Album review by Alex Henderson ~allmusic.com
Before he moved away from straight-ahead jazz and starting playing what is now known as smooth jazz, Wes Montgomery was one of bop's finest guitarists. Montgomery's bop period ended much too soon, but thankfully, he recorded his share of rewarding bop albums when he was still bop-oriented -- and one of them is Boss Guitar, which Orrin Keepnews produced in 1963. This trio recording (which employs Mel Rhyne on organ and Jimmy Cobb on drums) has been reissued on CD more than once; 2010 reissue offers new liner notes by Neil Tesser along with Joe Goldberg's original liner notes from the ‘60s.
These digitally remastered performances have held up well over time; Montgomery shows how expressive a ballad player he could be on the standards "For Heaven's Sake" and "Days of Wine and Roses," but the fast tempo exuberance of "The Trick Bag" (a Montgomery original) serves him equally well. Montgomery swings the blues with pleasing results on "Fried Pies" (another Montgomery original), and Consuelo Velázquez's "Besame Mucho" (which is usually played at a slow ballad tempo) is successfully transformed into medium-tempo Latin jazz. In addition to the eight master takes that were heard on the original ‘60s LP, this reissue contains alternate takes of "Besame Mucho," "The Trick Bag," and "Fried Pies" -- all of which will interest collectors.
In a perfect world, Montgomery would have celebrated his 85th birthday in 2010. But Montgomery, of course, didn't live to see to 45, let alone 85; he was only 43 when heart disease claimed his life in 1968. Montgomery's death, however, didn't make his bop output any less influential, and Boss Guitar is among the bop-oriented Montgomery albums that should continue to be savored after all these years.
Tracklist:
01. Besame Mucho (6:32)
02. Besame Mucho (take 2) (6:27)
03. Dearly Beloved (4:52)
04. Days of Wine and Roses (3:50)
05. The Trick Bag (4:27)
06. Canadian Sunset (5:08)
07. Fried Pies (6:45)
08. Fried Pies (take 1) (6:36)
09. The Breeze and I (4:11)
10. For Heaven’s Sake (4:40)
Personnel:
Wes Montgomery – guitar
Mel Rhyne – organ
Jimmy Cobb – drums
Additional Info:
Produced by Orrin Keepnews
Recording Engineer: Ray Fowler
Recorded in New York City; April 22, 1963
Mastering: Phil De Lancie (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)
Album Design: Ken Deardoff
Liner notes by Orrin Keepnews and Joe Goldberg
Genre: Hard-Bop, Guitar
Label: Riverside/OJC
Year: 1989
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