The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Most of its tracks exemplify two of Montgomery's distinguishing techniques: "thumb picking" and the use of octaves.

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Studio album by Wes Montgomery
Released	1960 (1960)
Recorded	January 26 & 28, 1960
Studio	Reeves Sound Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:04
Label	Riverside/OJC
Producer	Orrin Keepnews
Wes Montgomery chronology
The Wes Montgomery Trio (1959) The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960) Movin' Along (1960)

In 2017, the album was selected for the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."[1] [2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
All About Jazz	(no rating)[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	(no rating)[5]

The album is considered by many fans and critics to be the pinnacle of Montgomery's recorded studio work. The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection", calling it "probably the best Montgomery record currently available".[5]

Writing for Allmusic, music critic Michael G. Nastos praised the album, writing: "Setting him apart from the rest, this recording established Montgomery as the most formidable modern guitarist of the era, and eventually its most influential...Montgomery is clearly talented beyond convention, consistently brilliant, and indeed incredible in the company of his sidemen, and this recording—an essential addition to every jazz guitarist fan's collection—put him on the map."[3]

Of the 1987 CD reissue, critic Chris May of All About Jazz wrote: "The Incredible Jazz Guitar burst onto the US scene in 1960 like a benign hurricane, and it still sounds like a gale almost 50 years later... Montgomery—empathetically accompanied by pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Percy Heath (then riding high with the Modern Jazz Quartet), and drummer Albert Heath—makes the guitar sound like it never had before. It has sounded similar since, of course, thanks to the legion of Montgomery-influenced players, but rarely so close to perfection.... The Incredible Jazz Guitar endures, and will continue to do so."[4]

Track listing

1. "Airegin" (Sonny Rollins) – 4:26
2. "D-Natural Blues" (Wes Montgomery) – 5:23
3. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – 4:44
4. "Four on Six" (Montgomery) – 6:15
5. "West Coast Blues" (Montgomery, Granville Sascha Burland) – 7:26
6. "In Your Own Sweet Way" (Dave Brubeck) – 4:53
7. "Mr. Walker (Renie)" (Montgomery) – 4:33
8. "Gone With the Wind" (Allie Wrubel, Herb Magidson) – 6:24

• Songs 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, January 26, 1960
• Songs 3, 7, and 8 recorded at Reeves Sound Studios, NYC, January 28, 1960

Riverside RLP 12-320, RLP 1169; Fantasy OJC 036, OJCCD 036-2

Personnel

• Wes Montgomery – electric guitar
• Tommy Flanagan – piano
• Percy Heath – bass
• Albert Heath – drums

Production notes:

• Orrin Keepnews – producer
• Jack Higgins – engineer

References

1. "National Recording Registry Picks Are "Over the Rainbow"". Library of Congress. March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
2. What made Wes Montgomery a legend-Inside The National Recording Registry-WNYC
3. Nastos, Michael G. "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
4. May, Chris. "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery > Review". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
5. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. "Wes Montgomery". The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 933. ISBN 0-14-102327-9.