The title track of Wes Montgomery's 1960 album Movin' Along, recorded for Riverside Records, is a Montgomery original blues in E-flat taken at a relaxed tempo of around 89 beats per minute. The session brought together an outstanding West Coast rhythm section featuring pianist Victor Feldman and multi-instrumentalist James Clay, who plays flute on this track. Clay opens the solo section with two choruses of airy, melodic flute improvisation that sets a breezy tone. Montgomery then enters for four substantial choruses on electric guitar, employing his signature thumb-plucking technique that produced a warm, rounded sound unlike any other guitarist in jazz. His solo builds gradually from single-note lines through octaves to full chord passages, a structural approach that became his trademark and influenced generations of guitarists who followed. Feldman contributes two polished choruses on piano, his classically informed touch adding sophistication to the bluesy framework. The easy-going tempo and blues form allow all three soloists room to develop their ideas organically. Movin' Along represented an important chapter in Montgomery's brief but transformative career, documenting his artistry during the period when he was rapidly gaining national recognition as the most innovative jazz guitarist since Charlie Christian.
