Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar 
Year: 1963 (Riverside)
Label: OJC 
Quality: CBR 320 kbps

Guitarist Wes Montgomery's string of brilliant straight-ahead jazz recordings for the Riverside label was near its end when he recorded this trio outing with organist Melvin Rhyne and drummer Jimmy Cobb. The music swings hard and is highlighted by "Besame Mucho," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Canadian Sunset" and "The Breeze and I." Enjoyable if not essential. [Originally released in 1963, Boss Guitar has been reissued several times on CD.] ~ Scott Yanow, AMG

What's amazing about this session is the way Wes carries it from begining to end... Wes is upfront throughout... relaxed, smoking and creatively vibrant... before Mel Rhyne even gets his first word in Wes has soulfully breezed through the duration of a 5 minute guitar solo, each chorus as interesting if not more interesting than the next. - - Jimmy Cobb's bright and sizzling drumming does nothing but help... Today Mel Rhyne is one of the strongest organists around with a full, heavy grooving, heavy swinging and amply commanding sound both as an accompaniest and a soloist - - however, on this session it is clear that Wes is the Boss... however, accompanied in more than adequate company... backed by a rhythm section that is tight, yet flowing and responsive at the same time. You get the feeling that these home town cats have worked together before ! From the beauty of CANADIAN SUNSET to the frenzic licks of THE TRICK BAG the album sounds fresh and modernsitic even even almost 40 years later - - if ever a "prototypical" Jazz session was recorded... this one belongs near the top of the list ! ~ Eddie Landsberg, Amazon.com

Personnel:
Wes Montgomery (Guitar) 
Mel Rhyne (Organ) 
Jimmy Cobb (Drums) 

Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar Tracks:
01  Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velázquez/Sunny Skylar) 6:32 
02  Besame Mucho (Take 2) (Consuelo Velázquez/Sunny Skylar) 6:24 
03  Dearly Beloved (Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer) 4:52 
04  Days Of Wine And Roses (Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer) 3:50 
05  The Trick Bag (Wes Montgomery) 4:27 
06  Canadian Sunset (Norman Gimbel/Eddie Heywood) 5:08 
07  Fried Pies (Wes Montgomery) 6:45 
08  Fried Pies (Take 1) (Wes Montgomery) 6:35 
09  The Breeze And I (Al Stillman/Ernesto Lecuona) 4:11 
10  For Heaven's Sake (Donald Meyer/Elise Bretton/Sherman Edwards) 4:39