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Wes Montgomery: Boss Guitar
by David Rickert
Wes Montgomery’s first recordings as a leader for Riverside featured the popular organ-guitar-drums line-up, a configuration that he later abandoned for the better part of his stint with the label. Although organ jazz was quite a cash cow at the time, Montgomery was firmly rooted in bop, more eager to see what he could do with material like “Cottontail” rather than engaging in steamy soul jazz workouts. However, for his final recording with Riverside in 1963, Montgomery returned to the ...
Continue ReadingWes Montgomery: Groove Brothers
by Douglas Payne
Groove Brothers presents two of the few occasions guitarist Wes Montgomery (1925-68) was recorded with his brothers, pianist/vibraphonist Buddy (born 1930) and bassist Monk (1921-82). And it's a gem. This 78-minute disc contains perhaps the least known of the brothers' work together: The Montgomery Brothers (Fantasy,1960) and The Montgomery Brothers In Canada (Fantasy, 1961). Both were made after Wes shook the world with his guitar sound on his 1959 Riverside debut. And although the brothers continued to work together in ...
Continue ReadingWes Montgomery: Encores, Vol.1: Body & Soul
by Bob Patterson
I should preface this by emphasizing that this is not the same Body & Soul" CD that was reviewed by Adrian Ingram in the Novermber '96 Just Jazz Guitar magazine. This is a reissue of tracks and alternate takes from Movin Along", Grooveyard" and Bags Meets Wes", reissued in the the 12-CD boxed set in 1992. This disc is a must-buy for Wes historians, as there are tacks here that are heard nowhere else (unless you want to shell out ...
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