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Let\u2019s face facts: making music is a commercial endeavor. And don\u2019t let any musician tell you different; if they do, they\u2019re either starving for their art (perhaps literally) or in possession of a financial situation such that financial considerations are a minor issue.<\/p>\n
Since the beginning of music as a component of popular culture — i.e. since longer ago than I or you, dear reader, can recall firsthand \u2013 musicians have sought the Next Big Thing. They have done so for reasons all along the spectrum that has purely commercial gain at one end and aesthetic considerations at the other. True, sometimes it\u2019s more about pushing the boundaries, or finding a heretofore unexplored hybrid. But more often it\u2019s down to getting ahead of the what\u2019s-hot curve.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, not even that. Sometimes it\u2019s no more than bandwagon-jumping that\u2019s going on. Every era has had it. Remember the 90s with its overused pop music tropes? Duets (everybody did those), unplugged (ditto) and the inevitable standards album (I\u2019m looking at you, Rod Stewart<\/strong>). Hell, Pat Boone<\/strong> made a metal album; don\u2019t tell me that was about musical exploration.<\/p>\n In the 50s and 60s, one of the big trends that musicians (and labels) followed was space-age bachelor pad music (and its close relative, exotica). Making full \u2013 and often gratuitous \u2013 use of the stereo spectrum, these records by Esquivel<\/strong>, Martin Denny<\/strong> and a host of others remain dated, kitschy fun.<\/p>\n The other big trend was (of course) bossa nova. Anything with that south of the border vibe was big. And while there were plenty of insipid bandwagon-jumping efforts in that vein (the usually dependable Frank Sinatra<\/strong>\u2019s weak collaboration<\/a> with Antonio Carlos Jobim<\/strong> is one, I\u2019d argue), some artists came by their interest in bossa nova honestly.<\/p>\n Chief among these is jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery<\/strong>. Already at the top of his game by the time he recorded and released the punningly-titled Boss Guitar<\/em> in 1963, Montgomery\u2019s clear and sonorous style was ideally suited for incorporating bossa nova into contemporary jazz. His lyrical playing danced around the melodies of the songs he recorded. On Boss Guitar<\/em> Montgomery and his sidemen (Mel Rhyne<\/strong> on B-3 and drummer Jimmy Cobb<\/strong>) turned out six well-chosen covers and two Montgomery originals.<\/p>\n \u201cBesame Mucho\u201d \u2013 known to I Love Lucy<\/em> fans and those (like me) who attended endless midnight screenings of the Beatles<\/strong>\u2019 Let it Be<\/em> \u2013 is all but reinvented by Montgomery on Boss Guitar<\/em>. And significantly, although the record is credited to the guitarist, Rhyne\u2019s B-3 is the centerpiece of the song; Montgomery seems to have been an intuitively democratic player.<\/p>\n Though its title is far from the South American vibe, \u201cCanadian Summer\u201d is the set\u2019s other highlight (though Boss Guitar<\/em> is a consistently fine album). Rather than appropriate a style (or bend his own to fit it), throughout the album Montgomery seamlessly weds his own guitar and arrangement approach to bossa nova. The marriage is ultimately a subtle one: the beats are there, certainly, but this is a kitsch-free listening experience. I\u2019d daresay that listeners who don\u2019t find much of interest in bossa nova will still find Boss Guitar<\/em> a thoroughly engaging experience.<\/p>\n Concord\u2019s 2010 reissue of this historic album includes three alternate takes, including the first take of \u201cFried Pies.\u201d And one can never <\/em>get enough of \u201cFried Pies.\u201d Perhaps not ranking among the most essential of Montgomery\u2019s releases, Boss Guitar<\/em> is nevertheless an enjoyable listen that continues to reveal its charms on successive spins.<\/p>\n
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