Willow Weep for Me - sweet melancholy
Keith Simonsen | New York, NY | 10/31/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wes Montgomery's thumbed octave strumming adds original surprises to the good range of upbeat and downbeat selections found on this ablum. Hard to find in stores, grab it while you can in any form you can find it - import or domestic. I've sampled a few other Montgomery albums (my other favorite being The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery) but this has the best mood. The last three tunes are devine! His lilting, slow vibrato phrasing in tunes like "Oh! You Crazy Moon" and "Misty" make this a winning selection for those who like a little blue in their jazz. And the impeccable up-tempo "Four on Six" may just be one of the best works of this early jazz master."
Wes With Horns
Ben Fernandez | Boston, MA | 10/25/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Wes plays well on this cd, but I didn't like the horns that Verve dubbed in after the fact. You can also get this and the rest of "Smokin' at the Haf Note" on "Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides." I tried that one too but didn't like the orchestrated stuff there either. All I really wanted was to hear Wes do Impressions (I love that song). So I ended up getting the "Complete Live in Paris" cd. That is a great cd, and it has Impressions on it, so I'm happy."