Wes Montgomery – The Most Legendary Jazz Music Guitar Player Ever – Part 2
Jazz guitar performer Wes Montgomery cut his initial jazz guitar album as a leader for Riverside Record Company, thanks primarily to the passionate recommendation of saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. The recording sessions took place on October 5th and 6th, 1959 at Reeves Sound Studios in New York. The recording, which was named “The Wes Montgomery Trio”, showcased his normal working trio with Melvin Rhyne on organ and Paul Parker on drums. The organ trio (organ, guitar and drums) remained a preferred setting for Wes throughout his career and seemed to bring out his blues and funky jazz influences like no other ensemble. The music was a blend of medium tempo jazz standards, challenging bop tunes, and Wes Montgomery originals. The reinterpreted classics “Round Midnight” and “Yesterdays” remain outstanding and definitive Wes Montgomery jazz guitar music cuts to this day! Fortunately, for aspiring jazz guitarists there are collection books of jazz guitar tabs and jazz guitar tablature for these songs still available today.
Things ultimately broke wide open for Wes in 1960 with his following Riverside record release, “The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery”. Thought of by quite a few to be his finest jazz guitar recording, it featured luminaries Tommy Flanagan on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. Of the many superb tracks on the recording, Wes’ originals “West Coast Blues” and “Four On Six” are stand out songs and have become bonified jazz standards! As a consequence of the record, Montgomery started to get long overdue music industry accolades and awards. That year he won the internationally acclaimed “Downbeat Critics New Star Award”, a 2nd place in the Metronome Reader’s Poll, and was voted “Most Promising Jazz Instrumentalist” in Billboard Magazine!
The promise was fulfilled with the remaining Riverside record albums recorded from 1961 – 1964. Landmark albums to follow included: “Boss Guitar”, “Full House”, “Movin’ Along”, “So much Guitar”, and “Fusion”. Wes Montgomery’s last recording session for Riverside Record Company took place on Nov 27th, 1963 and was titled “Guitar On the Go”. And go it did! Wes signed with Verve Records in 1964 and entered a new phase of his jazz guitar music profession.
Through the Verve Records years (1964 – 1966), and subsequently with A & M Record Company (1966 – 1968) Wes made records, with the direction of Creed Taylor, that acquired bigger commercial success with a pop audience – something of an anomaly in the jazz world! In this regard, Montgomery was the first cross-over jazz artist – paving the way for the likes of George Benson, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and the present “smooth jazz” genre. His endeavours, though criticized by jazz music purists, were rewarded with a Grammy Award in 1967 for a slick version of “Goin’ Out of My Head”. All through these years, Wes also continued releasing straight ahead jazz guitar music recordings such as “Smokin’ At The Half Note” and his now legendary duo record albums with organist Jimmy Smith – and wonderful individual tracks such as “Sun Down”.
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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