Customer Reviews

Smokin at the Half Note

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

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 greatest guitar player in jazz history. I was actually turned on to this album by a buddy of mine who played guitar for a speed metal band. He was in awe, just as I was the first time I heard it and everytime I hear it to this day! However, it's not just Montgomery that shines. The rythm section of Cobb, Kelly and Chambers just might be the best you will ever hear. They are simply flawless and this is a 'live' album to boot. Chambers is my second favorite bass player right behind Mingus and he has never been better. I always thought that Jimmy Cobb was one of the most underated drummers of his time. This is also my favorite work of Wynton Kelly. His piano playing compliments Montgomery perfectly. All four of these artists brought their 'A' game to the table during this live session (augmented by a couple of studio tracks as well) and it really shows throughout. This one is truly special and everytime I hear it I enjoy it more than the last time (I always pick up something new!). I will not pretend to be a music and/or jazz scholar, nor am I a musician. I am however, someone who has listened to thousands of albums of all types of music (rock, jazz, soul, ska, punk, reggae, rap, country, bluegrass, folk, classical, etc...) and yet nothing puts a smile on my face and serenity in my soul like this does. All I have to say is thank you to the heavens for creating such wonderful artists who created such wonderful sounds. Beautiful music like this truly does help alleviate the pain and ennui of living in today's not so beautiful world.

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 material from the same session
http://www.amazon.com/Impressions-Verve-Sides-Wes-Montgomery/dp/B0000046TP

It also includes a disk of a selection of the orchestral recordings. IMO it is a dismal selection of that material, but doesn't matter because the 2nd disk containing the Smokin sessions and more is worth the price.

The "Smokin' " session is everthing the other reviews say it is. Arguably Wes at his best and certainly some of the best jazz of the period on record. Of all the recorded versions of Four On Six the 2nd live version is included on the Impressions set may be the best. If you have only heard the studio track, check this one!

Absolutely beautiful, inspiring, ingenious, calm, daring, inventive... and any other adjective one could use to testify the greatness of this session. Incredible licks and fluidity, if one thinks that Wes would use just his thumb for *every* phrase and/or chord or octave. A relatively hard instrument to fit the jazz poetry, the electric guitar reaches peaks of amazing musicality with Wes. And he was self taught, another proof that talent doesn't come from schools.

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. With that said, I base my opinion on the prime cuts of the original compilation of "Smoking At the Half Note". The crown jewel tracks being: "If You Could See Me Now", "Unit 7", and "Four On Six". These are pure magic, genius stuff, and reason enough to buy it, strictly on their own merit. Pat Metheny said it first, "If You Could See Me Now" may be the greatest jazz guitar solo ever recorded. The more I hear it, the more I really agree. It's simply a masterpiece, with an amazing sense of storytelling, building his solo like classic literature along the way. Wes did other great albums, but, for me, the strength of these cuts tips the balance towards this album. Jazz guitar is filled with guys that can spin a zillion notes at light speed (which can be pretty entertaining for a couple minutes). For "artistry" among jazz guitarists, Wes is as good as it gets, and the choice selections here are as good as it gets.

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 playing together for years in the Miles Davis Quintet, the combination with Wes Montgemery clearly works to bring out the best in all of them: it is all of such high quality, so effortless, so fresh.

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. supposedly this is when his improv skills were at their greatest peak, but idk i wasn't there.

Let's not waste each others time with words. This is just music from heaven! Let it speak for itself!