Movin' Along

There is a lightness to this track that belies its sophistication — it moves with the easy confidence of someone strolling somewhere they've wanted to go all day. Montgomery's improvisation here is unusually playful, full of unexpected intervallic leaps and rhythmic displacements that land just slightly off the beat before snapping back into place, generating a physical sensation close to delight. The interaction between Montgomery and Mel Rhyne's organ gives the recording a warmth that strings or piano accompaniment couldn't quite replicate — that full-bodied, slightly blurry quality that organ jazz carries naturally, like music heard through a half-open door. It belongs to the small-group organ trio format that thrived in the late 1950s and early 1960s in American cities, music made for clubs and record stores and kitchen radios, unself-consciously entertaining without being shallow. Reach for this when you need movement without urgency — early morning coffee when the day is still open in every direction, or an afternoon when the work is done and what remains is simply the pleasure of being in your own good company.