Wes Montgomery: Boss Guitar

By the time Wes Montgomery left us in 1968 at just 45, he had already produced a staggering body of work. To say he changed the way musicians approached the guitar forever is no overstatement. Thanks to producer Orrin Keepnews, Montgomery documented his prime years on Riverside, recording nearly a dozen albums between 1959 and 1963. While some listeners discount his later efforts for Verve and A&M, the truth is that Montgomery never made a record that was not infused with his ebullient spirit and unmistakable style.

Although he is not commonly linked to the classic organ-combo tradition, Montgomery actually began his Riverside tenure in an organ trio with his fellow Indianapolis native Melvin Rhyne (The Wes Montgomery Trio, 1960) and concluded it with several organ-driven sessions that became his final three releases for the label. All of these albums reward close listening, but Boss Guitar stands out as the crown jewel, propelled by a fiery Jimmy Cobb, who brings a hard, driving spark to a program of standards and two of Montgomery's finest originals.

What set this trio apart from other organ groups was Rhyne's sensitive, swinging approach. Like Shirley Scott and Jack McDuff, he favored a palette of stops and textures distinct from those used by Jimmy Smith or Richard "Groove" Holmes. And with Montgomery firmly established as the group's principal soloist, Rhyne excelled as an accompanist- -never crowding the guitarist, yet consistently offering compelling statements of his own.

Borrowing its opening vamp from "Full House," the trio launches into a waltz-time "Besame Mucho," a refreshing shift from the tune's customary Latin groove. Midway through, Montgomery unveils his first chorus of signature octaves as the momentum builds phrase by phrase. A sprightly "Dearly Beloved" follows, opening with Rhyne's crisp statement and driven by Cobb's insistent cymbal work. Montgomery's lush chordal artistry illuminates Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses," and the guitarist's own "The Trick Bag" closes the first side with plenty of fireworks—Cobb's incendiary solo chief among them.

Pianist Eddie Heywood's "Canadian Sunset" had been around for less than a decade when Montgomery chose to record it. Interestingly, Gene Ammons had tackled the tune in 1960 on his Prestige album Boss Tenor. The shared "Boss" titles feel like more than a coincidence—but who is to say? Here, Cobb shifts into a gentle bossa nova, with Rhyne's repeating ostinato providing just the right underpinning. One of Montgomery's finest originals, "Fried Pies," follows with a call-and-response theme built on a recurring five-note figure. Rhyne contributes a robust solo before Montgomery turns up the heat.

Art Blakey, Ammons, Ramsey Lewis, and others had previously mined Ernesto Lecuona's 1940 chestnut "The Breeze and I."  Montgomery's trio sends it soaring, the guitarist crafting a harmonically rich and rhythmically layered statement accented by more of his trademark octaves. A warmly romantic reading of "For Heaven's Sake" closes the album, Montgomery's full, rounded tone on luminous display. The next time he would pair with an organist, it would be Smith a few years later—but that is another chapter. With Craft Recordings' meticulous packaging and Kevin Gray's superb remastering, Boss Guitar stands as one of Montgomery's finest—and it has never sounded better.

 

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