POST # 121 Creed Taylor on Wes Montgomery and Art vs Commerce

When I began producing Wes' Verve recordings, he seemed very level-headed and willing to try a new direction. I gave him a record by Little Anthony And The Imperials called "Goin' Out Of My Head" to see if he could do a version of it that would attract a wider audience. After listening to it, he said, "You must be goin' out of yours!" But I told him I had already talked to arranger Oliver Nelson about doing it in a way that would be interesting for him to play on. I asked him to at least do the melody in straight octaves, which was something he hadn't done very much for Riverside. Goin' Out Of My Head [Verve] solidified our relationship, because he began getting better gigs and making more money. At the same time, critics began saying I was a son of a bitch for dressing him up with strings. We took a lot of flack, but it didn't hurt. ….. Wes was getting $10,000 per concert just before he died, which was four times what he could have made in a whole week at a club gig. He was very happy with the success. There's that constant debate about artistry and maintaining integrity. It was very much a commercial venture, although Wes and I certainly knew that there was the artistic side of it. Today, Wynton Marsalis is a fat cat at Lincoln Center who can do whatever he wants artistically and still make a lot of money. We didn't have that kind of environment back then. - Creed Taylor

( I prefer Wes' jazz sides but I guess you have to view his more commercial sides on its own merit as pop instrumentals. Can't blame Wes for wanting a better life for him and his children! - Ed )