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While often admired, guitarists seldom stepped to the forefront during most of the '50s. The real innovators, after all, were the saxophonists and trumpeters, and a guitarist, like a vibraphonist, was optional. With his use of octaves and forceful soloing in the late '50s, Wes Montgomery asserted that the guitarist was fully capable of fronting his own group and, like the tenors, offer cutting edge music. The Best of Wes Montgomery draws from the guitarist's work between 1959 and 1964 for Riverside, a body of work that remains fresh and exhilarating. It isn't so much the material he chooses that captures one's attention, though certainly an original like "Four on Six" draws the listener in. Instead, it's Montgomery's unique use of octaves, ability to solo with chords, and his distinctive method of playing single-note solos. On Victor Young's "Delilah," for instance, he offers several bars of his trademark octave work at the beginning, but he refuses to stick with one approach. After a lengthy solo by vibraphonist Milt Jackson, he re-enters the fray with a chunky series of chords and finally, after another solo from pianist Wynton Kelly, Montgomery cuts loose on a bright, inspired single-note solo that'll make the listener sit up straight. As The Best of Wes Montgomery shows, it's a task he was able to pull off again and again, making this a fine introduction for new fans.
© Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo
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George Brown, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Barry Harris, ComposerLyricist - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Melvin Rhyne, Organ, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1964 Fantasy, Inc.
Jerome Kern, ComposerLyricist - Otto Harbach, ComposerLyricist - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Wes Montgomery Trio, MainArtist - Melvin Rhyne, Organ, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Parker, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Higgins, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1959 Fantasy, Inc.
Victor Young, ComposerLyricist - Milt Jackson, Vibraphone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philly Joe Jones, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Wynton Kelly, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1962 Fantasy, Inc.
Albert Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Burke, ComposerLyricist - Percy Heath, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Jimmy Van Heusen, ComposerLyricist - Tommy Flanagan, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Jack Higgins, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1960 Craft Recordings., Distributed by Concord
Monk Montgomery, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - George Shearing, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Wally Heider, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Walter Perkins, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Buddy Montgomery, Vibraphone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1962 Fantasy, Inc.
Victor Feldman, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Edward Heyman, Composer - Frank Eyton, Composer - Robert Sour, Composer - Johnny Green, Composer - Sam Jones, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Wally Heider, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, Bass Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Louis Hayes, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - James Clay, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer
℗ 1961 Fantasy, Inc.
Monk Montgomery, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Harold Land, ComposerLyricist - Bobby Thomas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - The Montgomery Brothers, MainArtist - Buddy Montgomery, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1961 Fantasy, Inc.
Sunny Skylar, ComposerLyricist - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Cobb, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Torres Velasquez, ComposerLyricist - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Melvin Rhyne, Organ, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1963 Craft Recordings., Distributed by Concord
Harold Arlen, ComposerLyricist - Ron Carter, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Ray Barretto, Conga, AssociatedPerformer - Hank Jones, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Lex Humphries, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - John H Mercer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1961 Fantasy, Inc.
David Nadien, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Jones, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Winter, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Gene Orloff, Unknown, Other - Phil Bodner, Woodwinds, AssociatedPerformer - Milt Hinton, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Osie Johnson, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Miles Davis, Composer - Kermit Moore, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Harry Lookofsky, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Hyman, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Kenny Burrell, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Winston Collymore, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Margaret Rose, Harp, AssociatedPerformer - Mac Ceppos, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Sylvan Shulman, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Rand, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Ralph Hersh, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Burt Fisch, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Isadore Zir, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Lucien Schmit, Cello, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1963 Craft Recordings., Distributed by Concord
Percy Heath, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Tommy Flanagan, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - Jack Higgins, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1960 Craft Recordings., Distributed by Concord
Monk Montgomery, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Carl Perkins, ComposerLyricist - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Bobby Thomas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer - The Montgomery Brothers, MainArtist - Buddy Montgomery, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Ray Fowler, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1961 Fantasy, Inc.
Paul Chambers, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Wynton Kelly, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Griffin, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Wally Heider, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Cobb, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer
℗ 1962 Fantasy, Inc.
Mitchell Parish, ComposerLyricist - Art Blakey, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Milt Jackson, Vibraphone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Wynton Kelly, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Frank Signorelli, ComposerLyricist - Matt Malneck, ComposerLyricist - Percy Heath, Upright Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Wes Montgomery, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Orrin Keepnews, Producer, Recording Producer - Joe Tarantino, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1980 Riverside Records, Distributed by Concord.
Album review
While often admired, guitarists seldom stepped to the forefront during most of the '50s. The real innovators, after all, were the saxophonists and trumpeters, and a guitarist, like a vibraphonist, was optional. With his use of octaves and forceful soloing in the late '50s, Wes Montgomery asserted that the guitarist was fully capable of fronting his own group and, like the tenors, offer cutting edge music. The Best of Wes Montgomery draws from the guitarist's work between 1959 and 1964 for Riverside, a body of work that remains fresh and exhilarating. It isn't so much the material he chooses that captures one's attention, though certainly an original like "Four on Six" draws the listener in. Instead, it's Montgomery's unique use of octaves, ability to solo with chords, and his distinctive method of playing single-note solos. On Victor Young's "Delilah," for instance, he offers several bars of his trademark octave work at the beginning, but he refuses to stick with one approach. After a lengthy solo by vibraphonist Milt Jackson, he re-enters the fray with a chunky series of chords and finally, after another solo from pianist Wynton Kelly, Montgomery cuts loose on a bright, inspired single-note solo that'll make the listener sit up straight. As The Best of Wes Montgomery shows, it's a task he was able to pull off again and again, making this a fine introduction for new fans.
© Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:18
- Main artists: Wes Montgomery
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Fantasy Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2004 Fantasy, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 2004 Fantasy, Inc.
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