Jazz Masters | Jazz Guitarist Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery is not only one of the most important guitarists in jazz history, he's also one of the music's most inspired natural talents-whatever the instrument.
The flowing solos on his early '60s Riverside recordings feature deep musicality, warm melodies, fearsome chops and a remarkable use of octaves.
Instead of a plectrum, Montgomery used his thumb to create a soft attack on his Gibson L-5 without suffering a loss of rhythmic drive, and he's often cited as the most influential jazz guitarist since Charlie Christian. A recent reissue of Smokin' at the Half Note (Verve), a pivotal 1965 album with Wynton Kelly's Trio, has cast Montgomery's greatness into the spotlight once again.
But it's also opened up old debates. The original version of the 1965 LP had five tracks, though only two were recorded at the Half Note: "No Blues" and "If You Could See Me Now."
The other three tracks, deemed unsuitable by producer Creed Taylor, were recut in Rudy Van Gelder's studio three months later.
But the seven other live tracks did make their way to LP eventually, on the 1969 album Willow Weep for Me, which came out a year after Montgomery's death-overdubbed with brass and woodwind arrangements by Claus Ogerman.
Naturally, jazz critics howled about Verve's creative decisions and Ogerman's sweet accompaniment.
Meanwhile, Willow Weep for Me won that year's jazz Grammy. The latest edition of Smokin' at the Half Note features six of the seven tracks on Willow in stripped-down form.
The reissue acts like exhibit A in the standard critical argument depicting Montgomery's work in "before" and "after" terms, jazz versus pop, art versus commerce. The recording is frequently viewed, on simple terms, as the guitarist's last blast of genuine jazz before he boarded the commercial gravy train, under the guidance of Taylor, for a series of lucrative but solo-challenged, pop-centric, radio-friendly albums for Verve and A&M that featured brass and string sections padding Montgomery's octave-warmed sound.
But is it possible that the "sellout" chapter in Wes Montgomery's life has been greatly exaggerated? Read More
