A silhouette of a man clinching a cigarette between his fingers on his right hand adorns the dark album cover. A blue glow illuminates his head and smoke rises from his right hand. I read Wes Montgomery – Bumpin’ – Arranged & Conducted by Don Sebesky.

Bumpin’ the title song opens with simple but effective notes strum and keyed on the bass and piano, respectively. To my delight, Montgomery graciously enters with notes smoothly fingered on the electric guitar – an instrument that always brings a calming presence to my soul. The rhythm from the hand drums suavely compliments the guitar’s melody – now enters a lush string section that adds a layer of sophistication to the composition. Around the 3-minute mark, Montgomery levels up the energy and gets down to the nitty gritty – using several chord progressions to illustrate his mastery of the guitar. Yes, this is bumpin’.

Have you ever heard a song full of positive vibes…a song you can kick off your shoes, close your eyes, and elevate above the stress to your happy place. A Quiet Thing gives off this vibe with opening notes played on the guitar pulling me in with a relaxing tone that leads into an angelic harmony strummed on the harp. The arrangement conveys heavenly tranquility with perfect timing of various instruments moving in and out…up and down. A perfect harmony to uplift a mood fallen in a valley of despair.  A song to seek for moments of solitude to reflect and release.  I gently inhale and listen to my breath as I exhale…embracing a moment of zen as the piano whispers majestic chords in the song arrangement’s background. Montgomery closes like he began – playing a simple but powerful chord progression with a relaxing tone that amplifies positive vibes.

The Shadow Of Your Smile begins with a soulful melody that feels familiar and so soothing…like a warm blanket on a cold rainy night. I am now halfway through the album and I feel at peace – that’s the hidden power of music – it can uplift or it can destroy, which Bumpin’ fulfills the former. Throughout The Shadow Of Your Smile the strings deliver a lavish environment for Montgomery’s solid improvisational skills to shine. The musical movement is colorful and gives off a warm energetic feel. For its time, the production quality for this album is superb and highlighted by the plush texture of The Shadow Of Your Smile.

While listening to Mi Cosa, I read the liner notes written by Chuck Taylor, which say, “In describing Mi Cosa, he calls it a ‘musical story or play’. It’s totally out of character for the Wes Montgomery we have grown to know and love – soft, almost classic fingering delicately laid up against a background of sensuous strings – and in Wes’ own words, ‘complete’. Of it, he said, ‘I couldn’t have done it alone – it needed just what it’s got…different shades, different movements, different feelings, and yet completion’.” Montgomery’s words speak truth to Mi Cosa or “My Thing” – the composition exhibits different shades, different movements, different feelings – in so many words – unpredictable, yet complete, and exemplified around the 1 minute and 50 seconds mark where a fluid transition to a string bridge. An immaculate bridge that lasts 16 seconds and briefly pauses for Montgomery to reenter and play a heavenly chord fit for an opera. Hands down – to me this composition is marvelous, and a composition I would love to hear played live by a symphony orchestra.

To my pleasant surprise, Montgomery changes it up on Musty with an upbeat playful style. I bob my head side to side and tap my right foot to the downbeat of the drums. Sebesky does an excellent job with the song’s arrangement – piano here…strings there…bass now…hand drums in. I visualize couples back in the day getting down on the dance floor…sweating, with some getting MUSTY…a perfect name for this song. All in all, Musty is satisfying with dense layers of melodies and harmonies. A definite jam to get you moving, especially when the piano takes the lead around the 2 minute and 23 seconds mark.

After further review…

In January 1965, Bumpin’ was released by Verve Records. As part of the 8^th Annual Grammy Awards, Montgomery received nominations for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group or Soloist With Large Group and Best Original Jazz Composition. Bumpin’ reached 116 on the Billboard 200 (formerly known as Billboard Top LP’s chart). The Shadow Of Your Smile was written by Johnny Mandel for the movie The Sandpiper.