Wes Montgomery - Goin' Out of My Head (1965/1978)

Guitarist Wes Montgomery had a hit with this version of "Goin' Out of My Head" but musically it is little more than a pleasant melody statement. Accompanied by a wasted all-star big band given dull arrangements by Oliver Nelson, Montgomery mostly sticks to playing themes, even those as dull as "Chim Chim Cheree" and "It Was a Very Good Year." Recordings like this one disheartened the jazz world but made him a household name and a staple on AM radio. Heard three decades later, the recording is at its best when serving as innocuous background music.

by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

01. Goin' Out of My Head (Randazzo-Weinstein) - 2:16
02. O Morro (Nao Tem Vez) (Jobim-DeMoraes) - 4:50
03. Boss City (Montgomery) - 3:48
04. Chim Chim Cheree (Sherman-Sherman) - 4:54
05. Naptown Blues (Montgomery) - 3:07
06. Twisted Blues (Montgomery) - 4:19
07. End of a Love Affair (Redding) - 3:47
08. It Was a Very Good Year (Drake) - 3:45
09. Golden Earrings (Livingston-Evans-Young) - 5:17

Wes Montgomery - guitar
Phil Woods - alto saxophone, clarinet
Jerry Dodgion - alto saxophone, clarinet, flute, piccolo
Bob Ashton - tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute
Romeo Penque - tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet, English horn, oboe, piccolo
Danny Bank - baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute, bass clarinet
Ernie Royal, Joe Newman, Donald Byrd, Danny Moore - trumpet
Jimmy Cleveland, Quentin Jackson, Wayne Andre - trombone
Tony Studd - bass trombone
Herbie Hancock, Roger Kellaway - piano
George Duvivier - bass
Grady Tate - drums
Candido Camero - congas
Oliver Nelson - arranger, conductor

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on November 20 - December 22, 1965.