Search - Wes Montgomery :: Road Song

Wes' last journey. A Fantastic Voyage.

James Simpson | APO, AE United States | 06/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first Wes Montgomery album I'd ever heard when I was a child. Regardless of what critics say, this is one of the best albums ever recorded. If this isn't jazz, then what is? Just because he didn't play the same old standards (pop song from the 30's and 40's) critics gave him hell. I'm an organ player with a love for guitar and I know that the way he play's the octave strums so clean he is the master of this style. The tunes are very touching and short. Some you may know ( Yesterday, Where Have All the Flowers Gone). The originals are clasic (Road Song, Serene). The album is complemented with strings and some tunes are in the baroque style. Don Sebesky did the conducting and arranging. Not to mention Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Grady Tate and a host of other great musicians support Wes in the most classy manner. The album is about 30 min. long. but it says a life time in such a short time. I've bought this album 3 times in the last 20 years and it still is my favorite guitar album. Wes always was ahead of the game. I'm just sad to know that he didn't live to see the release. He died a month after recording it. Buy It Now!!!"

Something good something bad

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 08/17/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The good is obviously Wes, the bad is equally obvious Don Sebesky. I own in my collection every album Wes did record in his life and I really love him as a musician. I think that Wes was a special talent, he was so great that he deserves to be listened even when you put in the reader his most commercial works. No one doubt that this was a commercial operation, but Wes could do nothing but shine, and he did in this recordings too. Let's put in this way. In this case a mad scientist, Don Sebesky, tried to put him down but even if he tried the hardest he couldn't make it, because Wes was certainly bigger than him. Don here put Wes's guitar under some of the worst orchestra arrangements ever heard, I'm not joking. Don Sebesky had a really kitsch, pretentious, futile and baroque taste that's for sure and he proved it fully here. Baroque orchestra fills are all over the place in every single place, but anyway like a diamond in the trash, Wes shined. A couple of tunes still have less obtrusive and nice orchestration, I'm talking about Road song in particular. If the album would had more arrangements like this one it would be a lot better, but you know how mad scientist are??! Don't buy this one if you don't know Wes, buy something more important some true gems. But if you know Wes buy this one too, because in the end this would be another half an hour with the greatest guitar player that ever lived."