A Day in the Life (Wes Montgomery album)
| A Day in the Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1967[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 6 & 26, 1967 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 34:21 | |||
| Label | A&M/CTI | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Wes Montgomery chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Day in the Life is an album by the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1967. It reached number one on the Billboard Jazz album chart and number 2 on the R&B chart. It also reached number 13 on the Billboard 200. The single "Windy" became his biggest Hot 100 hit, peaking at number forty-four.
After recording for Riverside and Verve, Montgomery signed with A&M. His renditions of pop hits were played regularly on Top 40 radio.[2]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [3] |
In his AllMusic review of the album, Scott Yanow wrote:
In most cases the guitarist did little more than play the melody, using his distinctive octaves, and it was enough to make him saleable. Of his three A&M recordings, A Day in the Life (the first one) was by far the best and, although the jazz content is almost nil, the results are pleasing as background music.[2]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Day in the Life" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 5:45 |
| 2. | "Watch What Happens" | Jacques Demy, Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand | 2:43 |
| 3. | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright | 2:52 |
| 4. | "California Nights" | Marvin Hamlisch, Howard Liebling | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Angel" | Wes Montgomery | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Eleanor Rigby" | Lennon, McCartney | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Willow Weep for Me" | Ann Ronell | 4:31 |
| 8. | "Windy" | Ruthann Friedman | 2:20 |
| 9. | "Trust in Me" | Milton Ager, Jean Schwartz, Ned Wever | 4:25 |
| 10. | "The Joker" | Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley | 3:26 |
Personnel[edit]
- Wes Montgomery – guitar
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- Ron Carter – bass
- Grady Tate – drums
- Ray Barretto – percussion
- Jack Jennings – percussion
- Joe Wohletz – percussion
- Ray Alonge – French horn
- Phil Bodner – woodwind
- Julius Brand – violin
- Peter Buonconsigilio – violin
- Mac Ceppos – violin
- Lewis Eley – violin
- Harry Glickman – violin
- Harry Katzman – violin
- Leo Krucczek – violin
- Sylvan Shulman – violin
- Gene Orloff – violin
- Tosha Samaroff – violin
- Jack Zayde – violin
- Harry Urbont – violin
- Harold Coletta – viola
- Emanuel Vardi – viola
- George Marge – flute
- Joe Soldo – flute
- Romeo Penque – flute
- Margaret Ross – harp
- Alan Shulman – cello
- Charles McCracken – cello
- Stanley Webb – flute, woodwind
Production notes:
- Creed Taylor – producer
- Don Sebesky – arranger, conductor
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
- Pete Turner - photography
Chart positions[edit]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 1 |
| Billboard R&B Albums | 2 | |
| The Billboard 200 | 13 |
References[edit]
- ^ "Billboard". September 16, 1967.
- ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "A Day in the Life > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 147. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1028. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
