Wes Montgomery - California Dreaming

As Wes Montgomery sailed into ever-poppier waters towards the end of his career, two things remained constant: he kept writing and including original tunes on his albums, and he kept playing and including the blues in one shade or another. Thus, on California Dreaming, another big band-orchestrated Verve album, we get "Sun Down," a six-minute original blues, cut for the most part with just the first-call rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Richard Davis, Grady Tate and Ray Baretto. The original, "Mr. Walker," is just as cooking, and dates from Montgomery's second Riverside album, the aptly titled Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. California Dreaming emphasizes groove tunes over ballads and keeps the pop challenges to a minimum.