Search - Wes Montgomery :: Fusion

What a terrible misnomer for a beautiful record...

douglasnegley | Pittsburgh, Pa. United States | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DO NOT be fooled by the title "Fusion", nor be put off by the strings. This is the very last of Wes' recordings for Riverside and it is five star all the way. The playing is somewhat 'future Wes', but this is a swinging session. Check out especially both takes of "Tune Up". On the alternate take, Wes misses an easy octave, plays 'Pop Goes The Weasel', shows his frustration, then proceeds to tear up the turnaround so deliciously with his phrasing and touch that it may be one of my top 5 Wes moments ever recorded. To this day, when Jimmy Ponder plays "Tune Up" it is this arrangement that he almost always chooses. These sessions are included on the "Complete Riverside Recordings" and were also released as a Milestone Records LP under the title "Pretty Blue" in 1974. I'll take that title over "Fusion" any day of the week. "Pretty Blue" is worth trying to find (if you have a turntable...) solely for the liner notes by Orrin Keepnews. Forget the title and enjoy the recording!"

"Wes the Poet"

Anders Jonasson | Bankeryd Sweden | 09/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Doug is right the name of this album is very inappropriate,, the name fusion would perhaps lead one to beleive that we are talking about fusionmusic the way we understand it today...bt that is not the case.

This was recorded back in 1963 and it is a very relaxed album were Wes plays very poetically and beautiful,backed by a jazzgroup and and strings..Wes have good support from the other guitar player who happened to be Kenny Burrell.

According to the bio on Wes written by Adrain Ingram..Wes was very pleased with this recording,,but also very dissapointed when it only got 2,5 star review in Down Beat,,and he said that he would never gone record with strings again...that happened though later on when he did his recordings on CTI.

Anyway..this is wonderful music which is breathtaking in it s own beauty. As an old Montgomeryfreak I must admitt this is one of (for me) the 2-3 recordings by Wes I like the best

"