Wes Montgomery With Tommy Flanagan 2

Wes Montgomery | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Giants of Jazz (Ita)
• ASIN: B00002Z7BJ
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,035,145 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Dearly Beloved

2. While We're Young

3. Repetition

4. Missile Blues

5. In Your Sweet Way

6. Lolita

7. Fried Pies

8. Dreamsville

9. Gone With the Wind

10. Yesteryday's Child

11. Geno

12. Bock to Bock (Back to Back)

13. If I Should Lose You

14. Delirium

15. Just for Now

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars All too rare compilation of EARLY Wes!, May 8, 2003

By 

Phasedin (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wes Montgomery With Tommy Flanagan 2 (Audio CD)

There is no shortage of compilations of Wes's music. However, nearly ALL of these compilations are of Wes late-period during the last few years of his life (in the mid-60's) and comprise a more commercially oriented product, where Wes' marvelous improvisational skills were reduced so that the songs would stay within a very short running time (usually around 3 minutes),and featured pop songs of the era instead of jazz standards. Nothing wrong with Wes' reading of these then-current pop songs, but most fans who really want to hear Wes stretch out and improvise in an unrestricted format prefer his early music (say,pre-1964).
If you're new to Wes, and don't know where to start, OR have only heard the later period stuff, here is a great place to start. This CD is over 73 minutes of Wes in his early prime, at a price that can't be beat to boot. These recordings range from 1959 to 1963 and feature such well-know quality jazzmen as Bassist Ron Carter, Conga Player Ray Barretto, Hank Jones on Piano, Drummer Jimmy Cobb, Organist Melvin Rhyne, Pianist Tommy Flanagan, Bassist Percy Heath, Drummer Albert Heath, and Wes' brothers Buddy on Piano and Vibes and Monk Montgomery on Bass. No slouches in that group, for sure.
The nicest thing about this compilation is it's a great one to put on to hear Wes play in a variety of settings. You get Wes' organ trios, a couple of different piano quartets, a quintet with Ray Barretto adding his extra tasty congas, as well as one track of Wes solo ("While We're Young"). I often find myself putting this one on when i'm not in the mood to listen to Wes play in the same setting for the entire length of a CD.
There are some short but nice (though incomplete) liner notes with biographical information with a time-line for Wes and his 2 brothers as well.
The material is taken from 7 different recording sessions from 1959 to 1963 and doesn't seem to contain any rare material. However, unless you already have all the original albums this material is culled from (heck, maybe even if you DO!), this is a must in any Wes collection. This compilation is from 1996 and appears to be an import from Italy. They did a nice job on this one.
Do yourself a favour and pick this one up before it's no longer available, for there are few compilations available from Wes' early years, which many consider to be his very best.