The Complete BMG Articles written by John Duarte in 1962-1968 In April of 1962 John Duarte began a series of articles on Wes Montgomery. They continued through Wes' appearances at Ronnie Scott's Club and up to Wes' death in 1968. The early articles are interesting in the way that Duarte speculated on how Wes acheived his sound and technical mastery of his instrument. It has to be remembered that in 1962 no one had seen Wes play that Duarte had to rely on second-hand reports by those fortunate to have seen him play in the USA. There are some inaccuracies, therefore, in his early writings and they have been left uncorrected. WES
MONTGOMERY By JACK
April 1962 IN RECENT years comparatively few names have appeared on the
jazz-guitar scene and, of these, only that of Jim Hall has the hallmark of true greatness.
Yet the world is still full of great players. Throughout the history of the plectrum-played guitar there have
been several players who matched outstanding musical creativeness with technical mastery
and who have exerted tremendous influence on their contemporaries Barney Kessel, Tal
Farlow, Jimmy Raney, to, name only the first three to spring to mind-but there have been
only three veritable giants in relation to their times. In the beginning there was Eddie Lang, perhaps the founder of
rational technique though stylistically woefully dated now. Then there was Django
Reinhardt who electrified the instrument both technically and expressively, though leaving
little more than the firing of inspiration for others to develop. In a sense, Lang
bequeathed a "school," Reindhardt did not. Finally there was Charlie Christian
who electrified the instrument both electronically and in making it an integral part of
the "front line" by introducing the concept of phrasing with the flexibility of
a wind instrument –a "horn" in flowing lines. Christian is the source from
which modern plectrum guitar playing has developed. We can now add to this small, select band of genius a fourth
name Wes Montgomery and, in many ways, he is the most remarkable of all. Jazz musicians
(guitarists included) normally make their impact before they are 30 years old and all the
other three giants, Lang, Reinhardt and Christian, showed their stature before they were
25. It is thus all the more incredible that Wes Montgomery (who has come to fame only in
the last year or two) should have been born in 1923 and should have begun playing the
guitar at the late age of 19 stimulated by hearing records of Charlie Christian (an
oft-told tale). SIMPLE LOVE It was, not the promise of fame andfortune that brought Wes to
the guitar but simple love of the instrument and of music. Perhaps this, accounts in large
measure for his long obscurity for, until late 1959, he did most of his playing in and
around From 1948 to 1950 he played with Lionel Hampton's orchestra but,
this apart, his early history is obscure and certainly not worth recording. Not for him
the usual catalogue of famous berths. The miracle of Wes Montgomery will unfold as, we
continue his story but the first hint is given by the fact that he was entirely
self-taught yet, from his first furnblings (although it is difficult to imagine he ever
fumbled at all) to his first professional engagement, only six -months elapsed. Wes was, to, coin a phrase, "discovered" by the alto
saxophone player "Cannonball" Adderley who, though perhaps not the first to hear
and to appreciate his playing, was the first to indulge in effective flag-waving on his
behalf. This culminated in his being invited to record for Riverside Records of New York
(whose help in many respects of these articles I acknowledge gratefully) from which point
his fame has grown. In the beginning it was remarkably casual Wes heard Charlie
Christian on record, decided he would like to play too and began (not unusually) by
copying Christian's Choruses. It was his success in doing this that led to his first paid
job six months later. This encouraged his two brothers to "pick up" instruments
too and Buddy rapidly became a fine pianist and vibraphonist whilst Monk did likewise with
the double bass, later changing it for an electric bass. The three brothers, who never had a single music lesson amongst
them, have played together on and off, becoming well-known as the backbone of the
"Mastersounds" and also working together (plus drums) as "The Montgomery
Brothers," in which form they were united earlier this year when last I had news of
then. The remaining sibling, a sister, never seems to have got into the act. Familywise
Wes now has ties of the other kind too, in the form of a wife and family. To make the great artist, two things are essential and
inseparable. Quality of musical thought (whether it be improvisatory or interpretative)
and the technical means through which to give it audible expression the means of
communication. Wes Montgomery has both these in very great measure but he is perhaps
unique in that two people listening to the same passage of his playing might, separately,
say "What wonderful music" and "What incredible technique." The one
never obtrudes at the expense of the other but both are present in sufficient degree to
make one marvel at them for their own sake. HEALTHY EXCITEMENT Inevitably then his recordings are exciting but this is healthy
excitement - the excitement of following the creations of a sensitive and virile musical
mind, always and unfailingly stamped with good taste. Even the great Django occasionally
indulged in crudities, banalities and, more than often, he offered us nothing more
substantial than technical astonishment. Wes Montgomery seldom plays a note that does not
sound an inevitable and integral part of the musical whole and never, for an instant, does
his instinctive artistic taste fail him or us. In the remaining instalments of this story we shall take the course of first discussing Wes Montgomery's unusualtechnique (for it is no less) and then his musical style with the aid of his records. It can come alive only with the help of the actual sounds and never has the jazz guitar spoken with greater eloquence.
May 1962 TECHNICALLY it is not only what Wes Montgomery does that is
remarkable it is also the way in which he does it. His single-note playing is lithe, full
of nuance, with a remarkable range of dynamics (the greatest jazz artists always have
this) and fluid in a way that realises the flow of a wind instrument more fully than any
other player has achieved. The amplified sound ranges from a sharp (though not fashionably
nasal or unpleasant) and biting attack, to a soft (though never dull or muffled) and
singing voice. A critic, writing in the "Gramophone," said in a Django it was who first showed us how to add force to our
melodic line by playing it in octaves and how we marvelled at him-even when we overlooked
the problem of reaching the span of an octave with the two first fingers. Wes Montgomery
plays octaves in passages far more extended than Django ever did and with a facility that
makes the latter sound like a fumbling beginner. Octaves now add not only force but also
depth (thickness) to the melodic line. Melodic lines are played in octaves with a freedom
that is staggering and, moreover, they are treated to all the range of nuance accorded to
single notes-hard and soft attack, legato groups (even triplets), glissandi, tremolandi
and all this throughout the entire range of the instrument. It is perhaps no great exaggeration to say that octave playing
on the jazz guitar hardly existed before All these things remind us sharply that here is a man who never
had a lesson and who still cannot read a note of music! These amazing feats of technique
(not unbelievable simply because we must believe what actually happens) could have entered
the mind, let alone the fingers, only of a man who had never been told how difficult they
are. Wes simply did not know enough about the guitar to appreciate these things he wanted
to do to give life to the music that was in him, were nearly impossible. Just try for yourself, playing a scale of say F Major, from
bottom to top and back, in octaves, at slow … tempo, in quavers. This, by Wes's
standards, is an elementary, five-finger exercise. Now repeat it through the arpeggio of
any chord that conies to mind and you will still be on page one! What is known in the entertainment business as the "pay off
line" is, however, still to come. The autodidactic Wes, unprejudiced by knowledge,
did not teach himself to play like others do - no plectrum for him, only the thumb of his
right hand. Absolutely everything is played with the thumb, even the chords and the
octaves which he always plays with the fingering typified by 1st. finger (left hand) on C
(3rd. string), 4th finger on C (1st. string) with 2nd string deadened. QUITE A plectrum can play notes on both the down and the up-stroke,
thus giving it a very high rate of strikes; a normal thumb action works only downwards on
the string, and in this at least Wes is quite normal. I believe second-hand accounts of
his right-hand action differing from this have appeared in print but they should be
discounted since my information comes directly from correspondence with Wes himself and he
should know! There are passages in some of his choruses in which it is almost
impossible to imagine how the thumb could be used at such speed but the contributor oaf
the sleeve-notes on one of his records says " . . . sitting quite close to him, I
discovered that even 20/20 vision wasn't good enough to keep his right thumb from blurring
before my eyes." Many times his speed is aided by lefthand legato (hammers and
snaps) but this stems from what he believes to be the musical requirement of the passage
rather than from any need of the crutch. There are others when the rapid-fire, hard-hit
attack on each note is unmistakable. This unorthodox right-hand technique may have sprung
from the casual picking-up of the guitar and playing it with the first thing that came to
hand, viz. the thumb, but it may well strike deeper than that. The quality of the attack
and the sound given by the thumb may have been a sub-conscious selection (on Wes's part)
of the best means of achieving the fluid sound he wanted. Other players have tried, with varying though never signal
success, to move in the same direction (as well as gaining in resource) by using some form
of classic-guitar right-hand action Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis and both Tal
Farlow and Jim Hall have made restricted use of the thumb alone. The solitary thumb is an unsophisticated and direct solution to
the problem, allowing for a range of attack from the incisive to the mellow. It is
something of a coincidence that two of our all-time giants should have notable limitations
in their armouries. Wes uses only down strokes with his righ-tihand thumb; Reinhardt
lacked the use of two left-hand fingers. This is, in my view, not significant. Wes's limitation is
self-imposed whilst Reinhardt's was enforced. Though in both cases they have transcended
their limitations and magnificently at that - they remain limitations. Wes could have
developed even greater velocity with a plectrum and with a full-house in his left hand.
Reinhardt could have developed an even mare remarkable and less restricted chord style. In
Django's case, it may even be the limitation spurred him on to overcome it, by a mechanism
related to that which makes so many men of small height dynamic (and often aggressive)
successes. IMPOSSIBLE TO SPECULATE With Wes, however, it is impossible to speculate profitably
since this is the means he chose, having no physical debility. It is not that certain the
velocity a plectrum would give, over and above that available to his incredible thumb,
plays a necessary part in his musical thinking; he never seeks to astonish. It could be
argued I have confused the chicken with the egg and he has learned to live without
something he cannot attain that he has developed within his own limitations. This I do not
believe and I find in his playing and thinking no evidence of trying to evade a barrier. I
believe, rather, that here we have a remarkable case of a natural musical mind
instinctively choosing the best means for its practical expression. To restrict oneself voluntarily to the use of two left-hand
fingers (as some eccentrics have been known to do) in the hope it will assist one to play
like Django, or out of misguided though fervent hero-worship, is pathetically absurd. To
seek to follow Wes Montgomery by playing with the right-hand thumb may be as ridiculous
and it may not. If one feels strongly, and deeply, that this is the sort of musical
expression one wishes to voice - that is within one, waiting to be emancipated - then it
may be worth trying to make use of a technical means that has proved itself so successful
in Wes's hands. The fluid sounds, the quality of the attack, and the implicit
brake on any tendency to run riot, are a direct consequence of the means. Reinhardt's
musical expression and style came directly from his heart and mind and it found fluent
reality in sound despite a cruel physical handicap. The handicap contributed nothing
except insofar as it was a challenge to its possessor and though Reinhardt may often have
been technically florid because he was a volatile Romany, it is equally likely there was
an element of sheer exultation in has ability to crash the barrier. So much for the remarkable technique of Wes Montgomery but it
should be remembered it is always the servant of his musical thought. It is happily easy
to listen to his playing for as long as one likes, aware only of has equally amazing
musical creativeness. Into this sphere we shall move in the next instalment. June 1962 EVEN if his sound were not so characteristic, the playing of Wes
Montgomery would remain unmistakable by virtue of the individuality of his creation.
Perhaps no other jazz guitarist has been as strongly individual unless it be Django
Reinhardt. Yet no man is an island and no-one is immune from outside influence (unless he
be certifiable); even the starkest of individualists has eyes, ears and a brain. Wes Montgomery
admires the work of many other guitarists but he nominates three as his favourites
Django("I have heard his records and if he played any better in person I am sure I
wouldn't be trying to play guitar today! "), Tal Farlow and Kenny Burrell traces of
all three of which I detected in his playing before I received this information from him.
Strangely, Charlie Christian (who triggered him off) does not achieve this top bracket!
Mere unmistakableness is not the whole story though there is another quality even more
telling. Many musicians, guitarists included, identify themselves very
quickly as "unseens" but what they create may well be a personal view of jazz in
which whole passages, even choruses, are interchangeable - as though they were weaving a
continuous tapestry of jazz patterns from which so much is cut -off to produce this chorus
and so much for that! The greatest artists in jazz have the ability to create an
atmosphere - an aura; bringing to life every piece as an individual entity with all its
own mood(s) and character. Duke Ellington, through his orchestra, has done this with
countless twelve - bar blues; more often than not transcending the limitations of the
form. With Wes Montgomery, virtually every chorus he plays is a fresh act of creation in
which he identifies himself with the music. He breathes life into every piece, sensing its
mood with uncanny instinct. In various ways we have coupled Wes's name with that of Django,
only to find they are poles apart. As surely as we draw lines parallel they diverge under
the propulsion of their own forces of individuality. Great musicians may be subdivided in
many ways and one of these is by their reaction to others in an ensemble. This is true of
any sphere of music, either creatively or interpretatively. The powerful individuality of
a Rachmaninoff, a Louis Armstrong or a Django Reinhardt could never be suppressed or
disguised. Others, such as Art Tatum, learn late in life how to sink their identity in the
interests of the communal good. Some others have this ambivalence as a natural gift. Casals, Kentner, Eddie Lang, Jim Hall, far instance, and to this
list we may add Wes Montgomery. He is always able to melt into the ensemble effort, though
making a strong personal contribution. On the other hand he rises to the surface at the
right time, dominating the proceedings by his very quality of thought and feeling, yet
always both servant and master of the music's needs. ANOTHER QUALITY Yet another quality in Wes Montgomery's playing, to be found
only with the great jazz artist, is his sense of development. A solo is not just an
allotted number of bars to be filled somehow or other, ingeniously or otherwise. There is
a sense of development in the line of his solos that makes his thoughts seem to unfold
with an inevitability that induces deep satisfaction. He builds his climaxes and releases
them with the sureness of true greatness. So wonderfully is
this done that it is possible to hear him for the first time and fail to appreciate that
anything wonderful is happening. Art truly conceals art, especially in the absence of
technical exhibitionism of the cheaper kind. The revelation is, however, bound to come to
everyone on prolonged hearing, unless the listener himself lacks quality. In passing it should be noted that Wes plays a normal amplified
(rather than "electric") guitar, with normal fingerboard, stringing and tuning. His gifts are completely natural and not only does he lack the
ability to read music of any kind but he does not even read chord symbols. His ear for
harmony is unfailingly imaginative and rich but, in his own words, though he can neither
read, explain or name the chords "I can give them to you on the guitar." On
sessions he is quicker than many trained (and famous) musicians in assimilating a new
sequence or arrangement. HIS RECORDS SPEAK Enough of words, though. From here onwards his records can speak
for themselves. On record he is not yet too well served, especially in this country, but
what is available is high in quality. The importation of records from the "Montgomeryland” vogue LAE 12246. 12" 33 rpm. "Blowin' the Blues" Vogue LAE. 12224. 12" 33 rpm. The second of these contains only one From the "The Incredible
Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery." - Riverside RLP 12320. 12" 33 rpm. "The Wes Montgomery Trio" - Riverside RLP 12-310.
12" 33 rpm. "Work Song" - Riverside RLP 12318. 12" 33 rpm. In the final part of this series l will try to indicate what
rewards await the seeker after these records. July 1962 Since the
opening articles in this series were written I have learned a few additional things about
Wes Montgomery’s playing and, though they are not particularly well connected with
one another, they are well worth mention. The first continues from the last article, in
which I put on to paper my thoughts relating to Wes' use of the right-hand thumb instead
of a plectrum. On balance these thoughts inclined to the view that he uses the thumb from
choice rather than simple lack of tuition. This proves to be the case. Initially Wes tried
playing with a plectrum and just could not learn to love it. He discarded it in favour of
the thumb because he did not like the type of attack and quality of sound it gave and he
felt that it lacked the flexibility of dynamic of the thumb. The change was
made in full realisation that this meant some sacrifice of speed but it was considered
worth the sacrifice 1n view of the gain in expressive capacity. Despite this, as his
records show, he has developed, such speed that few others, with their plectra, can move
more quickly and still play anything of value.The second point is in relation to the
action of the thumb itself. AN OLD
FRIEND To the classic guitarist the thumb is an old
friend. The classic player who follows the Those who are
incorrectly taught, or who cling to the direct line from Tarrega, bend the thumb at its
first joint - the "Tarrega, wiggle." There is thus a fair variety of thumb
action already in use and we have not even referred to the many variants embraced by A friend, who
has seen him play often and who has been concerned with recording his playing, tells me
that Wes uses his thumb by rotating the hand the pivot being more or less, the line of the
forearm. From his description I gather there is little independent movement of the thumb
in relation to the rest of the hand. Now classic
guitar thumb action must be viewed in relation to the use of the hand as a whole, as part
of a resourceful and flexible unit which gives a wide range of possible action patterns.
On this, basis, movement contrary to the fingers, must necessarily be of the type of
either the Wes is not,
however, concerned with any question of balancing or accommodating the action of the
fingers; his thumb is a "plectrum" of flesh and Mood and the fingers, just
"go along for the ride." In normal life
the thumb is not called upon to perform rapid and independent actions. Even the classic
guitarist does not often require to use the thumb with real rapidity and when he does it
is neither at the speed reached by Wes nor is it for such sustained periods. Any attempt to,
play say a scale, rapidly (and for more than a bar or three) will soon convince the reader
the thumb is just not normally suited to this kind of thing. Sooner or later (and the
faster the tempo the sooner) it "seizes up" and refuses to respond; the
mechanism is probably in part one of mental blockage and partly of muscular fatigue. LOW
LIMIT The same may,
of course, be said of any movement performed with any part of the body but with the thumb
the limit is set fairly low especially in relation to the order of velocity that music may
require. One of ithe basic principles of fingering, whether for the right or the left
hand, is, that the use of the fingers should be balanced where possible - where there is
an option, it is soundest to give an equidistribution of work. A right-hand,
classic-guitar tremolo makes use, of all three fingers and a long trill with the left hand
(hammers and snaps) is, frequently helped by changing the moving finger. An action such as
that described as being used by Wes Montgomery tends to throw the onusof movement on
muscles and tendons not concerned with moving the thumb itself independently and forming a
looser and more-used system. Because it tends to throw the fingers away from the strings
it would be useless for the classic player but this is not the point in the case under
study. Judging from
sound alone I should not be surprised if Wes used a variety of movement; for instance I
can hear evidence of movement of the hand as a whole across the sitrings without rotation
at the wrist. In slow-moving melodies he may also rest the hand either on the scratchplate
or even on the upper strings when playing on the lower, whilst using the thumb very much
in the Segovia manner - a Tarrega wiggle would not come naturally to a man accustomed to
using the thumb as a semi-rigid unit in the way we have been discussing. Until we see
Wes' playing at first hand, some of our analysis must be speculative but, as there are
already players in this country who are experimenting with the use of the thumb, it is of
value to discuss the principles involved. The same
friend, himself a guitarist, commented also, that Wes appears to have no rationalised
approach to the fingerboard in the position-playing sense. He knows what musical sounds he
wants and he goes, for them with "anything" that comes to hand. By academic
standards (insofar as they exist with the jazz guitar) he is an untidy, undisciplined and
unbeautiful player who "gets by" because he is amazingly agile and quick-witted. Rather though
is he a man from whom music pours like thought or speech (even though this, is contrary to
his own view of himself) who has a God-given instinct in relation to his instrument. Like
all geniuses he makes his own rules but can safely be judged alone by the music he
produces. Next month we
will reach the consideration of his records delayed by the intrusion of the above
thoughts. August 1962 The first
articles in this series were written quite some time ago and, since then, the overall
picture regarding records of Wes Montgomery has changed quite considerably. There was a
time when, once a record was issued, one could depend upon being able to buy it through
the normal channels for a long time; deletions were announced annually, and they affected
only a small proportion of the total records in issue. Nowadays a record may be
discontinued after a very short time only to be reissued in exactly the same form some
months later sometimes the deletion appears permanent for all practical purposes. This
explanation is necessary because it affects any list of recordings one might give; such a
list might well be out of date, both as regards new issues and deletions, by the time it
reaches print. The following information is thus, as the world of commerce has it, given
"in good faith but without responsibility"! FIRST
RECORDS The first
available records of Wes in this country were the two issued here on Vogue and stemming
from Pacific Jazz. These two ("Montgomeryland" on LAE. 12246, and "Blowin'
the Blues" on LAE. 12224) are still, to the best of my knowledge, available here. I
do not know whether they are still in issue in the The remaining
records of which I know were made for Bill Grauer Productions Inc. of The Jazzland
record given below is, at the time of writing, available here but the position is very
unclear with the Here then is
the "The
Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery" "The Wes
Montgomery Trio"-Riverside RLP.12-310. "Work
Song" Riverside RLP. 12-318. "Movin'
Along" "Cannonball
Adderley and the PollWinners"-Riverside RLP.12-355. "Groove
Yard" "So Much
Guitar!" Riverside RLP. 12-382. "Bags
Meets Wes" Riverside RLP. 12-407. "George
Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers"-Jazzland JLP. 55. All these are
12-inch long-players now, with the 45s, virtually the standard unit of the record industry
but in the realm of Jazz there should be more 10 inch long-players to make more digestible
lumps available to more people, through their lower cost. My current
information is that "Bags Meets Wes" is due for issue in the autumn whilst
"Groove Yard" and "The Incredible Jazz Guitar" are due for re-issue
before long. "The Wes Montgomery Trio," so far un-issued in the "Blowin'
the Blues" Vogue LAE. 12224: Only one IDEAS
FLOW "Montgomeryland
Funk" opens with a riff-styled chorus ensemble, followed by three hard-driven
choruses in singleline from Wes. The tone is nicely recorded and is full and round, the
attack is incisive and the ideas flow authoritatively. Three choruses follow from tenor
player Harold Land (a very "busy" player with a harsh tone that contrasts
sharply with Wes' rounded sound) and then there is a wonderful string of "chase"
choruses in which, with Wes leading the way, the guitar and tenor exchange phrases,
beginning with 8s, proceeding to 4s, and finally to 2s, a device that is not used
sufficiently and which lends growth of excitement. Wes' phrases are in octaves and range
from powerful invention to impish interpolation "The Champ" and "Someone's
Rocking my Dreamboat." At the point where lesser players would sit back and smirk at
their ingenuity in superimposing another tune, Wes brushes the thing aside and lets the
force of his invention take control. His octave playing is eloquent, forceful, and mobile
beyond anything Django ever recorded and it bears the inflections normally reserved for a
single-note line. Both with the octaves and the single notes the intensity of feeling is
obvious in the dynamics normally lacking in the up-tempo playing of others such as Barney
Kessel. The tempo here is about crotchet 160; not fast, but fast enough to level out the
dynamics of most players. I strongly recommend this record for the Wes initiate but with
the reservation that its prime interest is in only one track of eight. This will be
sufficient only if money is not tight.
September 1962 On the whole Wes
Montgomery seems to fall short of his best work when he is coupled with other
"front-line" players, though the generalisation is not without exception and
other great artists do not seem to fire him as one might expect. The nearest to a
monumental outcome is reached with Milt Jackson, but even this fails to achieve the great
heights one might hope for in comparison with those reached by Wes an records like
"The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery." In this he has only the residue
of a rhythm section: Tommy Flanagan (piano) and brothers Percy and Albert Heath (bass and
drums). Within the limits of jazz expression and feeling this is a veritable microcosmos
with its seven tracks of sharply defined mood and character. Too often are the
individual contents of long-playing records differentiated only by measurable quantities
such as speed, key and progression. Only the greatest artists have the capacity to bring
real life and individuality to numbers to make each into a living entity within its own
ethos. There is, for instance, no
way of measuring the attributes that differentiate "Polka Dots and Moonbeams"
from "In Your Own Sweet Way," both slow numbers played virtually as guitar solos
with only a piano release to each. Wes dreams his way serenely through the first in what
is a unique and beautifully artistic way, using octaves throughout (apart from two odd
chords, plus two more on the two closing notes) in the most eloquent way. The other piece
is of a different world with its opening and closing passages in chords and the
improvisation in single-note, perfectly poised and unerringly developed. The brittle
sophistication of the piece is perfectly caught. When he does move into semiquavers it is
at the right moment and the passage is shapely and not a mere piece of display. ART CONCEALS ART Art always conceals art
and if you think "Moonbeams" is easy to play, you will soon find how mistaken
you are - it is slow enough for anyone of even modest ability to transcribe. Reinhardt too
had his dreams, but never did he achieve so much serenity; the volatile outburst was
always round the corner. Twice Wes touches his cap
to others whom he respects. In the fast-moving "Airegin" it is to Tal Farlow,
echoes of whom we can hear in the rhythmic shaping of the phrases and their length (what
Tal calls "fanning"). The earlier improvising in "D-Natural Blues" has
more than a suggestion of the feeling of Kenny Burrell. I fancy there is too a little
respect for Jim Hall in the theme of "West Coast Blues" which is; unusually, in
three-four time. "Mr. Walker" has
a Latin-American styled accompaniment and some very prolonged busy-ness from Wes, and
"Four on Six" is a treatment of "Summertime." The last - named tune
appears in its own right on another record and in both cases it is treated at a fairly
quick tempo and with the same curious twist of harmony. On this record however it lacks
the Latin Americana of the other playing. This particular record shows all the facets of
Wes' technique and in several tracks there is the progressive development of long solos
through single notes to octaves and finally to chords that is found with no other player,
even setting aside the immense artistry of its execution. This reaches its ultimate in the
last track of the record "Gone With The Wind." Here are six and a quarter
miraculous minutes of non-stop guitar. The flow of invention
never stops, the taste is impeccable and, when all is done, the technical command takes
your breath away. Every listener will find his own special highlights in this track. For
me I might choose for mention (i) the underlining with responsive octaves of part of the
first chorus (ii) the sudden electrifying break into triplet movement in the second chorus
at the half-way mark and the sequential phrase that closes it (iii) the whole conception
of the third chorus the first in octaves (iv) the melodic outline of his first chord
chorus the fifth (v) the lead-in to the sixth chorus in crochet-tripleted chords and its
continuation for a whole half chorus (vi) the sureness of thought and execution in
everything from beginning to end and (vii) the way in which the piece builds steadily from
the leisurely single-line of the opening to the chorded closing sections. LITTLE LEFT The jazz guitar was never
used like this before and one's first reaction on hearing this last band is to feel there
is nothing to say and little left to do except to marvel. How far you are from this
reaction is a measure of the distance you still have to travel in your appreciation of
jazz and the guitar. In playing like this it is
the musical motivation that comes first. If this is not present then no amount of
technique will disclose it. When it burns in the presence of such a natural gift and with
the intensity revealed here; thoughts of technical difficulty cannot even enter the mind
of the player. His fingers are directly linked to his musical imagination and somehow,
without reference to technical niceties and orthodoxy, the musical thought is transferred
without impediment to the fingers and these wring from the guitar the exact nuance of
every note. This is in fact vocal thinking and the guitar comes nearer to the freedom of a
wind instrument in its inflections than ever before. At the same time, it is more, since
the wind instruments cannot add the weight of octaves or the colouration of chords to
their line. Only the keyboard can do this and by comparison with the guitar it is
inflexible. The incredible jazz guitar
of Wes Montgomery ranges from a delicate filigree to a full-throated and rounded voice of
authority. I do not propose to discuss all the records listed as fully as this one, though
many tracks will merit detailed comment. The recording quality of this one is good, though
some of the others are far better. There is also a fair variation in the tone-quality of
Wes' guitar from record to record. Microphone placing probably played a large part in
this. One final tailpiece on
"Gone With The Wind." over a year ago, with some trepidation, I played this
track to Alirio Diaz at my home. As it ended I began to lift the tone-arm of the
gramophone. Immediately he jumped up and stopped me-"No! Leave it!" Seven tracks
later I finally succeeded in changing the subject! Though far from a jazz musician, Alirio
instinctively recognised the artistry-technically there was nothing that would have
disturbed him in the least. October 1962
Another record in which
Wes has only accompanimental support is "The Wes Montgomery Trio" (Riverside
RLP. 12-310), stemming from a time in late 1959 when he worked regularly at the Missile
Room in Indianapolis with Melvin Rhyne (electric organ) and Paul Parker (bass). This
apparently unpromising ensemble worked with wonderful understanding and, on this record,
went far towards alleviating my distaste for the electric organ. In the ensemble the organ
is a real asset, though it burbles irritatingly when solos become overlong, as in
"Missile Blues" and "Satin Doll." "Satin Doll" is
in fact as different from Barney Kessel's extrovert rendering as one could travel; the
technical wonder of his chord changing being the only common ground. This latter quality
reaches its zenith (probably amongst all his records) in "Missile Blues" when,
with its intermixed octaves, is leaves one limp and deflated. The old Jerome Kern tune
"Yesterdays" is taken at a moderate tempo and contains some touches of humour,
such as the point at which he ascends the tune in octaves, with so many chromatic
intervals that it progresses more slowly (in terms of rise in pitch) than it should. At
this point where this becomes evident he swoops suddenly into the upper register as if in
impatience. The effect should be heard as it loses in the telling. The finest piece on this
record is undoubtedly "Round Midnight," Thelonius Monk's famous after-hours
composition. Much is owed to the wonderful organ accompaniment consisting essentially of
sustained and exquisitely-voiced chords, played very softly. Over this Wes plays the
melody with little deviation and where he does deviate his choice of notes and decoration
is truly lovely. The middle section is in octaves. The improvisation is in octaves
followed by chords and is positively spellbinding (as is the track as a whole) in its
beauty. The octaves sweep along, latterly, in a long phrase that recalls Sir Donald
Tovey's remark on the Fifth Symphony of Sibelius: ". . . ends with the finality of a
work that knew from the outset exactly when its last note was due." It compels
listening in breathless silence. This track alone justifies the price of the record, even
if it contained nothing else of value which it does not. The after-hours mood is
even more pronounced in "One for my Baby" which concludes "So Much
Guitar," a record on which Wes again has the backing of piano (Hank Jones), bass and
drums, plus a conga drummmer on some tracks. Sinatra may have made this number his own
property but he has certainly granted a substantial lease to Wes on this record SPELL-BINDING The same spell-binding is
there as in "Round Midnight," though the whole mood is even softer and octaves
are reserved for the gentle underlining of terminal phrases in the tune itself. It lasts
for seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds and not one too long. The same record contains
some excellent playing amongst which three numbers are particularly notable. "I Wish
I Knew" shows Wes's talent for paying ballad-type numbers with true jazz feeling
though less well than some other tracks elsewhere. "Cotton Tail," the old Ben
Webster "flyer," is taken at a pace that is right in the Tal Farlow / Howard
Roberts bracket. How Wes manages to play any notes at all at about 70 bars a minute,
moving in quavers, using his thumb only, defeats even a rich imagination. Not only does he
succeed in this seemingly lunatic enterprise but he contrives also to be constructive to a
greater degree than most people armed with a plectrum. If this is not the greatest
fast-moving jazz on record it is at least a remarkable piece of evidence of the level of
technique available to this man - a technique kept unfailingly under control when taste
demands it. In direct contrast to this
is "While We’re Young," a unique track in all Montgomeryland. This is a
lovely song, recorded equally beautifully some years ago by Peggy Lee (whose record I
still treasure) and too good ever to become popular. Wes obviously feels this way about
it, too, for he plays it very slowly, in chords, and with the minimum of trimming. Even
the longheld notes are not filled in. He too feels the piece is good enough to stand on
its own merits and plays it, with obvious affection, as an unaccompanied guitar solo. The remaining tracks are
average for Wes ("Lucky So-and-So" swings very freely) though they would do
anyone else real credit. The conga drum created employment but has no other obvious virtue
in this context. IN COMPANY Once a musician achieves a
certain level of eminence the recording companies hasten to place him in the company of as
many other notabilities as possible. This gives rise to the inumerable "Bill Scroggs
Meets Fred Crump" or "Charlie Cringe with the Sam Snead Tee-time Trio"
encounters. More often than not these fail to live up to their promise, though the
occasional session comes to life whilst the red light is on. Wes Montgomery has endured a
certain amount of this treatment already and although the recording fees have no doubt
benefted his wife and six children, no real catalysis has yet resulted though some
agreeable music has come about. In this category falls the
record of "George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers" (Jazzland JLP.55),
available in this country at the time of writing. Though George is in the minority, the
old Shearing sound of the earlier Quintet days pervades the record; it is, however, more
robust and purposeful than most of the original Quintet recordings in which Chuck Wayne's
guitar, fine as his solos were, sounded like an amplified plum pudding. Wes uses his full
armoury in playing solos on nearly all the tracks – those on "Love Walked
In," "Love For of the high order.
Shearing plays little of the Latin American jangle that has lately bewitched him and in
most of his solos he evades the "Teatime in A common cause of failure
in such enterprises is sheer incompatibility of style (even where mutual admiration
exists) and quite surprisingly Shearing gets along well with the
January 1963 The seeker after a good
introduction to the music of Wes Montgomery could do worse than make his acquaintance
through "Montgomeryland" (Vogue LAE, 12246) which, although one of the first
records available here, has some of his most exquisite playing. The personnel on one side
is identical with that on "Blowin' the Blues" - the Brothers Montgomery with
Harold Land on tenor and a drummer. On the reverse side Harold Land gives way to Pony
Poindexter (alto) and a different drummer. It is the first line-up that is, on the whole,
the more successful though both produce memorable Jazz. With Harold Land, the side
opens with "For Wes" (misprinted as "Far Wess" on the record), a very
easy-paced piece in D Flat, having a harmonic sequence well above average. (It is one of
five Wes "originals" on the record). There are few CARRIES THE DAY Much the same may be said
of the even slower "Leila," another of the Such is the spell he
weaves that the heavy breathing of Harold Land in his sustained notes beneath Wes' coda
runs, is a rude intrusion. The side is rounded out by "Wes' Tune," a fast-moving
piece with two driving choruses from Wes that contain some unusual and even
"cheeky" turns of phrase. More than once Tal Farlow peeps over his shoulder! The other side has
exellent solos in "Monk's Shop" and "Summertime" (given a Latin beat
and giving a hint of the potential speed of attack of the famous thumb); a fair-to-average
one in "Renie" and a common-time version of "Falling in Love With
Love" that gives a blues-slanted and original view from where Wes sat. Poindexter
suffers from Land's Disease (a rush of notes to the bell) but his instrument is lighter in
weight and is less obtrusive in effect. The two sides were
recorded a year apart and, the sleeve annotater claims, Wes shows his increasing maturity.
As the Land-lumbered side is the earlier, I find it hard to agree with him. Whatever the
truth of the matter, Wes is in wonderful form on both sittings. There is a looseness and
flexibility about his sound that is not often matched on record and his emotional
engagement in what he is playing is both obvious and fruitful. Unless I am mistaken,
"Bags Meets Wes" (Riverside RLP 407) is now obtainable in HIGH SPOTS High-spots on this very
good record, from the guitarist's selfish point of view, are: The commanding stride of
Wes' entry into his solo in "S.K.J." - the entry of a man who is so firmly in
the saddle that he does not have to perform any tricks to prove his right to be there; the
octave solos in "Jingles" and "Sam Sack" - the first is one of his
most staggering and audacious essays in this vein to date; the lovely and unhurried octave
solo in "Stairway to the Stars," showing Wes' ability to stay simple whilst
remaining beyond the artistic reach of most people and his knack of picking on the
"ear-tickling" notes; and finally, the chord solo in "Delilah" in
which he underlines, with chords, an improvisation that is clearly melodic in concept,
apparently without a thought for the technical problems posed. In this last item at least
he not only draws up alongside Milt Jackson but overtakes him with ease, reducing with his
strength and purposefulness, Riverside RLP 342,
"Movin Along" (unaccountably printed as "Movin' Up” on the spine of
the sleeve) has been issued in Britain and since deleted. This is a pity; it is not even
in quality but it houses some very great playing. It differs not only in personnel (the
pianist is our own Victor Feldman) from his other recordings but also in that here he
plays some tracks on (6 string) bass guitar………. Wes does not need carrying
and, what-ever one many think of the sound of the bass guitar (I for one find it a prize
bore), the way in which he handles this somewhat clumsy instrument is marvellous in its
agility, certainty and musical exploitation. No octaves, no chords, naturally. Octaves
would be taxing and none too effective, whilst chords would sound muddy and ugly. Of the bass-guitar tracks,
"Body and Soul" is perhaps the best though it is a pity the common temptation to
double the tempo in the middle choruses was not resisted. Either you like flutes in Jazz
or you do not. Like Berlioz' music, it is something few people approach with indifference,
one way or the other. IRRITATION I take both views
according to the context and the thin tootling of James Clay contributes only irritation
to my ears. Against the full-throated sound of Wes' guitar it sounds faintly comical,
though in the opening and closing choruses the two blend satisfactorily. Of the remaining tracks
the title piece "Movin' Along" is one of two outstanding gems. It is a blues,
punctuated with sustained chords that cut across the flow in a way that compels careful
listening and gives the soloists opportunity to phrase, to exploit it. Wes plays first
single-note and then octave choruses that number amongst his best. The recorded quality of
the playing helps considerably, allowing the guitar's sound to dominate in the solos - he
is not always as well projected in other recordings (for instance in "Jingles"
on "Bags Meets Wes," in the single-note solo). Even without this his choruses
would dominate by their authority and feeling, particularly the octaves with which he
"preaches the blues" and shows how, when you have the creative stature, you can
take your time (using rests as well as notes for their effect) and building with simple,
direct, diatonic notes on the strength of clear-cut ideas. These choruses stamp the
quality of Wes Montgomery, the fundamental Jazz musician, without particular reference to
the guitar. The other gem is
"Ghost of a Chance" opened in octaves formed into dreaming phrases clothing the
melody, passing through single notes and back to the octaves. The superficial resemblance
to the earlier recording by Johnny Smith is probably not by chance but, despite the
soaring single-note excursions to the upper register in the middle sections and the
close-spaced chords that open the final eight bars, there is a whole world separating the
treacle-filled perfection of Johnny Smith and the deeply-felt creation of The final eight bars in which these chords are
broken into by an upspringing stroke in tritones (in octaves) and a return to the mood of
the opening, are sheer magic the more since they follow a marvellously flowing middle
eight. In this latter he is clearly carried forward on the impetus of his invention and
his thoughts have immediate access to his fingers. After this, the non-stop flow in a
string of swinging choruses in "Says You," containing little that would have
come from any other player, is just about worthy of mention. Only Wes himself could
relegate this to the back page.
May 1963 Little remains now but to
complete the Wes Montgomery discography as I know it. There remain five records of which
four are under the aegis of "Groove Yard"
(Riverside RLP.362) is the finest of the remaining records since it contains not only
vintage Wes in liberal quantities but also the fruits of the perfect natural understanding
amongst the Montgomery brothers. "Remember" has some guitar/piano passages that
both recall and "cap" those of earlier teams such as Oscar Moore/Nat Cole and
Billy Bauer/Lennie Tristano, in relaxation and naturalness. "Back to Back"
(but see Vogue LAE. 12137 below) is unalloyed Wes with Monk's string basis in evidence,
supplying that special quality of looseness and movement the electric bass (for all its
versatility) has never quite matched. That same quality is evident in "Heart
Strings"; for me the best track on this record and one of the very best on any In both opening and
closing choruses the three brothers produce a unity of cloncept found in few places other
than the bands of Ellington and (in a different way) Basie and probably in great measure
due to the greatest of orchestrators - Heredity. BEAUTY OF PHRASE "If I Should Lose You" finds Wes once
more willing to deliver a worthwhile melody with little or no embellishment and then to
improvise on it with the emphasis on beauty of phrase; his leisurely movement is effective
contrast to the filigree work of Buddy on the piano. Other tracks are of high standard and
the whole, adds up to a compulsive acquisition for the Montgomery Clubman. The most recent release to
my knowledge is of a session with tenor-saxophionist Johnny Griffin and the rhythm section
from the Miles Davis Sextet under the title of "Full House" (Riverside RLP. 434)
including only six titles and therefore, room for the soloists to
expand………. This grouping was assembled primarily because it was felt the
right ingredients were at hand for drawing out Wes’ best work before
a live audience. Many bad features of such sessions have been avoided the hollow sound;
the far-distant aspect of the soloists; the gallery-fetching, excessive audience intrusion
and so on. At his best Johnny Griffin is equal to the company he keeps but on occassion,
he, like Harold Land before him, pours out many more notes than seem to serve any
worthwhile purpose. Happily he does so without Land's coarseness. The rhythm section is a
delight and Wes rises to their encouragement splendidly in "Cariba," "Come
Rain," “S.O.S.” and" "Blue 'n Boogie with powerful solos full of
purpose and drive; the octaves leaving one to wonder how he can think these passages so
freely (with so little concern for difficulty) and to execute them even at up-tempo in a
way that makes it easy to forget they are not single notes. "Full House"
itself is a very good example of the modern trend towards the use of 3/4 time for pure
jazz. It swings as compellingly as any 4/4. LIKES THE TUNE The remaining item
balances the record beautifully but it is a little mysterious how it ever came to be
included. The "My Fair Lady" tune is a simple guitar solo miainly in chords, in
the manner of "While We're Young" (RLP.382), with next too no accompaniment and
with no,apparent raison d'etre except that Wes likes the tune and thinks it is worth
playing for its own sake. This delight in simplicity and unadorned beauty, expressed in
this way, does not lessen but rather emphasises his greatness as a musician - jazz,
tutored, or untutored, or any other kind.
The final three. records
on my list involve Wes in sessions in which he is only one of a number of soloists. All
have their moments but seldom do they rise to the heights of Wes' own personal peaks. The
best is that of 1958, one of the very first-released Montgomery records but acquired by
myself only since the last article in this series was written .….. The three Montgomerys are
joined by five local and little-known musicians - two tenor saxophonists, a trumpet
player, piano and drums (Buddy M. plays vibes in this session) Who show more invention and
discipline than many established "name" soloists and certainly do little to
lower the standard of the proceedings. I wonder how many
undiscovered Wes Montgomerys there are on various instruments, tucked away in the vastness
of extra-metropolitan "Bock to Bock"
(now look back to RLP. 362) appears in its true form, as a tribute to the famous organiser
of the session - Dick Bock of World Pacific Records. The Later "Back to Back"
was taken at a faster tempo and was all the better for it the original drags rather
stiffly at times. Buy this one if only for the slow numbers (in which Monk's electric bass
is heard at its best). They are of the stuff that endures. "Work Song" ( LET US REMEMBER Finally, "Cannonball
Adderley etc." (Riverside RLP. 355) offers Wes in company with, amongst others,
another loquacious Adderley. Like so many reed players under these conditions he just
cannot find enough notes to cram into the passing bars but, before we are too hard on this
man, let us remember that without his insistent enthusiasm we might never have had Wes
Montgomery brought to light. Had we even heard of him it might have been as one of those
legendary players who never comes out of hiding and in whom it is difficult to believe. Wes remains legendary,
larger than life and difficult to believe, but now very much in view. In addition to some
worthy Wes-manship this record offers the bass of Ray Brown and the piano of British-born
Vic Feldman. The many words I have
written on this remarkable man are a drop in the ocean of journalism he has unleashed. He
is firmly established on the throne of jazz-guitar players of today and, possibly, of all
time and happily endorsed in that position by his "rivals" themselves. It is the
great guitarists of today who are the leading members of his "fan club" and the
great jazz musicians of other instruments who second their nomination. He is now so firmly
established, it is so difficult to imagine the jazz-guitar scene without him that one
could hardly do better than end with a tally of the recording dates of the albums I have
written about gleaned from the sleeves. " "Blowin' The
Blues" (LAE.12224) Sometime in 1959. "Montgomeryland"
(LAE. 12246)Unknown but probably 1959. "Wes Montgomery
Trio" (RLP.310)October 1959. "Work Song"
(RLP.318) January 1960. "Incredible Jazz
Guitar" (RLP.320)January 1960. "Cannonball
Adderley" (RLP.355) May 1960. "Movin' Along"
(RLP.342) October 1960. "Groove Yard"
(RLP.362) January 1961. "So Much Guitar"
(RLP.382) August 1961. "George Shearing With
-etc." (JLP.55)October 1961. "Bags Meets Wes"
(RLP.407) December 1961. "Full House"
(RLP.434) June 1962. Jazz Cinderella with a
vengeance. Long before Wes' first record was cut, Barney Kessel was already
long-established at or near the top of the tree - he is probably still the most
financially successful of jazz guitarists. Perhaps he can afford to say it but it is still
warming to read in a recent issue of the Parisian "Guitare et Musique" that, in
an interview, Barney Kessel said: "The greatest, of us
all is unquestionably Wes Montgomery." Whoever disagrees with him
is unlikely to be a Big Man! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wes
Montgomery By Jack Duarte BMG - June 1965 DURING 1962-1963
I wrote a series of articles bearing the same heading as this; based on a study of Wes's
recordings then available and a brief exchange of correspondence. Now speculation has been
pushed aside,
Wes has been and has stayed long enough to be seen by anyone with the slightest
initiative. The claims I made for him, a few years ago, are now being repeated by others
publicly or, reluctantly, to themselves. Professionals
and amateurs have, alike, made their pilgrimage to Ronnie Scott's basement club and have
shared this at once stimulating and humbling experience. Even my original claim in 1962
that Wes is the most interesting and significant single guitarist in the history of Jazz
is now finding widespread acceptance. I do not
intend to re-write my original articles or to reproduce the contents of record sleeves;
these are rather the thoughts thrown up by numerous contacts with Wes at the Television
Centre; at Ronnie Scott's Club; and in the comparative leisure of my home. Because I
think many readers will be most curious in that direction, I will try to begin with his
technique of playing. I say "try" because Wes is such a well integraited person
(whose life and music are closely linked in many ways) it is hard to talk of any one aspct
without involving others. The famous right-hand thumb is fairly long (it is just as
"curly" as The upstrokes
are concentrated on half-emphasised ("ghosted") chords. Often he will use
successive down strokes at considerable speed where he feels this to give the kind of
attack he wants. Hammers and snaps (legati) greatly assist in fast passages (only one
stroke of the thumb being required for two or more notes) but, again, when he wants to he
both can and does play a succession of notes, each attacked separately, the thumb
appearing to "bounce" in its action. The operative
word is "appearing"; I have sat within a few feet of the Famous Thumb, for
several hours and there is still much in which the quickness of the thumb deceives the
eye. Both Jim Hall and Milt Jackson have played with or watched Wes many times and both
told me they did not know exactly how he managed everything with his thumb. I can now
understand what then seemed a strange lack of observation! The action of
striking is a curiously mixed one. It bears a superficial resemblance to the classic
guitarist's apoyando, the supported stroke, in which the thumb is pushed through so it
comes to rest against the next string. The thumb operates with the tip-joint in a plane
almost parallel to that of the strings, so it is the fleshy side that meets the string
rather than the nail. None of this
is particularly surprising: the position of the fingers makes it difficult to play any but
a supported stroke (which is, in any case, the easiest and the most-used mode of striking
used by the classic guitarist) and the stroke is versatile enough to embrace a whole gamut
of attack from the forceful to the gentle. The
"curliness" of the tip-joint naturally tends to present the fleshy side of the
thumb to the strings. Finally, the close spacing of the strings (Wes uses a normally made
plectrum guitar) also makes it difficult to execute a surface stroke. Given the attitude
of the right-hand fingers then, the rest follows. All this said, his velocity and
certainty are staggering. |
