| Willow Weep for Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1968 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1965 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer | Esmond Edwards | |||
| Wes Montgomery chronology | ||||
| ||||
Willow Weep for Me is a posthumous jazz album recorded by guitarist Wes Montgomery in 1965 and released in 1968. It reached number 12 on the Billboard Jazz album chart in 1969. At the Grammy Awards of 1970 Willow Weep for Me won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
After Montgomery's death, Verve used recordings from the sessions that produced Smokin' at the Half Note and hired arranger Claus Ogerman to write string and brass arrangements for "Willow Weep for Me", "Portrait of Jennie," "Oh! You Crazy Moon," and "Misty." Subsequent reissues erased the new backing arrangements. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Writing for Allmusic, music critic Richard Grinell called the original release "... prime, mature Wes Montgomery stretching out in full, with unbelievable confidence in his ear and technique at all times, experimenting now and then with mild electronic effects devices. The sound is oddly dim and shallow on the LP, which is surprising since the Smokln' album sounded so good." [2]
At the Grammy Awards of 1970 Willow Weep for Me won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 12 |
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a distinctive sound.
The 12th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 11, 1970. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1969.
"Misty" is a jazz standard written in 1954 by pianist Erroll Garner. He composed it as an instrumental in the traditional 32-bar format, and recorded it for the album Contrasts. Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke. It became the signature song of Johnny Mathis, appearing on his 1959 album Heavenly and reaching number 12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart later that year.
Sassy Swings the Tivoli is a 1963 live album by American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan and her trio, produced by Quincy Jones. The performances were recorded in the concert hall of the Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, over four days in July 1963.
The Composer of Desafinado, Plays is the first album by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Released in 1963, the album features a dozen instrumentals arranged by Claus Ogerman, whose work would mark the beginning of a lifelong musical relationship with Jobim. Of these twelve songs, nearly all of them are jazz standards. The opening track "The Girl from Ipanema" is believed to be the second most recorded song in history behind The Beatles' "Yesterday," and a recording of the song by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz became a worldwide hit in 1964.
Claus Ogerman was a German arranger, conductor, and composer best known for his work with Billie Holiday, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra, Michael Brecker, and Diana Krall.
Smokin' at the Half Note is an album by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio that was released in 1965. It was recorded live in June 1965 at the Half Note Club in New York City and September 22, 1965 at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The album combines guitarist Montgomery with the Miles Davis rhythm section from 1959–1963 of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. The album's versions of "Unit 7" and "Four on Six" have helped to establish these pieces as jazz standards.
Breezin' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a chart-topper in the Jazz category but also went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum, making it one of the best selling Jazz albums of all time.
Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans and his trio, released in 1966. The group is accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman.
Guitar Forms is a 1965 album by Kenny Burrell, featuring arrangements by Gil Evans. Evans' orchestra appears on five of the album's nine tracks, including the nearly 9-minute "Lotus Land". Three tracks are blues numbers in a small group format and there is one solo performance: "Prelude #2".
Clifford Brown with Strings is a 1955 studio album by trumpeter Clifford Brown.
California Dreaming is an album by the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1967. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard magazine jazz album chart and No. 4 on the R&B chart. It was reissued on CD in 2007 with an alternate take of "Sunny".
Tequila is an album recorded by the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1966.
Goin' Out of My Head is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery that was released in 1966. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine R&B chart. At the 9th Grammy Awards Goin' Out of My Head won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1964 studio album by organist Jimmy Smith, released on the Verve label. Smith is accompanied by a big band with arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Claus Ogerman.
Comin' in the Back Door is an album by jazz pianist Wynton Kelly released on the Verve label featuring performances by Kelly with Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb with guitarist Kenny Burrell and an orchestra recorded in 1963.
Oh, You Crazy Moon or Oh! You Crazy Moon is a jazz standard by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was recorded by Mel Tormé in 1960 and Frank Sinatra in 1965.
Songs for Hip Lovers is a 1957 vocal album by the jazz bandleader Woody Herman, arranged by Marty Paich.
Cityscape is an album by the composer, arranger and conductor Claus Ogerman and the saxophonist Michael Brecker. It was released in 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Tommy LiPuma.
Warm Wave is an album by Latin jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader fronting an orchestra arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman recorded in 1964 and released on the Verve label.
