🎷 AotW: Jazz Wes Montgomery - THE INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR OF...

[Captain Bacardi]

Wes Montgomery
The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Riverside Records

Released 1960

Produced by Orrin Keepnews

Songs:
1. Airegin (Sonny Rollins) - 4:24
2. D Natural Blues (Wes Montgomery) - 5:18
3. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (Burke/Van Heusen) - 4:38
4. Four On Six (Wes Montgomery) - 6:10
5. West Coast Blues (Wes Montgomery) - 7:20
6. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck) - 4:45
7. Mister Walker (Wes Montgomery) - 4:28
8. Gone With The Wind (Wrabel/Magidson) - 6:13

Musicians:
Wes Montgomery - Guitar
Tommy Flanagan - Piano
Percy Heath - Bass
Albert Heath - Drums

Recorded January 26 and 28, 1960 at Reeves Sound Studios
Recording Engineer: Jack Higgins
Cover Design - Paul Bacon, Ken Braren and Harris Lewine
Cover and Back Liner Photos: Lawrence N. Shustak
Liner Notes: Orrin Keepnews

Listen to samples of this album at: http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Ja...=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1332815134&sr=1-4




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Rather than going through all of the A&M jazz albums for a fourth time I thought instead we'll look at classic and important albums of jazz artists who would eventually record for A&M, starting with this classic gem by Wes Montgomery. Most jazz aficionados consider this album one of Montgomery's defintive albums.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Great idea to change it up - it was beginning to feel like A&M only released 50 albums in 50 years......

 

[Rudy]

Great idea to change it up - it was beginning to feel like A&M only released 50 albums in 50 years......

True dat! I'm all for branching out as well. We all listen to other music beyond A&M; in fact, most of my listening isn't A&M! I just have too much on my plate.

I really need to listen to this album. I'm embarrassed to say that I've owned it on SACD but have never played it. It's one of those titles I bought in bulk with a handful of others.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I did a really quick count of jazz albums on A&M and it's around 115, give or take a few. 40 on Horizon, 45 on A&M/CTi, and 30-some scattered throughout the rest of the catalog. Of course there's always the argument of whether some albums are actually "jazz" (some of Herb's solo albums, people like Paul Winter and Tim Weisberg, etc.). Regardless of the number there was some excellent releases.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Here's a nice little video of Wes playing "Four On Six" that is on this AOTW:

 

[mikeargo]

Here's a nice little video of Wes playing "Four On Six" that is on this AOTW:

Wes sure had the thumb thing going--very unusual for a jazz guitarist or any other kind of guitarist. Great video, Cap'm.

Mike A=

 

[Rudy]

He makes it look so effortless.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Like a lot of folks my first intro to Wes Montgomery was the CTi stuff, namely the Down Here On The Ground album. It wasn't too long before I found The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of... and was just blown away with Wes' playing. This thing swings from the get-go. Wes just flies through "Airegin", which is difficult enough for a guitarist playing with a pick, let alone doing it with a thumb. It doesn't seem to be a problem at all for Montgomery. He shines just as well on ballads, particularly "Polka Dots", where his octove playing stands out. "Four On Six" is a classic track by Wes where he really cuts loose. He even does a bit of Latin with "Mister Walker". This whole album is a gem, and I usually become hesitant about ever playing the CTi stuff again. This album is the real deal!


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I really need to listen to this album. I'm embarrassed to say that I've owned it on SACD but have never played it. It's one of those titles I bought in bulk with a handful of others.

Dude, you're kiddin'? I bet this sounds great on SACD.

 

[Rudy]

It's OK...nothing that great. The original recording is no prize IMHO, so it's a very good sounding version of a mediocre tape. Some of those Fantasy SACDs are like that.