Wes montgomery children full#

This is potentially good news for Montgomery fans, as the possibility exists for additional recordings to emerge from these sessions. The sound jumps from mono to stereo throughout, and as IвЂ™ve noted, the music appears to have come from several sessions. I doubt thereвЂ™s anything quite like it anywhere in MontgomeryвЂ™s discography. There is plenty of good-natured laughter in the background as Montgomery plays in a style almost entirely foreign to his usual approach. It sounds as if Montgomery borrowed a solid-body guitar for this tune and the group decided to fool around by playing a gritty Chicago-style electric blues. The final cut, the live вЂњAfter Hours BluesвЂќ is a true curiosity. вЂњBody & SoulвЂќ (probably part of a ballad medley, as pianist Earl van Riper segues into вЂњDonвЂ™t Blame MeвЂќ at the end of MontgomeryвЂ™s solo) features another fine Montgomery solo, created entirely from single lines and only occasional hints of the tone issues that marred the earlier sessions. WesвЂ™ solo is a beauty, based on a recurring triplet figure and loaded with expertly-sculpted melodies. The version of вЂњMistyвЂќ that follows is also claimed to be live, but again the sound quality and depth of MontgomeryвЂ™s tone makes me suspect a later date. This track gives us our first glimpse of MontgomeryвЂ™s building-block method of creating a solo-single lines to octaves to block chords-albeit, here it occurs within a group of four-bar exchanges, and the three tiers do not receive equal space. вЂњTake The A TrainвЂќ was recorded in a nightclub, and from the guitar sound, I would guess that it was recorded between the вЂњDiabloвЂќ and вЂњRound MidnightвЂќ sessions. вЂњDarn That DreamвЂќ, which like вЂњRound MidnightвЂќ pairs Montgomery with organist Melvin Rhyne, is a restrained but lovely version of the Jimmy Van Heusen standard, with Montgomery playing a catchy ostinato behind the organ solo, and offering a brief and touching improvisation before returning to the melody. вЂњNicaвЂ™s DreamвЂќ has the same backup as вЂњDiabloвЂќ, and thus the guitar sound lags behind the quality of the musical invention. There is a spirited chase between Buddy and Wes, with touches of guitar octaves before the track fades out. We also hear some of his block chords as he accompanies his brothers. WesвЂ™ tone is flat and unfocused again, but his ideas are excellent and he creates a fine solo. On the version of вЂњStraight, No ChaserвЂќ, Wes is joined by his brothers Buddy on piano and Monk on bass. His tone is better on вЂњRound MidnightвЂќ and the change in sound quality and MontgomeryвЂ™s soulful improvisation makes me think that this track was recorded much later than вЂњDiabloвЂќ.

On the opening track, Shorty RogersвЂ™ вЂњDiabloвЂ™s DanceвЂќ, the lines of MontgomeryвЂ™s solo sound like his eventual solo voice, but the rich sound is not there yet, with notes that donвЂ™t speak and a general flatness of the sound. Whatever information crops up about these recordings in the coming months and years, there is no doubt that they offer us a rare glimpse of Montgomery as a developing artist. Producers Michael Cuscuna, Zev Feldman and George Klabin (along with several Indiana jazz experts) have made educated guesses of the identities of most of the accompanying musicians, and have pieced together a logical hypothesis of their meaning. The recordings, which first turned up on ebay a few years ago, survived without notations of recording dates, personnel or even the reason for their existence. When these tapes were made (around 1957вЂ“1958), Montgomery was still a local musician in Indianapolis, playing late-night gigs after working at non-music jobs during the day. He never learned to read music, but he had a phenomenal ear that allowed him to discern melodic paths through complex chord changes. He stopped using guitar picks because he could practice late at night using his thumb as a plectrum and not wake up his wife and children. Of course, Montgomery had his own unique sound.

Wes montgomery children full#

ResonanceвЂ™s new Wes Montgomery release вЂњ Echoes of Indiana AvenueвЂќ represents the first full album of unreleased Montgomery in the past 25 years. However, not all past jazz giants left tons of hidden recorded treasures. The legacies of artists like John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Charlie Parker and the British tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes have been immeasurably heightened through posthumous releases. When previously unissued recordings turn up years after a musicianвЂ™s death, it seems to belie that musicianвЂ™s demise, as if the musician is hiding somewhere in the world, turning out new recordings.

It is said that a jazz musician lives on through his recordings.