"Mr. Walker," also known as "Renie," is a Wes Montgomery original from his 1960 album The Incredible Jazz Guitar, featuring a straight-eighth feel that distinguishes it from the swing-based performances that dominate the record. The 32-bar AABA form in F minor at 134 beats per minute unfolds with a rhythmic character that suggests the influence of Latin and R&B music on Montgomery's creative imagination. His two-chorus guitar solo combines his signature warm tone with a rhythmic directness suited to the straight feel, his lines interacting with the even subdivision in ways that reveal a different aspect of his improvisational personality. Tommy Flanagan follows with a single chorus of piano improvisation, his playing adapting fluently to the rhythmic context while maintaining his characteristic harmonic sophistication. Bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath anchor the performance with a groove that straddles the line between jazz and popular music styles. The straight-eighth feel was relatively uncommon in jazz guitar performance of the early 1960s, making this track a forward-looking moment on an album that also looks back to the blues tradition and the bebop vocabulary. Montgomery's compositional range is well represented by this piece, which adds textural variety to the album's program.
