Wes Montgomery - The Complete Riverside Recordings (12 CD Box Set) (1992)

The 1959-1963 recordings that made Montgomery a household name in jazz circles, and brought the styles of Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt into the modern age. Includes Wes' only live Riverside date, with 49 (!) unreleased/alternate takes and a 32-page booklet. 158 tracks on 12 CDs-staggering.

Guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded for Riverside from 1959 to 1963, going in that time from an obscure Indianapolis musician to the most celebrated guitarist in jazz. All the reasons for that rise are here, in a 12-CD box that includes 49 previously unreleased and alternate takes. The settings range from the organ trios with which Montgomery often worked to tracks with string accompaniment, but the music is all linked by the guitarist's highly original approach, using thumb picking and frequent octave runs to put his signature on blues, ballads, and bop tunes. Among the gems are live recordings of a quintet that includes the accelerated tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin and bassist Paul Chambers, as well as the studio recordings where Montgomery matches talents with Milt Jackson and the fine pianists Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones.