Wes Montgomery Smokin Half

Smokin' at the Half Note is essential listening for anyone who wants to hear why Montgomery's dynamic live shows were considered the pinnacle of his brilliant and incredibly influential guitar playing. Pat Metheny calls this "the absolute greatest jazz guitar album ever made," and with performances of this caliber ("Unit 7" boasts one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded) his statement is easily validated. Montgomery never played with more drive and confidence, and he's supported every step of the way by a genuinely smokin' Wynton Kelly Trio.

Wes Montgomery's final record (before his death from a heart attack at age 45) is, as with his two previous A&M releases, pure pop. The great guitarist sticks to simple melody statements (with a lot of octaves thrown in) while backed by Don Sebesky's unimaginative arrangements for an orchestra; commercially the combination was a big success.

Wes Montgomery's last album for Verve (other than an exciting collaboration with Jimmy Smith) is a so-so orchestral date featuring arrangements by Don Sebesky. The material (which includes "Sunny" and "California Dreaming") is strictly pop fluff of the era and the great guitarist has little opportunity to do much other than state the melody in his trademark octaves. This record was perfect for AM radio of the period.

Creed Taylor matched two of his most famous artists, Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith, on this session (Montgomery's last for Verve), and the results are incendiary - a near-ideal meeting of yin and yang. Smith comes at your throat with his big attacks and blues runs while Montgomery responds with rounder, smoother octaves and single notes that still convey much heat. They are an amazing pair, complementing each other, driving each other, using their bop and blues taproots to fuse together a sound. The romping, aggressive big band charts – Oliver Nelson at his best - on "Down by the Riverside" and "Night Train," and the pungently haunting chart for Gary McFarland's "13" (Death March)" still leave plenty of room for the soloists to stretch out. "James and Wes" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside" include drummer Grady Tate and conguero Ray Barretto, with Smith's own feet working the organ pedals…

One of Wes Montgomery's finest recordings, a Riverside date that showcases the influential guitarist in a quintet with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Lex Humphries, and the congas of Ray Barretto. All eight performances are memorable in their own way, with "Cottontail," "I'm Just a Lucky So and So," and a brief unaccompanied "While We're Young" being high points.

As the title of this compilation implies, this is Wes at his mellowest and, unfortunately, poppiest. Much of this is supplemented (and sometimes encumbered) by large orchestration, and the material is sometimes substandard. Montgomery's playing is always good, and some of the tracks are fine indeed (like the title cut and "Maybe September," both of which feature Jimmy Smith. But unless you're specifically in the market for dim-the-lights music, this isn't the best place to experience Wes, stressing some of the less impressive aspects of his later years.

Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery - Smokin’ In Seattle: Live At The Penthouse (2017) {Resonance Records HCD-2029 rec 1966}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 273 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 129 Mb
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© 1966, 2017 Rising Jazz Stars / Resonance Records | HCD-2029
Jazz / Hard Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Piano Trio / Guitar

A rare meeting of guitarist Wes Montgomery and the trio of pianist Wynton Kelly – heard here on unissued material that stands strongly next to their classic Smoking At The Half Note album on Verve! About half the tracks here just feature Kelly's trio – but that's A-Ok with us, as the group is wonderful – a luminous unit that features Ron McClure on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – both players who showcase the maturing style of Wynton's piano work – a great mix of lyricism that stretches out beautifully on the album's longer tracks! Montgomery joins in about a third into the set, and the tunes get even sharper and groovier – as Wes' tones ring out strongly next to the piano, often opening up Kelly with even more chromatic hues. The whole thing is very well-recorded, and beautifully remastered.

Wes Montgomery was reunited with his brothers Monk and Buddy on this 1961 Riverside session, which also features drummer Bobby Thomas. The guitarist and his brothers are in great form throughout the session in spite of the less-than-ideal piano provided. According to producer Orrin Keepnews, Buddy Montgomery originally intended to split his time on the date between vibes and piano, but the failure of the motor on the former instrument caused him to spend most of his time at the keyboard. The highlight of the evening in the studio is a foot-tapping version of Carl Perkins' "Groove Yard," followed closely by a wild ride through Harold Land's "Delirium." The leader contributed the soulful hard bop work "Doujie." The pianist wrote the driving "Just for Now" and the easygoing blues "Bock to Bock."

The two-CD set Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sessions salvages Wes Montgomery's straight jazz sessions for Verve, leaving the pop-oriented covers and orchestral sessions to the original albums. There are selected numbers from albums like Movin' Wes, Goin' Out of My Head and California Dreaming, illustrating that those albums were hardly worthless - each track proves that Montgomery's touch remained elegant and supremely tasteful. The second disc is devoted to the complete sessions for Smokin' at the Half Note, the legendary recording Montgomery made at Van Gelder Studios in 1965 with bassist Paul Chambers, pianist Wynton Kelly and drummer Jimmy Cobb…

Shortly after Wes Montgomery's shockingly early death, Verve rummaged around in the vaults and came up with some additional tapes from the live Smokin' at the Half Note sessions with the Kind of Blue rhythm section, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. And then after-the-fact producer Esmond Edwards did a controversial thing - he commissioned Claus Ogerman, the arranger on Tequila, to overdub wind and brass arrangements on four tracks: the title tune, "Portrait of Jennie," "Oh! You Crazy Moon," and "Misty." The critics promptly pounced on Verve, NARAS responded by giving the album a Grammy, and the whole issue became moot when subsequent reissues of the four tracks erased the new backing charts…