "hole" left for whatever arrangement would be put in its place. The "nekkid" approach would be welcome for me too, as long as there aren't any empty spaces when Wes and the combo are playing.

 

[Moritat]

Good lp, and Eleanor Rigby is my favorite cut. In my opinion, the best lp he did for A&M was the wonderful Down Here On The Ground. It was more diversified and far more interesting than Day In The Life.

 

[Harry]

IINM, the GREATEST HITS and the CLASSICS issue for Wes had the same track listing:

1. California Nights
2. Windy
3. Switchin'
4. I Say a Little Prayer for You
5. Yesterday
6. Pata Pata
7. Wind Song
8. Butterfly
9. Georgia on My Mind
10. Hello, Young Lovers
11. Fly Me to the Moon
12. Road Song
13. Day in the Life
14. Down Here on the Ground
15. When a Man Loves a Woman
16. Eleanor Rigby
17. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
18. Know It All (Quem Diz Que Sabe)
19. My Favorite Things
20. Scarborough Fair/Canticle

Previously unreleased tracks in bold

Harry

 

[jazzdre]

I am a BIG Wes Montgomery fan, so here's my take on his A&M albums:THEY WERE GREAT!!! I am so SICK and TIRED of these jazz elitists who put Wes' stuff down during this period! Wes had seven kids, he was devoted to his wife, and he had to support them! What's wrong with making money from your God-given talent? I've heard his small combo stuff as well, and to me, it is equally beautiful!(By the way, anyone heard his gorgeous version of "Round Midnight"? It REALLY has to be heard...)

Also, what a lot of peple forget is that Wes LOVED pop music!!He did his versions of BAUBLES,BANGLES AND BEADS,WILLOW,WEEP FOR ME,IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW, THE SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP-all before A&M! Al lot of these covers were done during his Riverside, and early Verve years;some were for the legendary SMOKIN' AT THE HALF NOTE album. I am reacting a bit in anger to some of the jazz elitists criticisms because on youtube, there are clips of Wes from the A&M all stars episode of the HOLLYWOOD PALACE, and a lot of people really beat up on Wes because of the music that he made during this period-even down to criticizing him fr the SUIT he wore for the episode!

To all the "haters" out there:JUST ENJOY THE MUSIC!!! What comes thru for me in the end is Wes' magnificent playing, no matter WHAT setting it's in!! His version of A DAY IN THE LIFE would be by today's standards, be considered a bit "avant-garde" what with its mix of pop, jazz, and classical, and Hollywood type orchestration, and his take on WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, while syrupy with the background strings, it brings out Wes' bluesiest playing at his best.I love all the tunes on this album, but I have a special affection for THE JOKER, 'cause he plays the tune with a lot of funk and power, that you wouldn't believe it came from a Broadway musical!

And if Wes was such a "sell-out", why did he insist on having Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate on ALL of his albums as his rhythm section, huh?Things that make you go hmmmm...Let me end with this from an interview that I read with Herb Alpert: in the interview which was the Feb.1986 issue of WINDPLAYER magazine, Herb basically said that Wes was happy that he had sold records, but he wanted to take his music in a 'new' direction(that's what I basically remember).After the conversation,Herb walked Wes to his car, and just as Wes was getting in, he said to Herb, "Herbie, if my records stop sellin', let's have this conversation again!" To me, this shows the humanity and the humor of the man; that's really where the genius came from, and it comes across in his playing and art.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I am a BIG Wes Montgomery fan, so here's my take on his A&M albums:THEY WERE GREAT!!! I am so SICK and TIRED of these jazz elitists who put Wes' stuff down during this period! Wes had seven kids, he was devoted to his wife, and he had to support them! What's wrong with making money from your God-given talent?

Jazz elitists? You mean those people who would criticize a once-struggling musician, say, mmmm, maybe a Sax player, for playing instrumental pop music and selling over 50 million albums? Hmmm... I remember someone not-so-long ago criticizing another musician who had to feed his family as well. (Check your own posts...)

Let's be fair.

Tony

 

[jazzdre]

Hey Tony:

To quote(or paraphrase)Gary Coleman: WHUTCHOO TALKIN' "BOUT or WHO YOU TALKIN' 'BOUT?!! Refresh my memory!

 

[jazzdre]

WHOA,WHOA,WHOA, TONY!! NOW it hits me!!Are you putting the great Wes in the same category as a certain(ulp) G-man(and I ain't talkin' government, either!)when you implied that I criticized another musician?!! This certain sax player that even one Wes' biggest fans who went on to become a great contemporary jazz musician himself(guitarist at that) brutally lambasted in the early 2000s for so-called defiling one of the founding fathers of Jazz with his "wimped-out,noodling,bleeped-up playing"(the guitarist's words, not mine);are you talking about that certain sax player?!!

Well, it's very late now, so I don't have time to respond further, but come tomorrow, or later on down the week, I will tell you the difference between the great Wes, and this certain sax player, and that the decisions that they made were very different from one another! And I also want to clarify by whom I was referring to in regards to "Jazz elitists!"(and it's not anybody on this forum, either!)

Talk to you later in the week!
jazzdre

 

[toeknee4bz]

Oooooh, jazzdre, I musta touched on a nerve! Hey, I'm OK with you criticizing any musician you want. All I'm saying is that in order to be consistant, the same standard for musicians "feeding their family" should apply.

For the record, Wes & G are worlds apart. Apples and oranges. Night and day. One is a jazz legend, the other an R&B/popster. (Just to set your mind at ease... you get the idea.)

I look forward to your comments. Had you going, didn't I?

All in good fun,
Tony

 

[jazzdre]

Watch out, folks;this may be a loooong one...

Ok, Tony, like Erykah Badu once sang 'you got me'-hahaha, big yucks(good one, I might add...).Anyway, I said that I wanted to clarify some things-so here goes!

First off, when I talked about 'jazz elitists', what I really meant were jazz critics,people like Gary Giddins, Nat Hentoff,Leonard Feather,Gene Santoro,DOWNBEAT magazine,et al; who have pretty much lambasted the Verve/A&M part of Wes' career. They dismiss the music that he did at this period as pretty much 'tripe', 'sacharrine', 'insubstantial';pretty much musical wallflower.What they never seem to mention is buried beneath that string orchestra, is Wes' playing, which is filled with PASSION,FIRE, and BURNING, even on insipid fare such as WINDY. THAT'S what really gets me riled up at these critics, that they can't see(or hear, for the matter)the point that I just made!

On the subject of criticizing musicians: I don't ever think that I've criticized a musician for making money on this forum(or any other forum for that matter);if I have, Tony, and others, remind me; I'm not perfect, only the Man with the nailprints in His Hand is.Anyway, if I were to knock a musician for doing that(making money, that is)why in heaven's name am I on this forum? Herb Alpert has made MILLIONS from his sound! No, what I react to is an artist's SOUND, his PLAYING(or her's), and how they move me while making their music. The artists who do this for me are:Herb, Pat Metheny, Gato Barbieri,Joe Sample, George Benson, Miles, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Stan Getz,David Sanborn, Grover, Herbie Hancock,etc, and of course Wes.

On the other hand...I've listened to Cecil Taylor, and quite frankly, his music makes me wanna throw up!!And as we all know, Cecil ain't making any money!!Same way I feel about Ornette Coleman!And while I wouldn't put G in the same category as these two men from an artistic view point, his music and playing really doesn't move me. I've only liked about a couple of songs that Gorelick made, one being his famous 'hit',SONGBIRD, and another, I believe it was called MIDNIGHT MOTION, and while the Captain might not like hearing this, I've heard cuts from his latest album, which is latin-tinged, the cuts that I've heard were pretty good!But when I hear Gorelick's version of the love theme from TITANIC, I want to run under the carpet and cringe.Same thing with his version of Pop's classic WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD;which earned him a love letter from Pat Metheny(hahahaha,big yuks again!)But over all, suffice it to say, Gorelick's music does nothing for me.It's not to say whether it's good or bad,;his music just doesn't move me personally.

Tony, you are also right; both men are different ,"apples and oranges" as you said. And THAT'S why I put in that line in deference to Wes' critics saying,'what's wrong with an artist using his God-given talent to make money to feed his family?' I've read the backgrounds of both men, and when I conclude, giving you some of the info on both of them, then you'll see why I said what I said!

First off, Wes I believe was a teenager when he got married and became a father!I believe that he had a day job as a welder, and in the beginning, played the guitar at home at night, strictly for his own enjoyment.Kenny, on the other hand, before he graduated high school, played in clubs, the circus(!), and also I believe after he graduated from high school, joined(believe it or not) Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. Afterwards, he met Jeff Lorber, who then invited him to join his group, and while he was still a member of Jeff Lorber's Fusion band, he cut his first solo effort. And he did all of these things in his late teens to mid 20s! Amazing!Also, he was single and as they say carefree, and he was able to do whatever he wanted. I believe he got married in his 30s, and had his kids in his late 30s-early 40s.

Wes, on the other hand, as already stated, was already married, and was beginning to have his large brood. He was able to quit his day job when he started to become famous in jazz circles, as he was doing a lot of touring, but his career really took off when he hooked up with Creed Taylor and made enough money not only to feed them, but buy them a brand new house, and some nice clothes and a car for himself, as George Benson once stated.

So..NOW you see why I said what I said,Tony? It was really about Wes fulfilling his responsibilities as a husband and father, not just taking a large paycheck to fulfill his wildest fantasies! That's what it was really all about, and that's why I said what I said!Anyway, I'm sorry if this was very long, folks, but I had a need to get a lot of what I said on this subject off my chest! Anyway, thanks for indulging me, and I'll see you soon!
jazzdre

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Remember, Wes wasn't expecting to die so young - these weren't his 'ultimate statement' recordings; he was riding a wave of the time (and doing it with style and the best in the biz alongside him). He'd made a bunch of small group recordings and was trying something new, reaching a wider audience. They should be appreciated for what they are, not what they're not....

 

[toeknee4bz]

I don't ever think that I've criticized a musician for making money on this forum(or any other forum for that matter);if I have, Tony, and others, remind me; I'm not perfect, only the Man with the nailprints in His Hand is.Anyway, if I were to knock a musician for doing that(making money, that is)why in heaven's name am I on this forum? Herb Alpert has made MILLIONS from his sound! No, what I react to is an artist's SOUND, his PLAYING(or her's), and how they move me while making their music.
jazzdre

Wow! All joking aside, I think this is one of the most concise clarifications I've ever seen on the Forum. I agree that, while we as fans can judge an artist's body of work, we cannot afford to judge the integrity of the artist himself. Only the Creator can do that. To us, it is and should be about the music itself.

Regarding Wes' style during this period: I heard these tracks growing up, and never really appreciated them except the fact that it was part of Mom's "Pete Smith Sketches In Sound" Library, 8-tracked off of AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio & Television Service).

Years later, after indulging in my own musical library, I re-discovered Wes' fingerstyle through the music of Lee Ritenour. On his STOLEN MOMENTS album in 1990, and ultimately on the Wes-influenced tribute album WESBOUND in 1993, Rit would re-introduce the 1950s Gibson L-5 sound, mostly strummed (as opposed to picked) fingerstyle, taken straight from the Wes train of thought. When you listen to the guitar itself, and overlook the syrupy string orchestrations, you can really start to appreciate the technique, even if you're not a guitar player.

Now, "Boss City", or "Road Song"?...

Tony

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

I was in the produce section the other day and I saw a variety of apples on sale called, honestly, "Jazz Apples" - and I thought, "OK, then these are the apples that everyone acts like they love but no one wants to pay any money for them".....as a musician, I rejoice for an artist who can gain a greater following by changing the musical setting around them, but keep their own style.....

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I rejoice for an artist who can gain a greater following by changing the musical setting around them, but keep their own style.....

I think that's one of the coolest things about Herb. Listening to some of the soloing on his earlier records (not so much on the TJB albums, but the solo albums), it's surprising how many hints there are toward what he's doing now.

 

[jazzdre]

Hey people! I was away for a few days(from my computer, that is), but now I'm back! Thank you Tony, for your compliments on my clarifications! I did that not to show off my knowledge, but because I love music, and in particular jazz so much. Jazz, and the practitioners of this art form, have gotten me thru a lot in my life, not just thru their talents, but their commitment to music, and art itself.

And as A&M guy said, the recordings that Wes made weren't meant to be his "ultimate statements", but a way(for a brief moment at least) to bring jazz to the masses. As Creed Taylor once said, Wes' style of playing had something in it that would attract the mainstream music loving public. And he was right!Also, as A&M guy said as well, nobody had expected Wes to leave at such a young age.There was more for him to accomplish, but sad to say, it was not to be.

But no matter what anybody says, we still have these albums/cds to reflect upon and enjoy-enjoy the music and legacy of one certain John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery. Thanks again guys for your comments and compliments, alright? See ya later!

 

[JOv2]

...I'm not a big fan of his A&M albums, but still have some favorite tracks. On here, "The Joker" and "Eleanor Rigby" are my standouts.

Neither am I -- at least as representative "jazz" LPs; however, as "pop" releases they're really quite good. I'd wager that Wes was far more influential to pop guitarists than to jazz guitarists, particularly during the then forthcoming '69-'76 soft-rock/pop era.

Likewise, I select Eleanor Rigby -- and particularly The Joker as the best two on this LP -- the latter contains the most intense solo on the album...it's a beaut! Great closer, too.

 

[rickster]

I pick the title cut "Day in the Life" --- with its stunning Sebesky chart --- wow --- and simmering Hancock/Carter/Tate rhythm section cooking underneath. And leading up to that climax ---- love it every time I hear it, even after all these years. I read where McCartney said that this version was his favorite of all the covers done on the tune. And I love Windy, also,
in large part, because of the beautifully understated Sebesky chart and Wes' pop-oriented octave playing on it. A GREAT instrumental pop album.

 

[Rudy]

Neither am I -- at least as representative "jazz" LPs; however, as "pop" releases they're really quite good. I'd wager that Wes was far more influential to pop guitarists than to jazz guitarists, particularly during the then forthcoming '69-'76 soft-rock/pop era.

I know that Lee Ritenour was influenced by Wes. I hear a lot of Wes' echoes in Lee's playing. And of course, "Wes Bound" was his tribute to Montgomery.

I understand where Creed Taylor was going with the instrumental accompaniment, but in many cases, I don't care for it. It just got to be too overbearing after a handful of tracks. Still, if anyone can bring even "lite" jazz to the masses, I'm all for it. Even if people don't recognize Wes Montgomery by name, I'm sure they've heard his style of "playing the octaves" echoes in many guitar players since then.

 

[audiofile]

Watch out, folks;this may be a loooong one...


On the other hand...I've listened to Cecil Taylor, and quite frankly, his music makes me wanna throw up!!And as we all know, Cecil ain't making any money!! jazzdre

Oh Cecil's doing fine! He only flies first class, and is quite expensive to book.