Movin Wes

Wes Montgomery | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000E5H5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,408 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Caravan

2. People

3. Movin' Wes, Pt. 1

4. Moça Flor

5. Matchmaker, Matchmaker

6. Movin' Wes, Pt. 2

7. Senza Fine

8. Theodora

9. In and Out

10. Born to Be Blue

11. West Coast Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nothing short of brilliant, February 27, 2005

By 

Stalwart Kreinblaster "SK2008" (Xanadu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Movin Wes (Audio CD)

This album contains some fine understated guitar work from Wes - He doesn't get the long extended solos of some of his more traditional jazz albums - nevertheless, one gets a magnified look at his approach as he sounds very relaxed against the Creed Taylor arrangements. Wes has the distinction of being one of the few instrumentalists who aren't ruined by this more commercial setting - Charlie Parker is one of the other immortals who strangeley benefitted from orchestration. I am blown away by Wes' octave and chordal work on this as well as some single line play on 'Caravan'. He is the envy of all guitarists!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars for this cheese sandwich, December 9, 2006

By 

Eric J. Anderson (Ankeny, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Movin Wes (Audio CD)

Wes' playing is always great. The problem with this album is the songs and the arrangements.

Wes shines when he has a great composition to work from. The middle 5 or so cuts on this CD are not impressive compositions, and the brass-heavy big band arrangements border on the kind of camp we heard in Quincy Jones' Soul Bossa Nova for the Austin Powers movies -- but Movin' Wes is cheese without the wink and the nudge. I confess a weakness for Maynard Ferguson's 1970's work, which some might consider cheesy, but I still think it was classier than this stuff. Movin' Wes I and II, Matchmaker, Matchmaker -- I could do without those.

At the beginning and end of the CD, the arrangements (by Johnny Pate) are more appropriate, the songs are better -- it is four or five star material. Caravan really jumps with big band brass, and I defy anybody to stop their toes from tapping. It is only 2 1/2 minutes, but what a blast! Jule Styne's People is a beautiful slow cut, and Wes makes the most of it. The last four songs are a return to the quality of the first two. Making, as I said, a cheese sandwich.

I have nothing against a jazz artist doing a pop record. Is Getz/Gilberto less of a masterpiece simply because it is easy to take, and it sold a zillion copies? Of course not. Wes' later album Tequila is also an excellent easy listening jazz record, but the songs and arrangements are more consistent than Movin' Wes. (I believe Tequila was arranged by Claus Ogerman.)

Movin' Wes would have made a good Extended Play album. Skip the middle, and you've got a very nice, but very short record.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good album by the immortal Wes Montgomery, September 28, 2000

By 

historyone (Republic of Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Movin Wes (Audio CD)

This is a good CD by the late Wes Montgomery. I fully expected it not to be his signature guitar Jazz that he had become famous for, so I was not dissapointed. The titles of the songs on this CD are "Pop" originated and so I knew this wouldn't be purely jazz. However, I was happily suprized by Wes Montgomery's renditions of the songs from "People" to "Born to Be Blue" are suprizingly well done. No, they may not be enjoyed by Jazz purists but as with all Wes Montgomery's work, they are enjoyable to listen to, and his renditions have great improvisation that is backed nicely with a small orchestra. All fans of Wes Montgomery will not be dissapointed with this CD, which was remastered very nicely. Recommended!