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Summary: A Day in the Life
Comment: If your really into classic Wes Montgomery then you might not like this album. It came out towards the end of his career/life and is different then anything you'll hear under the Riverside record label. A Day in the Life is him playing jazzed up versions of pop songs arranged and conducted by a guy named Don Sebesky. It certainly isn't the hard bop you might expect out of Wes Montgomery, but it is still worth both buying and listening to.
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Summary: A CLASSIC, "MUST-HAVE" for ANYONE who loves great music.....PERIOD!
Comment: Of all the Wes Montgomery's albums, I would have to say that this one was his best (although I have them all, and love them all). This album is the one I go back to the most often, and it truly is a great, great, collection of Wes' "best" if you will.
Not to be missed (if you've heard this album, then you already know this) and sure to "grace" anybody's collection of great music, jazz or otherwise (whatever your taste) you need this album on your shelves!!!
Certainly one of the top 10 albums I would be putting in my "bag" for a Desert Island sojourn!!! ~operabruin
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Summary: Wes signed with A&M to make the money.
Comment: Give the guy a brake. A&M records was all about the money. He didn't have to sign with them. It was all about makin' the bucks. This was great stuff for seducing the women who weren't in to jazz.
Jimmy Smith made a few albums with orchestra backing. It was just a sign of the times. I love his pure jazz works, they were some of his best. Take it as it was meant to be at the time.
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Summary: In the Hands of a Jazz Master
Comment: This album by Wes Montgomery has been the doorway for many a pop/rock fan to enter the world of jazz. That includes this writer. A wise brother (at the time a semi-professional jazz guitarist) years ago loaned me this LP to listen to; it was my first taste of jazz -- and it changed my world.
All the jazz heavyweights of the era are here: Wes on guitar, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on Drums, Ray Barretto on percussion, and a full backing orchestra to boot. Even the most overplayed of pop/rock standards can become a kind of spiritual symphony in the hands of a jazz master, and that is certainly the case here with Wes Montgomery, as he breathes new life into some of the pop fare of the day.
Once I heard this album, I was pulled out of the staid pop/rock orbit into a much wider and refreshing universe of jazz -- and I have never looked back. Jazz has become a very important part of my life, and it was this album by Wes Montgomery that opened the door and let me come right in.
Thank you, brother Roch, wherever you are!
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Summary: Wes The Great
Comment: I was 15 the first time I heard Wes. It was one of those stiff days that a teenager dreads. Nothing to do and no where to go. All by buddies out with their parents. I was bored so I decided to rummage thru my dads "old school" album collection. I saw the cover the to A DAY IN THE LIFE and thought I would check it out. I played it. The first song I listened to was Angel. They say genius moves people. I listened to this song and thought this was some of the most AMAZING music I ever heard. It touched me. I always had a love for jazz growing up in San Francisco and my dad being an avid jazz lover, but....THIS IS THE ALBUM THAT MADE ME A JAZZ LOVER FOR LIFE. I had never heard guitar playing like this. I loved George Benson and Earl Klugh and the other guys but Wes was a whole other monster...LOL. All I can say is that day in that afternoon, I recognized GENIUS. I went to the library and read about him, asked my dad about him...I even did a speech on him at a speech tournament...LOL...that is how his playing touched my spirit. Music will do that...and when you mix genius,innovation, and music together...the spirit recognizes these things. I have kept a copy of the album since the age of 15. I listen to it at work, when I study, or when I am in a mood of reflection. I am of the hip hop generation. I am amazed of some of the things that people were saying about Wes going pop? I thought that was just a hip hop thing, but I guess going pop has always been a taboo for an artist...I look at it like this, regardless if he did go pop, he did the best decision for his family and 95% of the population did not have his talent, including all those jazz artist that said he may have sold out...Wes' sound is sound distinct, you can recognize his playing from everybody else...that is how good he was...I wish I could have witnessed his greatness first hand....I can only imagine what that would have been like....The best thing about his latter music is that he has introduced a population of young people to jazz who may have not cared much for it...it is kind of funny how jazz is now looked at as "Elitist", it is the music of the old and not the young...LOL...please. Music is music. Wes played music, he did the right thing. The only thing I wish he was able to do is make at least one Blues album...that would have been amazing....Wes hooked me into what he was doing. I cannot put in words how great he is to me....Wes and Coltrane have made me life long jazz man....I thank God for his time hear...Sometimes, Genius is here for only a moment and then it is gone....At least we have that great music.
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