| Wes
recorded with strings on a number of occasions, but Bumpin’ is by
far the most successful. It’s mellow but still swings when it should,
and Wes has never played with more feeling. Don Sebesky’s arrangements
are smart and allow the guitar to play off the orchestra instead of simply
over it. This is the first Wes album I ever heard and I’ve been hooked
ever since. It’s elegant yet robust music. WOW, what a masterpiece!
–
Greg Vincent
A
Brilliant Performance by the Immortal Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery again shows his brilliance on this
recording. All of the pieces on this CD are vibrant and emotional. Wes
was a master of showing his emotions through his guitar. This CD is no
exception to that. From “Bumpin’” to “Musty,”
it is a fantastic listen. I enjoy his interpretation of “Shadow of
Your Smile.” The world definitely lost a brilliant performer with
the premature death of Wes Montgomery. He had so much more to offer, yet
what he did still lives on brilliantly.
–
historyone
Notes
from Don Sebesky
Wes. Thinking of him brings back so many memories.
His music was a reflection of his sunny disposition: always a big smile,
a laugh, a hearty handshake. He was a beautiful man.
Bumpin’ was the first in a long series of albums I did with Wes for
Creed Taylor – it was also the first time I worked with Creed.
Creed kept this
very loose – he asked Wes and me, “What do you guys want to
do? What are you comfortable with?” Creed wanted to wed Wes’s
unique, percussive guitar sounds to an elegant string ensemble in a mix
of standards and originals. But he trusted me to find a way to do it.
We didn’t have a lot of discussions. Creed said “Just do it.”
I wrote the
arrangements and brought them to Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey on the appointed day. The room was filled with talented
musicians: We got Bob Cranshaw and Grady Tate, who brought their buoyant
energy to the project.
Having never
worked with Wes or Creed, I wasn’t sure what to produce; I just trusted
my first instinct to create the kind of backdrop that would make the musicians
comfortable. In my arrangments, I try to echo the soloists’ sound;
I take my cue from them. (If I do my job well, the soloists can’t
tell if my music is echoing what they’re doing or if they are echoing
me.)
We ran down
the first chart and began to balance the sounds. After a few takes, I
noticed Wes didn’t seem to be too happy. In fact, he was frowning
(I never saw him like this again). We tried to get a satisfactory take
anyway, but the music wasn’t jelling. Wes was clearly uncomfortable.
After about
an hour we adjourned to the control room to listen to the playback. We
sounded like we were struggling. In particular, the clarity and natural
energy with which Wes normally played was missing; his playing was tentative,
tight. His solos seemed to be curtailed by my charts. (I felt then as
I do now, that a soloist should never be restricted by an arrangement.)
After another hour, we decided to call off the session and send everyone
home – with nothing in the can.
When we discussed
things with Wes, he finally told us what was troubling him. “Man,”
he began, “all those Juilliard cats are out there, wailin’,
and I can’t even read music!” Can you imagine it – this
great, self-taught jazz genius was intimidated by the classically trained
guys and froze?!
We decided to
try a different approach; really, it was Creed’s idea. We took Wes
and the rhythm section back to the studio with just the framework of the
arrangements, allowing them to be relaxed and spontaneous. His big smile
returned, lighting up the room.
I then took
the session tapes home and built new charts around his solos instead of
fitting his solos into my charts. It worked.
We then used
this approach for all of Wes’s albums; we used it for most of the
albums Creed and I did for other artists as well. It became the basis
for the “CTI sound.” The musicians come up with licks that I
then adopt as motifs or use as segues between sections. Writing this way
makes me feel like I am part of the rhythm section, part of the nucleus
of the ensemble. I still record this way whenever I am lucky enough to
work with especially creative musicians.
Looking back
on Bumpin’, I must say it marked the beginning of a golden era for
all involved. I don’t think we realized it at the time, but we were
working in a “family business” atmosphere. We would get together
to discuss the parameters of a project; everyone’s contribution was
valuable.
Because Bumpin’
was done in the era before synthesizers, it was necessary for all of us
to depend on each other for certain sounds – the drummer played drums,
the bassist played bass. No one person could do everything electronically.
Besides, a musician can only play by himself for so long; he needs input
from others to create. In making this record we interacted all the time;
I hear the communal spirit when I listen to what we did. It comes through
like fresh air.
Wes’s sound
is timeless. He’s in a special category that includes Charlie Parker,
Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Bill Evans – guys whose sound is instantly
recognizable and often imitated. Recently there have been several new
records by guitarists trying to replicate the feeling of Bumpin’
and other Wes albums – which were made as much as thirty years ago.
That should tell you something about the impact that Wes still has on
music.
If this
is your first exposure to Wes Montgomery’s music, I envy you. You
will experience musicianship of a very high caliber that you can nonetheless
be very comfortable with. His music always feels just right. You’re
in for a treat.
–
Don Sebesky
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to hear sound samples.
