| Down Here on the Ground | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1968[1] | |||
| Recorded | December 20, 1967 – January 26, 1968 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 31:11 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Wes Montgomery chronology | ||||
| ||||
Down Here on the Ground is an album by the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1968. It reached number one on the Billboard Jazz album chart and number 4 on the R&B chart. It also reached number 38 on the Billboard 200.
The song "Down Here on the Ground" is Montgomery's version of the theme song from the movie Cool Hand Luke, by Lalo Schifrin.[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [4] |
In his AllMusic review, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "The arrangements of Don Sebesky are for the most part pretty, unobtrusive, and pleasant but lack groove and soul in the main… In many real and important ways, this is the beginning of the end for Montgomery as a jazz artist, and the inception of bachelor pad lounge/mood music that only lasted for a brief time. This recording, with no extra material, alternate takes, or bonus tracks, cannot compare to Charlie Parker with strings. It does fall in that category of recordings where the musicians chose to produce, rather than create their personal brand of jazz, and is at the very least an historical footnote."[3]
Production notes:
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 1 |
| Billboard R&B Albums | 4 | |
| The Billboard 200 | 38 |
