Wes Montgomery's Finest Hour

Wes Montgomery's Finest Hour Review

 

by Al Campbell

As part of the Finest Hour series from Verve, guitarist Wes Montgomery is spotlighted on 16 tracks recorded between 1964 and his death in 1968. These sessions highlight the widely accepted jazz-pop combination he achieved on these Verve and A&M releases, which followed a four-year stint on Riverside where he attracted a limited, mainly jazz audience. The guitarist employed a winning formula that combined his straight-ahead jazz style while exploring current trends in pop music that encompassed Latin, funk, and string-laden arrangements. The impressive coverage of guest musicians includes Herbie Hancock, Ray Barretto, Ron Carter, Jimmy Smith, and Clark Terry.    AllMusic

Wes Montgomery 

Wes Montgomery's Finest Hour

1 Bumpin' On Sunset 00:00 2 The Shadow Of Your Smile 07:28 3 Up And At It 07:12 4 Once I Loved 11:28 5 Milestones 16:15 6 Movin' Wes - Part 1 20:27 7 Tequila 23:59 8 Watch What Happens 27:23 9 Bumpin' 30:08 10 Impressions 37:01 11 Goin' Out Of My Head 42:07 12 Sunny 44:22 13 A Day In The Life 48:28

14 Down Here On The Ground 54:23 15 Twisted Blues 58:11 16 Road Song 01:02:28 Guitar – Wes Montgomery Piano – Herbie Hancock (tracks: 03, 08, 12 to 14) Congas – Ray Barretto (tracks: 01, 03, 07, 08, 12 to 14) Drums – Grady Tate (tracks: 01 to 03, 05 to 09, 12 to 14) Bass – Bob Cranshaw (tracks: 02, 06, 09), Ron Carter (tracks: 01, 03, 07, 08, 13, 14) Conductor – Don Sebesky (tracks: 02, 03, 08, 09, 12 to 14, 16) Harp – Margaret Ross (tracks: 02, 08, 09) Orchestra – Oliver Nelson And His Orchestra (tracks: 04, 05, 11, 15) Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. except #06 and #10. 1964-1968