Track Listing

1. Bumpin'
2. Tear It Down
3. Quiet Thing
4. Con Alma
5. Shadow of Your Smile
6. Mi Cosa
7. Here's That Rainy Day
8. Musty
9. Just Walkin'
10. My One and Only Love
11. Just Walkin'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #419189 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) paper sleeve pressing. Universal. 2008.

Customer Reviews

MR. MONTGOMERY AT HIS BEST
Stop and think that this was Wes' first outing at Verve, and also his first meeting with journeyman arrnger/conductor Don Sebesky (and Don's fine work over the years with just about anyone you can think of in the jazz business) and this album isn't a "sellout" as so many "jazz purists" called anything a solo artist on any instrument ever did with strings. (They started that with "Bird" when they bumrapped Charlie Parker for his strings albums in the 50's, go figure) The irony here is that Montgomery first sought out Sebesky and record producer Creed Taylor and asked them what THEY thought they should embark on. Ever the modest one, Montgomery was thrilled to do this album, only to become "rigid" during initial recording sessions, fearing he wasn't good enough to be in the studio with the orchestral greats in the band. Sebesky came up with the ingenious plan of recording the main tracks with Montgomery and the rhythm section ONLY, then came back and re-did all the charts around what they had in the can. The payoff is more than evident in the spectacular reading of the Broadway hit song "A QUIET THING", which comes off as a smoldering bit of beauty in the able hands of Wes, framed by a shimmering string chart courtesy of Sebesky. Two other well known tracks shine on this album, the bossa-nova feel of the Webster/Mandel penned evergreen THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE and the Burke/Van Heusen classic HERE'S THAT RAINY DAY. Not to be missed are the originals by Montgomery either, especially the opener and title track, BUMPIN'. Bonus tracks include a song written by Sebesky, MUSTY and a great reading of the old chestnut MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE, a particularly tough song to convey vocally or instrumentally. Many have tried, Wes succeeds sublimely. So what if it's jazz with strings...some of the best jazz albums are made that way, in my opinion. It may not be pure jazz, per se, but it's one of the music's finest interpreters, backed by a super group and a fine arranger / conductor in Sebesky (who also teamed up with Wes for the pop-influenced CALIFORNIA DREAMING album later on at Verve) An excellent reissue.

A classic album! My favorite jazz guitar album! An audio "hug"!
This is my favorite Wes Montgomery album (I have them all!), my favorite "jazz guitar" album (I also collect Johnny Smith, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, and others) -- and one of my favorite albums of all time (in a collection of over 2000 CD's and 2000 vinyl albums).

There are some who are too narrow-minded to appreciate the strings -- well, there are many orchestra-less guitar albums out there for that minority. I love the strings! They turn Wes's bare trio into something warmer and richer! The strings turn these old 'Sixties chestnuts into something transcendant. Don Sebesky's string arrangements are top-notch and I would like to buy up every album Sebesky ever did.

But the star is Wes! Such heartfelt guitar! Great choice of songs! I put on this album when I need a hug. It always warms my heart. It takes me to a place where there are no wars or religions or pollution. I may buy a second copy to keep in my car.

In my top 5 of all time!
I am shocked and amazed at the 'critics' giving this cd such a low review. It is hauntingly beautiful and complex. The arrangements with the strings paired with a relaxed and fluid Wes, it's going to be that cd you put on to win people over to Jazz. In generic terms, this cd is perfect from start to end.