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Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery, 1965
Wes Montgomery, 1965
Background information
Birth name John Leslie Montgomery
Born March 6, 1925(1925-03-06)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died June 15, 1968 (aged 43)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Genre(s) Soul jazz
Contemporary jazz
Crossover jazz
Mainstream jazz
Jazz pop
Hard bop
Occupation(s) Composer, Guitarist
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) Riverside, Verve, CTI

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (6 March 1925 - 15 June 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Soul jazz was a development of Hard bop which incorporated strong influences from Blues, Gospel and Rhythm and blues in music for small Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States In the wake of fusion 's decline in the mid-1970s jazz artists who continued to seek wider audiences began incorporating a variety of popular sounds into their music forming a group of Mainstream jazz is a genre of Jazz music that was first used in reference to the playing styles of musicians like Buck Clayton among others performers who once heralded Hard bop is a style of Jazz that is an extension of Bebop (or "bop" music A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Riverside Records a United States Record label specializing in Jazz, was the raison d'etre for Bill Grauer Productions Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. CTI Records ( Creed Taylor International or Creed Taylor Incorporated) was a Jazz Record label founded in 1967 by Creed Taylor Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed " Jazz He is generally considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Grant Green and Pat Metheny. Jean "Django" Reinhardt ( January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Gypsy jazz Guitarist Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian ( 29 July 1916 &ndash 2 March 1942) was an American swing and Bebop Grant Green ( June 6, 1935 &ndash January 31, 1979; some sources erroneously give the birth year as 1931 was a Jazz Guitarist Patrick Bruce Metheny (born August 12, 1954 in Lee's Summit Missouri) is an American Jazz Guitarist and Composer

Contents

Biography

Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He came from a musical family, in which his brothers, Monk (string bass and electric bass) and Buddy (vibraphone, and piano), were jazz performers. William Howard "Monk" Montgomery ( October 10, 1921 – May 20, 1982) was an American Jazz Bassist The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a Musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers Although he was not skilled at reading music, he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. Montgomery started learning guitar at the age of 19, listening to and learning recordings of his idol, the guitarist Charlie Christian. Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian ( 29 July 1916 &ndash 2 March 1942) was an American swing and Bebop He was known for his ability to play Christian solos note for note and was hired by Lionel Hampton for this ability.

Montgomery is often considered the greatest of modern jazz guitarists. Following the early work of swing/pre-bop guitarist Charlie Christian and gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Wes arguably put guitar on the map as a bebop or post-bop instrument. Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Gypsy jazz (also known as "Gypsy Swing" is an idiom often said to have been started by Guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s Jean "Django" Reinhardt ( January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Gypsy jazz Guitarist Although Johnny Smith was the guitarist in the original New York Bebop scene, and both Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney made significant contributions in the 1950's to bebop guitar, each of these men curtailed their own output in the 1960s, creating a vacuum that Montgomery naturally filled with virtuousic playing. Johnny Smith, (born John Henry Smith Jr on June 25, 1922 in Birmingham Alabama) is an American Cool jazz and Talmage Holt Farlow ( June 7, 1921 &ndash July 25, 1998) was a Jazz Guitarist He was born in Greensboro North Jimmy Raney ( 20 August 1927 &ndash 10 May 1995) was an American Jazz guitarist born in Louisville Kentucky While many Jazz players are regarded as virtuosos, Montgomery was unique in his wide influence on other virtuosos who followed him, and in the respect he earned from his contemporaries. To many, Montgomery's playing defines jazz guitar and the sound that many try to emulate.

Montgomery toured with Lionel Hampton early in his career, however the combined stress of touring and being away from family brought him back home to Indianapolis. Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist To support his family of eight, Montgomery worked in a factory from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, then performed in local clubs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. Cannonball Adderley heard Montgomery in an Indianapolis club and was floored. Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley ( September 15 1928 – August 8 1975) was a Jazz alto saxophonist of He helped sign Montgomery to a recording contract and recorded with him on his Pollwinners album. Montgomery recorded with his brothers and various other group members, including the Wynton Kelly Trio which previously backed up Miles Davis. Wynton Kelly ( December 2, 1931 in Jamaica &mdash April 12 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a Jazz pianist Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer.

John Coltrane asked Montgomery to join his band after a Jam session, but Montgomery continued to lead his own band. Boss Guitar seems to refer to his status as a guitar-playing bandleader. He also made contributions to recordings by Jimmy Smith. Jimmy Smith ( December 8, 1925 year is disputed and is often given as 1928 – February 8, 2005) was a Jazz musician whose performances Jazz purists relish Montgomery's recordings up through 1965, and sometimes complain that he abandoned hard-bop for pop jazz towards the end of his career, although it is arguable that he gained a wider audience for his earlier work with his soft jazz from 1965-1968. During this late period he would occasionally turn out original material alongside jazzy orchestral arrangements of pop songs. In sum, this late period earned him considerable wealth and created a platform for a new audience to hear his earlier recordings.

Technique

Montgomery often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: He would begin a repeating progression with single note lines, derived from scales or modes; after a fitting number of sequences, he would play octaves for a few more sequences, finally culminating with arpeggiated chords.

The use of octaves (playing the same note on two strings one octave apart) for which he is widely known, became known as "the Naptown Sound". In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems Montgomery was also an excellent "single-line" or "single-note" player, and was very influential in the use of block chords in his solos. A block chord is a chord or voicing built directly below the Melody either on the strong beats or to create a four-part harmonized melody line His playing on the jazz standard Lover Man is an example of his single-note, octave- and block-chord soloing. " Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be? " (often called simply " Lover Man " is a 1941 Popular song written by Jimmy Davis Roger ("Ram" ("Lover Man" appears on the Fantasy album The Montgomery Brothers. )

Instead of using a guitar pick, Montgomery plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb, using downstrokes for single notes and a combination of upstrokes and downstrokes for chords and octaves. This technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone from his guitar. George Benson, in the liner notes of the Ultimate Wes Montgomery album, wrote, "Wes had a corn on his thumb, which gave his sound that point. George Benson (b March 22 1943, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American musician whose recording career began at the age of twenty-one A callus (or Callosity) is an especially toughened area of Skin which has become relatively thick and hard as a response to repeated contact or pressure He would get one sound for the soft parts, and then that point by using the corn. That's why no one will ever match Wes. And his thumb was double-jointed. He could bend it all the way back to touch his wrist, which he would do to shock people. "

He generally played a Gibson L-5CES guitar. The Gibson Guitar Corporation of Nashville Tennessee, USA is a manufacturer of acoustic and Electric guitars The company's most popular guitar The Gibson L-5 Guitar was first produced in 1922 by Gibson Guitar Corporation, then of Kalamazoo Michigan, U In his later years he played one of two guitars that Gibson custom made for him. In his early years, Montgomery had a tube amp, often a Fender. In his later years, he played a solid state Standel amp with a 15 inch speaker.

Recording career

Montgomery toured with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton's orchestra from July 1948 to January 1950, and can be heard on recordings from this period. Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist Montgomery then returned to Indianapolis and did not record again until December 1957 (save for one session in 1955), when he took part in a session that included his brothers Monk and Buddy, as well as trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who made his recording debut with Montgomery. William Howard "Monk" Montgomery ( October 10, 1921 – May 20, 1982) was an American Jazz Bassist Buddy Montgomery (b Jan 30 1930 Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz vibraphonist and pianist Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Most of the recordings made by Montgomery and his brothers from 1957-1959 were released on the Pacific Jazz label. Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles based Record label best known for releasing Cool jazz or West coast jazz.

From 1959 Montgomery was signed to the Riverside Records label, and remained there until late 1963, just before the company went bankrupt. Riverside Records a United States Record label specializing in Jazz, was the raison d'etre for Bill Grauer Productions Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against The recordings made during this period are widely considered by fans and jazz historians to be Montgomery's best and most influential. Two sessions in January 1960 yielded The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, which was recorded as a quartet with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Thomas Lee Flanagan ( 16 March, 1930 &ndash 16 November, 2001) was an American Jazz Pianist born in Detroit Percy Heath, ( April 30, 1923 &ndash April 28, 2005) was a Jazz musician, most famous for his 40+ years as the Double bass Albert "Tootie" Heath (b May 31, 1935) is an American Jazz Hard bop Drummer, the brother of tenor Saxophonist The album featured one of Montgomery's most well-known compositions, "Four on Six. "

Almost all of Montgomery's output on Riverside featured the guitarist in a small group setting, usually a quartet or quintet, playing a mixture of hard-swinging uptempo jazz numbers and quiet ballads. In 1964 Montgomery moved to Verve Records for two years. Verve Records is an American Jazz Record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. His stay at Verve yielded a number of albums where he was featured with an orchestra---brass-dominated (Movin' Wes), string-oriented (Bumpin', Tequila), or a mix of both (Goin' Out of My Head, California Dreamin')---and during this period Montgomery's music started to shift in to the territory of pop music. Bumpin is an album by Wes Montgomery, released in 1965 Considered an important improvisational bridge to modern jazz the album represents a model from which many modern Tequila is an agave-based spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila, in the northwest of Guadalajara and in the highlands ( "Goin' Out of My Head" is a song written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein, initially recorded by Little Anthony & the Imperials in 1964 " California Dreamin' " is a song by The Mamas & the Papas, first released in 1965. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure

But he never abandoned jazz entirely in the Verve years, whether with a few selections on most of the Verve albums, or by such sets as 1965's Smokin' at the Half Note (showcasing two memorable appearances at the famous New York City club with the Wynton Kelly Trio) or a pair of albums he made with jazz organ titan Jimmy Smith, The Dynamic Duo and The Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes). Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. The City of New York Wynton Kelly ( December 2, 1931 in Jamaica &mdash April 12 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a Jazz pianist The name Jimmy Smith may refer to Jimmy Smith (American football, a former NFL player with the Jacksonville Jaguars Jimmy Smith (Australian The Dynamic Duo was a professional wrestling tag team that wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling from early to mid 1995. He continued to play outstanding live jazz guitar, as evidenced by surviving audio and video recordings from his 1965 tour of Europe.

As a considered founder of the Smooth Jazz school the album "Bumpin'" (1965) represents a model from which many modern recording are derived: as the liner notes to the CD remaster issue note, after being unable to produce the desired results by the guitarist and orchestra playing together, arranger Don Sebesky suggested Montgomery record the chosen music with his chosen small group, after which Sebesky would write the orchestral charts based on what Montgomery's group had produced. Smooth jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and at times improvisation Don Sebesky (b Dec 10 1937 Perth Amboy, New Jersey) is an American Jazz trombonist and arranger Longer clips from all of the tracks on "Bumpin'" and other Wes Montgomery albums are found on Verve Records website. Bumpin is an album by Wes Montgomery, released in 1965 Considered an important improvisational bridge to modern jazz the album represents a model from which many modern

By the time Montgomery released his first album for A&M Records, he had seemingly abandoned jazz entirely for the more lucrative pop market. A&M Records is an American Record label owned by Universal Music Group which operates through the Interscope-Geffen-A&M division The three albums released during his A&M period (1967-68) feature orchestral renditions of famous pop songs ("Scarborough Fair," "I Say a Little Prayer for You," "Eleanor Rigby," etc. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " Scarborough Fair " is a traditional English Fair, as well as a traditional English Ballad. " Eleanor Rigsby " is a song by The Beatles, originally released on the 1966 Album Revolver. ) with Montgomery reciting the melody with his guitar. These records were the most commercially successful of his career.

He didn't have very long to live to enjoy his commercial success, however; in 1968, he woke one morning, remarked to his wife that he "Didn't feel very well," and minutes later collapsed, dying of a heart attack within minutes. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Montgomery's home town of Indianapolis has named a park in his honor. He is the grandfather of actor Anthony Montgomery. This article is about the American actor For the NFL player see Anthony Montgomery (American football.

Wes and Buddy, along with Richard Crabtree and Benny Barth, formed "The Mastersounds", and recorded "Jazz Showcase Introducing The Mastersounds" and a jazz version of "The King and I", both released by World Pacific Records. They first played together at Seattle, particularly working up the set for "The King and I", at a club called Dave's Fifth Avenue. The composers were so impressed by the jazz version of "The King & I" that they pre-released the score of "Flower Drum Song" to the quartet to allow simultaneous release with the sound track album.

Samples

Wes Montgomery "Tear It Down" (1965)

Sample from Wes Montgomery's "Tear It Down," from the album Bumpin'
Problems listening to the file? See media help. Bumpin is an album by Wes Montgomery, released in 1965 Considered an important improvisational bridge to modern jazz the album represents a model from which many modern

Discography

References

External links

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