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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Wes Montgomery brought the art of the electric guitar to new heights in the 1950s and 1960s before his untimely death at 43. His vaulting style employed octaves much as his main influence, Charlie Christian, did in the Benny Goodman Sextet. Montgomery's crowd-pleasing facility with the fretboard was best employed in live performance when he could stretch out and really be heard. Smokin' is a thoroughly satisfying live album recorded in 1965 and 1966 at the New York nightclub, with co-leader Wynton Kelly and his trio--Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Montgomery and Kelly are in perfect sync here, especially on "No Blues" and "If You Could See Me Now." --John Swenson
Product Description
The Wynton Kelly Trio and Wes just tear up this set of standards and originals on this 1965 LP. They do Willow Weep for Me; Misty; No Blues; If You Could See Me Now; What's New; Impressions , and more!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
80 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This remastered, expanded edition of the classic Wes Montgomery-Wynton Kelly 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, the audio quality of this version is not sufficiently superior, imo, to justify purchase. As for the addition of six previously unreleased tunes, only "Impressions" might be considered essential. Still, it's reassuring to see that Wes' popularity continues to be supported by new editions of his work.
Wes did not receive widespread public recognition until he was 35, and he was barely 44 when he died. Still, it's unlikely any other guitarist (including Christian and Django) 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'," despite lacking 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 Wyn Kelley along with Chambers and Cobb definitely raises the swing factor a notch.
What sets Wes 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, reminding me less of other guitarists than of Bird and Clifford. 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 note, 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 live, but I've heard that visually he was the mirror image of his music--efficient, composed, resourceful, economical--not 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.
Wes did not receive widespread public recognition until he was 35, and he was barely 44 when he died. Still, it's unlikely any other guitarist (including Christian and Django) 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'," despite lacking 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 Wyn Kelley along with Chambers and Cobb definitely raises the swing factor a notch.
What sets Wes 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, reminding me less of other guitarists than of Bird and Clifford. 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 note, 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 live, but I've heard that visually he was the mirror image of his music--efficient, composed, resourceful, economical--not 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.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This cd and "Full House" are Wes Montgomery's two best cd's, and they are both live. If you like the one, get the other. If you have both, buy anything Wes did on Riverside. All those cd's are great!
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
with so many great guitar players referring to him as their favorite it was time to delve into jazz (a music I never really found myself loving - aside from bits of Django- )but after a couple of listens it's easy to overlook the grandiose over dramatic piano solos and buzzy bass noise.
This is a great album - Montgomery at first sounds choppy by comparison to Django who always struck me as just pure fluidity.
M. seems to want you to hear every note, clear and strong - his tone is very basic - a big jazzbox clearly amped - and you can hear him wide open - each formula piece of his lyrical leads is done with such casual ease you'd think it was something programmed. Players say he was "on" this night - and when you get your ear tuned to the musical style "be-bop" I guess - you can hear him fiddling with "salt-peanuts" and other brass instrument lines that come from his hands with ease.
a great album.
even for a die-hard punk enthusaist.
This is a great album - Montgomery at first sounds choppy by comparison to Django who always struck me as just pure fluidity.
M. seems to want you to hear every note, clear and strong - his tone is very basic - a big jazzbox clearly amped - and you can hear him wide open - each formula piece of his lyrical leads is done with such casual ease you'd think it was something programmed. Players say he was "on" this night - and when you get your ear tuned to the musical style "be-bop" I guess - you can hear him fiddling with "salt-peanuts" and other brass instrument lines that come from his hands with ease.
a great album.
even for a die-hard punk enthusaist.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a great album!
Wes Montgomery is a super musician and if you don't have this album you are missing something quite nice indeed.
Published 7 months ago by jack goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars
An album that's essential for Guitarists
This is one live recording that one can never be tired of since it mostly captures the great Wes Montgomery in peak form long before he went the "commercial" route with Creed... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Dennis W. Wong
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of the absolute best Wes Montgomery tracks are here
If you had to buy one album by Wes, this is the one. If you had to buy just one straight ahead jazz guitar album, in my opinion, this is it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dave Lincoln
5.0 out of 5 stars
the very best
The cd arrived promptly and in perfect condition. Thank you. The music is beyond criticism: the Wynton Kelly trio with Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums had been... Read more
Published on April 2, 2011 by Rolf Wolfswinkel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wes? yes
smokin' at the half note is without a doubt, smokin'. This is great jazz, even better if you enjoy jazz guitar. his style is sick, with wicked smokin' flow. Read more
Published on February 2, 2010 by Derek D. Mccain
5.0 out of 5 stars
My 'Full House' review goes for 'Smokin' at the half note' too...
Let's not waste each others time with words. This is just music from heaven! Let it speak for itself!
Published on October 28, 2009 by Veerle Anthonis
4.0 out of 5 stars
Confused?
There are 3 CD versions of Smokin out there, before you buy, consider
"Impressions: the Verve Jazz sides" which contains all the songs on this re-issue plus some additional... Read more
"Impressions: the Verve Jazz sides" which contains all the songs on this re-issue plus some additional... Read more
Published on June 3, 2009 by THX1138b
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible Jazz Guitar.
This album contains one of the best performances on jazz guitar! Solos on No Blues and Impressions are simply unbelievable... Read more
Published on March 27, 2008 by D.Y.Lim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond Brilliant! This is just smokin hot!!!
Talk about a foursome! This is one of my top twenty favorite albums. Anyone who plays the guitar needs to purchase this album just to hear why many consider Wes to be the... Read more
Published on December 7, 2006 by JoeyD
5.0 out of 5 stars
The very finest guitar album ever made
I'm a guitarist and composer, and while I am not a huge fan of jazz, this is one of my top ten records of all time. Read more
Published on December 9, 2005 by RComposer
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