Wes Montgomery – The Most Amazing Jazz Music Guitarist Ever – Part 1
Jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery was the guiding force behind the second great epic of modern jazz guitar music! If we take into account the initial as having started with the earlier musical experiments of jazz guitarist Charlie Christian at the end of the 1930s and in the beginning of the 1940s, after that the following revolution belongs to Wes Montgomery. Like the musical cataclysm brought about by Christian’s solo flights, Montgomery had an equally powerful impact on his contemporaries. Essentially all established guitarists resolved to go scurrying back to the woodshed to include his patented octave playing and block chording into their music and to emulate his warm fleshy tone, blues based conception, and highly swinging rhythmic feel. Jazz guitar music by itself has come to be outlined by his presence as both pre-Montgomery or post-Montgomery in concept and level of performance. Almost every jazz guitar player to emerge right after Wes Montgomery has borne the mark of his influence – Joe Pass, George Benson, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, Emily Remler, Larry Coryell, Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour to identify but a few. Fortunately, for aspiring jazz guitar performers collection books of jazz guitar tabs featuring note for note solos from Wes’s recordings are still available.
Wes Montgomery was born John Leslie Montgomery in Indiannapolis, Indiana on March 6, 1923. He never received formal music training but throughout his youth he was involved in music and was inspired by his older brother Monk – who later became well-known for pioneering the development of the Fender electric bass guitar. In 1935 Monk purchased him his initial instrument, a thirteen dollar 4-string tenor guitar on which Wes created some elementary technique. Wes formally acquired the 6-string guitar somewhat late in life, at the age of 19. Originally influenced by the work of Charlie Christian, he tutored himself by diligently copying Christian’s solos from recordings note-for-note. By the time he arrived at his twentieth birthday, Wes was gigging routinely at neighborhood jazz clubs playing Charlie Christian guitar solos.
Wes Montgomery’s initial professional break came once he landed a job with Lionel Hampton’s band in 1948. Relentless touring and grueling road work made up his lifestyle for the following two years and through the experience he was introduced to musicians like Charlie Mingus, Fats Navarro and Milt Bruckner and grew to become a seasoned jazz player. A devoted family man, Wes gave up the relentless touring in 1950 and stayed in Indianapolis afterward, enjoying sporadic club gigs mixed with non-musical day jobs. Montgomery’s first recording session was with “The Master Sounds” – that included his brothers Buddy and Monk on vibraphone and bass respectively – on December 30th 1957 for the Pacific Jazz record label. The tracks were released as the record album “The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others”. Two other record albums were produced by “The Master Sounds” – “Kissmet” in 1958 and “The Montgomery Land Quintet” in 1959. None of these releases brought Wes Montgomery the widespread status which his extraordinary jazz guitar expertise deserved.
Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps guitar players become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous selection of jazz guitar tabs
as well as instructional DVDs by Wes Montgomery himself. Find out more and claim Steven’s popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: =>
http://www.chordmelody.com/Wes-Montgomery.htm
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