Wynton Kelly & Wes Montgomery • Smokin' at the Half Note

By SAMUEL CHELL
June 19, 2005

This remastered, expanded edition of the classic 1965 Wes Montgomery-Wynton Kelly Trio session is essentially an economy-priced version of the import The Complete Live at the Half Note. If you have the original Smokin' at the Half Note and are not a Wes completist intent on picking up the six extra tunes (expendable, with the exception of "Impressions"), the audio quality of this version is not sufficiently superior, in my opinion, to justify purchase. Still, it's reassuring to see that Montgomery's popularity continues to be supported by new editions of his work.

Montgomery did not receive widespread public recognition until he was 35, and he was barely 44 when he died. Still, it's unlikely that any other guitarist (including Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt) has had a greater impact in the history of this music. By the time he had moved on from Riverside to this session for Verve, he had little to prove to musicians and was beginning to accept more accessible popular assignments that would broaden his appeal to the general public. Smokin', although it lacks any tunes as challenging as "Airegin" (The Incredible Guitar Artistry of), can stand alongside his Riverside work as an example of creative, inspired playing. And the presence of pianist Wyn Kelly, along with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb, definitely raises the swing factor a notch.

What sets Montgomery apart from the field is not pyrotechnical legerdemain or bold innovation, but every "little" thing that he does so well so effortlessly so much of the time. The sound he gets out of the instrument is of itself a marvel. It has a deep and meaty, utterly natural resonance, almost as if the tone is doubling itself, suggestive less of other guitarists than of Bird and Clifford Brown. Additionally, there's never a microsecond of doubt in his playing or solo constructions. Nothing is tentative—in terms of notes, phrases, or choruses. It's all so completely lyrical and logical that the listener's biggest challenge can be not to take it for granted.

His solo on Sam Jones' "Unit 7" might serve as a touchstone to all of his playing. He starts with inventive single note melodic ideas, then moves to octaves without the faintest suggestion of slowing down to accommodate the extra notes, then finally kicks it into high gear with a fully chorded "out" chorus that feels as forceful as a shout chorus by the whole Count Basie Band.

I never caught Wes Montgomery live, but I've heard that visually he was the mirror image of his music—efficient, composed, resourceful—without the least hint of wasted motion, just like Bird and Tatum. Genius requires a level of concentration that the rest of us probably have little to no experience with. Wes Montgomery is one of those artists who can take the listener beyond the music, offering a glimpse of the creative process itself as practiced by a true master.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/smokin-at-the-half-note-wynton-kelly-verve-music-group-review-by-samuel-chell.php

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Por SAMUEL CHELL

19 de junio de 2005

Esta edición remasterizada y ampliada de la sesión clásica de 1965 de Wes Montgomery-Wynton Kelly Trio es esencialmente una versión a precio económico de la importación The Complete Live at the Half Note.  Si usted tiene el Smokin' at the Half Note original y no es un completista de Wes con la intención de recoger las seis melodías adicionales (prescindibles, con la excepción de "Impressions"), la calidad de audio de esta versión no es lo suficientemente superior, en mi opinión, como para justificar la compra. Aún así, es tranquilizador ver que la popularidad de Montgomery continúa siendo apoyada por nuevas ediciones de su trabajo.

Montgomery no recibió un reconocimiento público generalizado hasta los 35 años, y apenas tenía 44 cuando murió. Aún así, es poco probable que ningún otro guitarrista (incluyendo a Charlie Christian y Django Reinhardt) haya tenido un mayor impacto en la historia de esta música. Para cuando pasó de Riverside a esta sesión para Verve, tenía poco que demostrar a los músicos y estaba empezando a aceptar asignaciones populares más accesibles que ampliarían su atractivo para el público en general. Smokin', aunque carece de melodías tan desafiantes como "Airegin" (The Incredible Guitar Artistry of), puede estar al lado de su trabajo en Riverside como un ejemplo de interpretación creativa e inspirada. Y la presencia del pianista Wyn Kelly, junto con el bajista Paul Chambers y el baterista Jimmy Cobb, definitivamente eleva el factor swing un poco.

Lo que distingue a Montgomery no es la pirotecnia o la innovación audaz, sino cada "pequeña" cosa que hace tan bien y sin esfuerzo la mayor parte del tiempo. El sonido que saca del instrumento es en sí mismo una maravilla. Tiene una resonancia profunda y carnosa, totalmente natural, casi como si el timbre se estuviera duplicando, lo que sugiere menos de otros guitarristas que de Bird y Clifford Brown. Además, nunca hay un microsegundo de duda en sus interpretaciones o construcciones en solitario. Nada es tentativo en términos de notas, frases o coros. Todo es tan lírico y lógico que el mayor desafío del oyente puede ser no darlo por sentado.

Su solo en "Unit 7" de Sam Jones podría servir como piedra de toque para todo su juego. Comienza con ideas melódicas ingeniosas de una sola nota, luego pasa a octavas sin la más mínima sugerencia de reducir la velocidad para acomodar las notas extras, y finalmente lo pone en marcha con un coro totalmente acordado que se siente tan contundente como un coro de gritos de toda la Count Basie Band.

Nunca vi a Wes Montgomery en vivo, pero he oído que visualmente era la imagen especular de su música -eficiente, compuesta, ingeniosa- sin el más mínimo indicio de movimiento desperdiciado, al igual que Bird y Tatum. El genio requiere un nivel de concentración con el que el resto de nosotros probablemente tenemos poca o ninguna experiencia. Wes Montgomery es uno de esos artistas que puede llevar al oyente más allá de la música, ofreciendo un vistazo del proceso creativo en sí mismo tal como lo practica un verdadero maestro.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/smokin-at-the-half-note-wynton-kelly-verve-music-group-review-by-samuel-chell.php

Tracks
1 No Blues (Davis) 12:56
2 If You Could See Me Now (Dameron, Sigman) 8:21
3 Unit 7 (Jones) 6:44
4 Four on Six (Montgomery) 6:43
5 What's New ? (Burke, Haggart) 6:10
6 Willow Weep for Me (Ronell) 9:08
7 Portrait of Jennie (Robinson, Burdge) 3:28
8 Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Rodgers, Hammerstein) 6:12
9 Oh, You Crazy Moon (VanHausen, Burke) 5:27
10 Misty (Burke, Garner) 6:53
11 Impressions (Coltrane) 5:03

Personnel
Wynton Kelly - p
Wes Montgomery - g
Paul Chambers - b
Jimmy Cobb - dr

Recorded at the Half Note, New York City ; June 24, [# 1-2] ; June 26 [6-10] ; & between June 22 and 27, 1965 [# 11] ; & at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey ; September 22, 1965 [# 3-5]
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder

Label: Verve Records ‎– V6-8633
Released: 1966
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop

   




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