''Portrait of Wes'' is an album by the American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

guitarist

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

, released in 1966.

History

''Portrait of Wes'' was Montgomery's second to last recording for Riverside Records; his performances in October and November 1963 were issued as two albums, ''Portrait of Wes'' and '' Guitar on the Go''. Montgomery, who had worked with

Melvin Rhyne Melvin Rhyne (October 12, 1936 – March 5, 2013), was a jazz organist best known for his work with Wes Montgomery. Biography Melvin Rhyne was born in Indianapolis in 1936 and started playing the piano shortly after. At 19 years old, Rhyne s ...

for his first recordings for Riverside, worked with him again for his last Riverside performance. ''Portrait of Wes'' was reissued in the

Original Jazz Classics Original Jazz Classics (or OJC) is a record label that founded in 1983 as an imprint of Fantasy Records. Under this name original editions of jazz LPs have been reissued on CD and LP, and formerly on cassette as well. The recordings in the seri ...

series, with additional alternate takes.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

jazz critic Scott Yanow wrote: "The brilliant guitarist is in fine form on these appealing tunes with the highlights including 'Freddie the Freeloader,' 'Blues Riff' and 'Moanin.'"

Track listing

Original issue by Riverside

Side 1: #" Freddie the Freeloader" (

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

) – 5:14 #"Lolita" (

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Life and career Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December ...

) – 6:32 #"Movin' Along" (

) – 6:16 Side 2: #"Dangerous" ( Montgomery) – 7:03 #"Yesterday's Child" (Charles DeForest) – 4:14 #"Moanin'" (

Bobby Timmons Robert Henry Timmons (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961), between which he wa ...

) – 5:48

Original Jazz Classics reissue

#" Freddie Freeloader" (

) – 5:16 #"Lolita" (

) – 6:36 #"Blues Riff" (

) – 6:18 #"Blues Riff" lternate take(

) – 8:14 #"Dangerous" (

) – 7:03 #"Yesterday's Child" (Charles DeForest) – 4:14 #"Moanin'" (

) – 5:48 #"Moanin'" lternate take(Timmons) – 4:35

Personnel

– guitar *

– organ * George Brown – drums Production *

Orrin Keepnews Orrin Keepnews (March 2, 1923 – March 1, 2015) was an American jazz writer and record producer known for founding Riverside Records and Milestone Records, for freelance work, and for his work at other labels. Biography Early life Keepnews ...

– producer * Ray Fowler – engineer * Sam Alexander – album design * Carl Grassini – cover painting

References

External links

Jazz Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait Of Wes 1963 albums Wes Montgomery albums Albums produced by Orrin Keepnews Riverside Records albums