Wes Montgomery - A Day In The Life (1967)

Before we get to the music, here's two quick notes about the cover photo: 1) that thing is possibly the most unattractive album cover on my shelves, and 2) somebody who knows about such things has identified the cigarette butts as "unfiltered Lucky Strike and two single Salem cigarettes" if those things are of import to you. A day in the life of a recording studio ashtray, I guess.

Composed almost entirely of pop music covers, this sort of album is typically derided by fuddy-duddy critics that don't know how to sit back and enjoy masters of their craft have their way with good music. And then jazz purists prefer Montgomery's earlier, more traditional jazz releases on the Riverside and Verve labels. Those guys can all go suck an egg. Simply put, this album is immaculately produced by Creed Taylor, beautifully engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, and performed by a fantastic quartet plus orchestra:

Montgomery - guitar
Herbie Hancock - piano
Ron Carter - bass
Grady Tate - drums
Orchestra arranged/conducted by Don Sebesky

I dig the thing (that amazing guitar tone!) and there's some good improv among the taut bossa nova and pop arrangements. My only complaint is that we don't get to hear enough of Herbie Hancock. Alongside what the legendary George Benson was doing in the '60s, this guitar-based instrumental easy listening sort of recording paved the way for later acts such as Earl Klugh and Wes Montgomery superfan Lee Ritenour so I'm grateful for that. This album was a huge seller, staying atop the Billboard jazz albums chart for 35 weeks and didn't leave said jazz chart until November, 1969 (and there were only 20 spots on the jazz album chart in those days). Likewise, over at Record World magazine, it topped their jazz chart for 33 weeks and finally dropped off the chart in November 1969 (also only 20 spots). To be sure, this album soundtracked many, many cocktail parties.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "Montgomery sticks to his pop-oriented bag and remains a winner"
• Record World (★★★★): "an ideal showcase for Wes"
• CashBox: "Jazz enthusiasts should dig this one"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #13
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #2
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks:

1. A Day In The Life - the Beatles classic.
2. Watch What Happens - from the 1964 French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, eventually losing to The Shadow Of Your Smile.
3. When a Man Loves a Woman - this tame version, while pleasant enough, doesn't really hold a candle to the Percy Sledge release, but how could it?
4. California Nights - originally released by Lesley Gore around the same time as this release. Gore's single peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5. Angel - the only Montgomery original on the album
6. Eleanor Rigby - the Beatles classic.
7. Willow Weep For Me - a bluesy jazz standard written in 1932.
8. Windy - this cover of a #1 hit for The Association became Montgomery's biggest commercial hit when it peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Easy Listening chart.
9. Trust In Me - a popular song from 1937. The "jazziest" song on the album whatever that means.
10. The Joker - a song from the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None; I was but 15 months old when this album was released.