Wes Montgomery – The First of My Jazz Guitar Heroes
I go way back with Wes Montgomery. I discovered Wes Montgomery in the late 1960s around the time he was crossing over to “mainstream” music: Actually, I don’t know if seeing him on the Hollywood Palace had anything to do with my discovering Wes. Most likely I already already about him because of “Windy”.
Either way I know I went out and bought the three albums Wes recorded on the A&M label. A Day in the Life (1967), Down Here on the Ground (1968) and Road Song (1968). By the time A Day in the Life was released in
Wes performs “Windy” on Hollywood Palace……
1967, Wes had already released 24 remarkable jazz albums. He was well known in jazz circles. I think that these three albums weren’t accepted by jazz aficionados because of the strings that were added to the songs. Anyway, the arrangements and Wes’s talent was enough for me to go out and buy the albums and several of earlier albums. Particularly, Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic recorded with the Incredible Jimmy Smith.
I also purchased two compilation albums released in 1968 after Wes passed away,He passed on June 15,1968. He was only 45 years old. (1968 was a sucky year!) One was the best of Wes Montgomery – Verve Records. The other was simply titled Wes Montgomery March 6, 1925- June 15, 1968on Riverside.
The final tw0 albums I bought in those years were Willow Weep for Me (1968) and Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes (1969).
I’ve added a lot of Wes’s early recordings, through the years,, as they were released. However, the three A&M albums were always special. They made a 17 year old (in 1968) not only a Wes Montgomery fan then, but a Jimmy Smith fan. Additionally, I am now a fan of many jazz guitarists!
A Jazzy Wednesday Wes Montgomery Playlist
So here’s a playlist with some of my favorite songs recorded by Wes……Also here’s a link where you can listen to an incredible cover of “Jingles ” on by Russell Malone,from his album Black Butterfly enjoy. Link
