Movin' Wes was Montgomery's debut album on the Verve label. Produced past times Creed Taylor, the album sold to a greater extent than than 100,000 copies initially, Montgomery's biggest seller to this indicate inwards his career.
Wes Montgomery's debut for Verve, although ameliorate from a jazz standpoint than his afterwards A&M releases, is sure enough inwards the same vein. The emphasis is on his tone, his distinctive octaves, in addition to his tune statements. Some of the textile (such equally "People" in addition to "Matchmaker, Matchmaker") are popular tunes of the era in addition to the brass orchestra (arranged past times Johnny Pate) is purely inwards the background, but in that place are some worthy performances, chiefly the two-part "Movin' Wes," "Born to Be Blue," in addition to "West Coast Blues."
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 superb Verve/Creed Taylor recording get-go produced inwards 1965.
Much has been said of the so-called 'selling out' of jazzists--Wes was a hard-bopper, originally--and this was to receive got been his white washing or sell out album. That whole labeling thing, of course, is a bunch of B.S. Even hip hoppers would non take away heed beingness accompanied past times a sum orchestra in addition to beat section. This is Wes' get-go with Verve, accompanied past times an orchestra arranged in addition to conducted past times the nifty Johnny Pate: the recording was engineered past times Phil Ramone in addition to Creed Taylor.
"Theodora" is pure heaven, in addition to "Born to Be Blue" is merely perfect. But I'm quite sure you'll detect favorites with the dainty pick presented here....La Barb's "People", Wes' "Moving Wes". The CD is similar I said. Excellent, per-i-od.
In the liner notes past times Gene Lees, he tells how Wes developed his agency of playing. It is said he had an epiphany i twenty-four hr menstruum after listening to a Charlie Christian record. So much in addition to hence that he went out in addition to purchased a guitar in addition to amp post service haste in addition to proceeded to strum the darn thing. He solicited the assist of a buddy to exhibit him some chords in addition to he commenced to playing--loudly, clumsily--with the assist of a guitar pick. His wife, beingness the someone that she was, did non part inwards the epiphany in addition to did non desire Wes to live making that dissonance inwards the living room. Can y'all imagine that? So she requested that he motion elsewhere inwards the house. He finds a corner in addition to He plays some more. Nope--still besides loud for the lady of the house. So, he turns the amp downwardly a little. Nope, silent besides loud. So, he turns the amp downwardly a lil more, gets rid of the pick in addition to finds that pollex strumming agency nosotros hear inwards all his recordings. Talk almost epiphany!
His married adult woman finally, FINALLY approves in addition to the balance is, equally they say, history.
Thank God for that because the adjacent stride for ol' Wes may receive got been out on the curb with zip but a guitar, an amp in addition to a guitar pick...and no electricity! And nosotros in all likelihood would receive got missed out of his greatness...
So, the moral of the story is, always, ever give your husband i to a greater extent than chance, fifty-fifty if it is difficult on the ears.
This album contains some fine understated guitar operate from Wes - He doesn't teach the long extended solos of some of his to a greater extent than traditional jazz albums - nevertheless, i gets a magnified await at his approach equally he sounds really relaxed against the Creed Taylor arrangements. Wes has the distinction of beingness i of the few instrumentalists who aren't ruined past times this to a greater extent than commercial setting - Charlie Parker is i of the other immortals who strangeley benefitted from orchestration. I am blown away past times Wes' octave in addition to chordal operate on this equally good equally some unmarried work play on 'Caravan'. He is the envy of all guitarists!
This recording is Wes Montgomery's get-go large band outing. This tape was a milestone for Wes inwards many ways in addition to showcases him inwards overstep form. The work I receive got with some of these reviews on hither is that equally usual, they don't know what they're talking almost in addition to squall upwards because they receive got an opinion, which is non based on facts, or history, it should live considered valid. It's unremarkably biased towards their ain likes in addition to dislikes, in addition to lacks the sense to fifty-fifty know what they're listening to or for, which makes it totally almost THEM in addition to non almost the creative someone in addition to the music. The reviews oftentimes purpose blanket damage similar "cheesy", "pop", and, "commercial" to brand the recordings look less valid than other recordings. What the heck does "cheesy" fifty-fifty mean? Not agreement what skills an creative someone in addition to arranger has to receive got inwards guild to brand recordings such equally this one, does a disservice to the artist, arranger, in addition to the educated listeners who know the music, has seen the musicians, in addition to understands the process. To propose the compositions on this recording are inferior shows no cognition of the composers, their works, or history, in addition to that's exactly the get-go inaccurate bias. There are 4 songs written past times Montgomery, i written past times the nifty jazz pianist in addition to jazz historian, doctor Billy Taylor. "Caravan" in addition to "Born To Be Blue" are onetime jazz standards, "Moca Flor" in addition to "Senza Fine" are Brazilian standards, in addition to "People" in addition to "Matchmaker" are from 2 unlike famous theatre plays. Jazz musicians receive got ALWAYS recorded songs from plays, non because of the play, but because of a vocal inwards it that they like. When people on the spider web write these reviews, they seem to squall upwards that they know equally much almost the music an creative someone chooses to tape than the artists themselves. What arrogance; how something an creative someone considers to live beautiful, yet challenging tin live in addition to hence easily dismissed past times these people with such disregard for the artist's ain sense in addition to musical expertise is exactly astonishing. If y'all similar Wes Montgomery, wouldn't it live respectful to practice some inquiry on him earlier y'all become to a greater extent than or less trashing his recordings because they're non what YOU squall upwards they should be? How egotistical is that? Montgomery came upwards inwards the large band era, in addition to his get-go traveling project was with Lionel Hampton. Wes' main influence, Charlie Christian, made major recordings with Benny Goodman's large band in addition to Wes' honey for large bands stems from those experiences. So it's alone logical that he would devote many recordings to a large band setting because this is the agency that helped to shape his concept of jazz guitar. What most people don't sympathise is that it takes a special science to know how play with in addition to burn downwardly upwards a large band. This is a science that has been lost past times jazz guitarists inwards the lastly 35 addition years. As far equally the arranger Johhny Pate, this man's credentials far outweigh the uneducated see of i reviewer who accuses Mr. Pate's arrangements of beingness "cheesy", peculiarly for 1965. If i were REALLY listening with experienced ears, they would hear the harmonically advanced band voicings beingness used throughout the recording. Another affair to pay attending to is the agency Mr. Pate included the purpose of a tuba inwards his orchestrations. "Movin' Wes" was the get-go recording to showcase the many unlike sides of Wes' musical personality in addition to his mastery of playing inwards a large band setting. It was Montgomery's large band sense that made this recording possible, in addition to why y'all hear his familiar guitar audio soaring over the overstep of the band. People demand to realize that to an artist, their recordings are similar their children. You can't compare them to each other in addition to say this i is ameliorate than that one. Being their parent, y'all know they are all different, in addition to each receive got something unique to say, but y'all are silent proud of them all. This is non to say that y'all equally a listener receive got to similar everything whatever creative someone does, but delight receive got plenty honour for that person's operate to refrain from going online to criticize them equally if y'all know to a greater extent than almost their music than they do. THEY'RE the artist, non YOU. This is a landmark recording for Wes Montgomery, in addition to similar it or not, it is business office of history. The people who know almost him understands this, it's upwards to the uniformed listeners to detect out what they are missing, in addition to create sum inwards the blanks.
Track listing:
01 "Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) – 2:39
02 "People" (Bob Merrill, Jule Styne) – 4:23
03 "Movin' Wes, Pt. 1" (Wes Montgomery) – 3:31
04 "Mo̤a Flor" (Durval Ferreira, Lula Freire) Р3:12
05 "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" (Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick) – 2:52
06 "Movin' Wes, Pt. 2" (Montgomery) – 2:55
07 "Senza Fine" (Gino Paoli, Alec Wilder) – 3:28
08 "Theodora" (Billy Taylor) – 3:58
09 "In in addition to Out" (Montgomery) – 2:53
10 "Born to Be Blue" (Mel Torm̩, Robert Wells) Р3:40
11 "West Coast Blues" (Montgomery) – 3:12
Personnel:
Wes Montgomery – guitar
Bob Cranshaw – bass
Grady Tate – drums
Willie Bobo – percussion
Bobby Scott – piano
Ernie Royal – trumpet
Clark Terry – trumpet
Snooky Young – trumpet
Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
Urbie Green – trombone
Quentin Jackson – trombone
Chauncey Welsch – trombone
Don Butterfield – tuba
Harvey Phillips – tuba
Jerome Richardson – flute, saxophone, woodwinds
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