Jazz / Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz-Pop
Recorded March 17, March 21, and May 18, 1966 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Wes Montgomery -Guitar
Abe Kessler Cello
Acy Lehman Cover Design
Arnold Eidus Violin
Ben Young Supervisor, Research, Restoration
Bernard Eichen Violin
Bryan Koniarz Production Coordination
Burt Korall Liner Notes
Carlos Kase Production Assistant
Charles McCracken Cello
Claus Ogerman Arranger, Strings
Creed Taylor Producer, Original Album Producer
Cynthia Sesso Photo Research
Dennis Drake Remixing
Ellie Hughes Design
Emanuel Green Violin
Gene Orloff Violin
George Devens Vibraphone, Vocals (Background)
George Ricci Cello
Grady Tate Drums
Harry Lookofsky Violin
Harvey Shapiro Cello
Hollis King Art Direction
Joseph Malin Violin
Julius Held Violin
Kevin Reeves Mastering
Paul Gershman Violin
Peter Keepnews Liner Editor
Phil Schaap Research
Ray Barretto Conga
Richard Seidel CD Preparation
Ron Carter Bass
Rudy Lequame Photography
Rudy Van Gelder Engineer
Seth Rothstein CD Preparation
Sherniece Smith Art Coordinator
Sheryl Lutz-Brown Artwork
Steve Khan Liner Notes
Tom Greenwood Production Assistant
Tom Hughes Design
Val Valentin Director of Engineering
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) paper sleeve pressing.
Wes Montgomery's distinctive guitar playing is worth hearing in any context. Hard-core jazz fans may prefer his extended small-group improvisations to the string arrangements and the relatively short solos found on his albums of the middle and late 1960s. But as guitarist and Montgomery enthusiast Steve Kahn points out in his notes to this reissue, to overlook an album like Tequila is to miss music of "extraordinary beauty and grace."
Recorded in 1966, Tequila is the only album Montgomery ever recorded without a keyboard player. This spare setting, enhanced by Claus Ogerman's sensitive string arrangements, allows us to hear Montgomery's always melodic playing with, in Khan's words, "even greater clarity than usual" -- a clarity that is now enhanced for the first time by 24-bit remastering.
Original recordings produced by Creed Taylor
Wes Montgomery
Active Decades: '40s, '50s and '60s
Born: Mar 06, 1925 in Indianapolis, IN
Died: Jun 15, 1968 in Indianapolis, IN
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz-Pop, Mainstream Jazz, Soul-Jazz
Wes Montgomery was one of the great jazz guitarists, a natural extension of Charlie Christian, whose appealing use of octaves became influential and his trademark. He achieved great commercial success during his last few years, only to die prematurely.
It had taken Wes a long time to become an overnight success. He started to teach himself guitar in 1943 (using his thumb rather than a pick) and toured with Lionel Hampton during 1948-1950; he can be heard on a few broadcasts from the period. But then Montgomery returned to Indianapolis, where he was in obscurity during much of the 1950s, working a day job and playing at clubs most nights. He recorded with his brothers vibraphonist Buddy and electric bassist Monk during 1957-1959 and made his first Riverside album (1959) in a trio with organist Melvin Rhyne. In 1960 the release of his album The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery made him famous in the jazz world. Other than a brief time playing with the John Coltrane Sextet (which also included Eric Dolphy) later in the year, Wes would be a leader for the rest of his life.
Montgomery's recordings can be easily divided into three periods. His Riverside dates (1959-1963) are his most spontaneous jazz outings, small-group sessions with such sidemen as Tommy Flanagan, James Clay, Victor Feldman, Hank Jones, Johnny Griffin, and Mel Rhyne. The one exception was the ironically titled Fusion!, a ballad date with a string section. All of the Riverside recordings have been reissued in a massive 12-CD box set. With the collapse of Riverside, Montgomery moved over to Verve, where during 1964-1966 he recorded an interesting series of mostly orchestral dates with arranger Don Sebesky and producer Creed Taylor. These records were generally a good balance between jazz and accessibility, even if the best performances were small-group outings with either the Wynton Kelly Trio or Jimmy Smith.
In 1967 Wes signed with Creed Taylor at A&M and during 1967-1968 he recorded three best-selling albums that found him merely stating simple pop melodies while backed by strings and woodwinds. His jazz fans were upset, but Montgomery's albums were played on AM radio during the period. He helped introduce listeners to jazz, and his live performances were as freewheeling as his earlier Riverside dates. Unfortunately at the height of his success, he died of a heart attack. However, Montgomery's influence is still felt on many young guitarists.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
