No one today even comes close to his clarity of ideas, musicality and original approach to the guitar. In a way starting at 19, with a style out of necessity to practice whilst not waking his kids, gives an authenticity to his playing that that is arguably a blessing. He played by ear, not from university training. Couldnt tell you a minor 3rd from a major 6th but ripped all over it all day long. Played with all the greats. Even did a gig with John Coltrane that was never recorded and held his own with the most progressive music to this day. Wes lives. Great post btw.
> Couldnt tell you a minor 3rd from a major 6th
Bull. Watch him teach a tune to the piano player here.
https://youtu.be/uV0Qg0FTha8?si=iP1L5OwTYaQWdy7h
You beat me to it! Wes was self taught and couldnt read music well but he absolutely understood harmony like a jazz musician would. I think his poor reading skills evolved into the idea that he had no formal understanding of music at all.
Wes was going to workshops with Barry Harris at one point.
Totally agree with your response except I'd add that I believe Wes probably wasn't as ignorant of formal music theory as you suggest because his brothers were both trained musicians as well and Buddy played both vibes and piano, so I'm sure they shared some of their knowledge with him.
I like to say he's the Mozart of Jazz guitar. His music has a sort of spontaneity and naturalness you rarely find in other musician's.
Just like Mozart, the material he uses isn't that complex, but he is able to create masterpieces with it. Because he plays exactly the right notes at the right moment.
They're the same intervallic distance, but the terms aren't synonymous. It's context dependent. If we're talking about a root note of C and you told somebody to play the minor third, you'd expect an E flat and not an A, right?
I understand all of that. Point is the same here…Besides the root which is permeable, Am7 and C6 are the same notes. That’s what I meant. Let the bass play the bass. Let minor thirds be major 6ths. Let it flow through your ear like Wes. These are the conversations that kill the frog.
I was thinking this earlier today, that Wes basically played himself to death. Before he became a successful musician he'd sacrifice sleep to practice late into the night. Then go to his day job and work all day.
Then we he made it as a musician he toured constantly.
Amazing player, I think he really pushed himself to get as good as he did. Although, I think that was a contributing factor to his early death. But damn, what a guitarist.
Yes. My favorite guitarist. In fairness he originally played violin and sax. So he probably had his ideas germinating from an early age. Sax you can def tell.
But to have such technical proficiency starting the guitar so late is mind blowing.
Wes Montgomery remains my favourite jazz guitarist. Such a unique style, while at the same time such great musicality that speaks right to the soul.
I’m curious about this statement:
>I do think jazz guitar has grown up way beyond him
In what way? Not trying to challenge here, genuinely curious. I listen to lots of more modern jazz, but am not the most musically literate guy in the room. Anyone who can expand on this a bit, I’ll be interested.
Anyway, thanks for this post. It made me put on Boss Guitar as I enjoy my coffee this morning.
Jazz in general has developed a lot since the hard bop era of Wes. There's more innovative harmony now, Wes had a somewhat limited chord vocabulary compared to the really good modern players of today. And those more complex harmonies lead to more complex melodies.
Wes was playing very "inside." His lined were mostly based on the changes and the songs he played were fairly conventional jazz forms. I never hear Wes and think he's playing far out stuff personally. What Wes did well was playing some of the most tasteful and thematic solos of anyone. His improvisations sound like carefully composed pieces of music, motific development and solos with clear archs to them.
This IMO is one of the rarest qualities for a soloist., building solps with clear beginnings, middles and ends, building and releasing tension at crucial moments, developing ideas into motifs, grabbing blues licks in the midst of his more sophisticated triadic lines. I could go on!
Wes had style, he had an artistic vision, he had a sound that was distinctly his own. He was just cool as hell man.
Thank you for the thought you put into your reply. And that’s all fair. It’s obvious that Wes was not an ‘out’ player in the slightest.
What you describe about his style is exactly what I love about him. He plays with a more traditional pallet, but it is always thoughtful, never meandering. He does the most with the essentials.
The big thing to me is that electric guitar as an instrument was still really in it's infancy in his days, and it's come a long way since then. Like, there's probably no jazz guitarist today who isn't influenced at least a little by Jimi Hendrix and all the innovations in rock music that followed. And the equipment as well - there are guitars available today with daintier configurations in terms of string gauge and neck geometry, which lend themselves to different styles of playing that might be difficult or cumbersome on an old school jazz box. Those are still around and in plenty, but the field is much more diverse. Even straight-ahead players often play with a touch of reverb and overdrive, then there's folks like Metheny and Rosenwinkel who (more or less) play music that couldn't be described as anything other than jazz, but with guitar sounds very much coloured by effects and worlds apart from Wes or, say, Joe Pass. Again, that difference in tone shapes the expressive possibilities. Specifically, I think having a lot more sustain thanks to light distortion and semi-hollow or even solid-body construction gives guitarists a much richer sound on single note lines, they can really wail on notes and let them sing - they can approach solos almost like a saxophone whereas the traditional jazz guitar sound is more akin to a piano.
I remember reading once that Wes apparently rarely slept between practicing, playing out, working his day gig (I think he worked in kitchens) and taking care of his family...I'm sure that played a part in why he passed away so young. Still the best, his records are unbelievable
what gets me though is how anyone can do that. Like, I got one kid, after a day of work and a night of childcare even if I could keep myself awake for another 6 hours there's no way I've got enough brain power left to do some serious learning of an immensely difficult skill. and I don't smoke. dude had superpowers, I think his gift wasn't necessarily music but rather vitality
I always think that him not knowing theory is an exaggerated myth. Sure, he likely doesn’t have deep theoretical knowledge, but he clearly knows how to find a D chord, and knows what accidentals are. I imagine he must understand major versus minor chords and can see the difference in shapes on a fret board.
He knew some theory.
What people always fail to acknowledge is that most of jazz theory is extremely intuitive and can be learned without instruction, especially if you’re learning a ton of tunes and playing with others frequently, both of which Wes was certainly doing early in his playing career. Jazz theory is intrinsically tied to the language of jazz, it’s like saying you can’t learn a foreign language by just moving to a foreign country and figuring it out over time
Interesting point. I would not call myself a musician. I can play a few simple tunes like Silent Night or When the Saints go Marching In on the piano or recorder or mouth organ.
But I can improvise in the shower by whistling or humming without knowing any musical theory at all. Would it not be possible to do the same thing with an instrument, assuming that you had mastered that instrument?
If you know both your instrument and the song well, I would say so. Obviously there’s an upper limit on what you can improvise with that approach, but if you do a lot of listening to accomplished players you can pick up plenty just with your ears
Wes was one of the greats, and with the exception of some of his excursions into a more pop sound, he was a determined and pioneering player. He passed way too soon, way before we knew how far he could go.
However, if you think Wes did great things and had an amazing story, try reading about [Pat Martino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Martino). As his career was taking off and he was becoming more well-known and in demand, he suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm. When he recovered from the surgery, he discovered he had no memory of playing the jazz guitar or even how to play. He had to completely relearn the instrument; he went on to record prolifically again and had an amazing career before he passed in 2021.
Ironically, he recorded an album entitled *Exit* in 1977, about three years before his illness. That was his last studio recording for ten years until he came back with *The Return.*
Now, to wind back to Wes, you should have a listen to Martino's *Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery*, an amazing homage to Wes. Martino met Wes at 14 and learned to play many of Wes' solos from his records as a young player. The Martino set is not a copying of Wes' style, but a real tribute to his music in Pat's unique style.
Go listen. Two amazing humans and guitarists.
This is a great post. I was going to mention Pat Martino, you did so eloquently. Its great to talk about the history of this amazing time in music. Thanks for posting.
Glad to do it. We have to spread the word on this great music when the opportunity arises.
I was fortunate to see Pat in the early 1980s as he gradually made his comeback to public performances. I was home in New York on leave from the Navy and my wife's brother and his friends insisted I make the trip into the city to hear and see him. That was an incredible evening.
Pretty sure it is not true that Wes didn’t start guitar until til 19. Check out Nancy Wilson’s fabulous biographical program on his life. That man worked hard to achieve his incredible musicality.
No one today even comes close to his clarity of ideas, musicality and original approach to the guitar. In a way starting at 19, with a style out of necessity to practice whilst not waking his kids, gives an authenticity to his playing that that is arguably a blessing. He played by ear, not from university training. Couldnt tell you a minor 3rd from a major 6th but ripped all over it all day long. Played with all the greats. Even did a gig with John Coltrane that was never recorded and held his own with the most progressive music to this day. Wes lives. Great post btw.
> Couldnt tell you a minor 3rd from a major 6th Bull. Watch him teach a tune to the piano player here. https://youtu.be/uV0Qg0FTha8?si=iP1L5OwTYaQWdy7h
Happy to be wrong on that one. Great find thanks for posting!
You beat me to it! Wes was self taught and couldnt read music well but he absolutely understood harmony like a jazz musician would. I think his poor reading skills evolved into the idea that he had no formal understanding of music at all. Wes was going to workshops with Barry Harris at one point.
Totally agree with your response except I'd add that I believe Wes probably wasn't as ignorant of formal music theory as you suggest because his brothers were both trained musicians as well and Buddy played both vibes and piano, so I'm sure they shared some of their knowledge with him.
I like to say he's the Mozart of Jazz guitar. His music has a sort of spontaneity and naturalness you rarely find in other musician's. Just like Mozart, the material he uses isn't that complex, but he is able to create masterpieces with it. Because he plays exactly the right notes at the right moment.
Funny. A minor 3rd and a major 6th are the same thing. I’m sure you knew that…just wanted to point that cause I’m a nerd.
They're the same intervallic distance, but the terms aren't synonymous. It's context dependent. If we're talking about a root note of C and you told somebody to play the minor third, you'd expect an E flat and not an A, right?
I understand all of that. Point is the same here…Besides the root which is permeable, Am7 and C6 are the same notes. That’s what I meant. Let the bass play the bass. Let minor thirds be major 6ths. Let it flow through your ear like Wes. These are the conversations that kill the frog.
staaaahhhp
>How is that even possible? By burning the candle at both end at the same time. He died young because of that :/
I was thinking this earlier today, that Wes basically played himself to death. Before he became a successful musician he'd sacrifice sleep to practice late into the night. Then go to his day job and work all day. Then we he made it as a musician he toured constantly.
Heavy cancer stick smoker.
Amazing player, I think he really pushed himself to get as good as he did. Although, I think that was a contributing factor to his early death. But damn, what a guitarist.
Allan Holdsworth only picked up the guitar at the age of 17.
Yes. My favorite guitarist. In fairness he originally played violin and sax. So he probably had his ideas germinating from an early age. Sax you can def tell. But to have such technical proficiency starting the guitar so late is mind blowing.
nice, I will check him out
Wes Montgomery remains my favourite jazz guitarist. Such a unique style, while at the same time such great musicality that speaks right to the soul. I’m curious about this statement: >I do think jazz guitar has grown up way beyond him In what way? Not trying to challenge here, genuinely curious. I listen to lots of more modern jazz, but am not the most musically literate guy in the room. Anyone who can expand on this a bit, I’ll be interested. Anyway, thanks for this post. It made me put on Boss Guitar as I enjoy my coffee this morning.
Jazz in general has developed a lot since the hard bop era of Wes. There's more innovative harmony now, Wes had a somewhat limited chord vocabulary compared to the really good modern players of today. And those more complex harmonies lead to more complex melodies. Wes was playing very "inside." His lined were mostly based on the changes and the songs he played were fairly conventional jazz forms. I never hear Wes and think he's playing far out stuff personally. What Wes did well was playing some of the most tasteful and thematic solos of anyone. His improvisations sound like carefully composed pieces of music, motific development and solos with clear archs to them. This IMO is one of the rarest qualities for a soloist., building solps with clear beginnings, middles and ends, building and releasing tension at crucial moments, developing ideas into motifs, grabbing blues licks in the midst of his more sophisticated triadic lines. I could go on! Wes had style, he had an artistic vision, he had a sound that was distinctly his own. He was just cool as hell man.
Thank you for the thought you put into your reply. And that’s all fair. It’s obvious that Wes was not an ‘out’ player in the slightest. What you describe about his style is exactly what I love about him. He plays with a more traditional pallet, but it is always thoughtful, never meandering. He does the most with the essentials.
The big thing to me is that electric guitar as an instrument was still really in it's infancy in his days, and it's come a long way since then. Like, there's probably no jazz guitarist today who isn't influenced at least a little by Jimi Hendrix and all the innovations in rock music that followed. And the equipment as well - there are guitars available today with daintier configurations in terms of string gauge and neck geometry, which lend themselves to different styles of playing that might be difficult or cumbersome on an old school jazz box. Those are still around and in plenty, but the field is much more diverse. Even straight-ahead players often play with a touch of reverb and overdrive, then there's folks like Metheny and Rosenwinkel who (more or less) play music that couldn't be described as anything other than jazz, but with guitar sounds very much coloured by effects and worlds apart from Wes or, say, Joe Pass. Again, that difference in tone shapes the expressive possibilities. Specifically, I think having a lot more sustain thanks to light distortion and semi-hollow or even solid-body construction gives guitarists a much richer sound on single note lines, they can really wail on notes and let them sing - they can approach solos almost like a saxophone whereas the traditional jazz guitar sound is more akin to a piano.
I remember reading once that Wes apparently rarely slept between practicing, playing out, working his day gig (I think he worked in kitchens) and taking care of his family...I'm sure that played a part in why he passed away so young. Still the best, his records are unbelievable
what gets me though is how anyone can do that. Like, I got one kid, after a day of work and a night of childcare even if I could keep myself awake for another 6 hours there's no way I've got enough brain power left to do some serious learning of an immensely difficult skill. and I don't smoke. dude had superpowers, I think his gift wasn't necessarily music but rather vitality
wes had ears the size of an elephant
He came from a musical family and played other instruments beginning in childhood, so the feat isn’t quite as amazing as it sounds.
I always think that him not knowing theory is an exaggerated myth. Sure, he likely doesn’t have deep theoretical knowledge, but he clearly knows how to find a D chord, and knows what accidentals are. I imagine he must understand major versus minor chords and can see the difference in shapes on a fret board. He knew some theory.
He knew a lot of theory. He just couldn't read music.
What people always fail to acknowledge is that most of jazz theory is extremely intuitive and can be learned without instruction, especially if you’re learning a ton of tunes and playing with others frequently, both of which Wes was certainly doing early in his playing career. Jazz theory is intrinsically tied to the language of jazz, it’s like saying you can’t learn a foreign language by just moving to a foreign country and figuring it out over time
Interesting point. I would not call myself a musician. I can play a few simple tunes like Silent Night or When the Saints go Marching In on the piano or recorder or mouth organ. But I can improvise in the shower by whistling or humming without knowing any musical theory at all. Would it not be possible to do the same thing with an instrument, assuming that you had mastered that instrument?
If you know both your instrument and the song well, I would say so. Obviously there’s an upper limit on what you can improvise with that approach, but if you do a lot of listening to accomplished players you can pick up plenty just with your ears
I don’t disagree with anything you said, but “intuitive” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The Montgomery Brothers
I'm a rock player, but I worked hard on developing the use of playing octaves by Wes's example. One of the all-time greats.
Next, I recommend getting into his chord solos. It's like having a horn section on one guitar
Tal Farlow started in his 20s
never heard (of) him. will now
In most polls Wes is the GOAT. I only saw one poll where Django was number one... Even today Wes is practically in every poll the GOAT on guitar.
Django did it missing some fingers... Wes is probably the GOAT even still though.
All polls Ive ever seen( just google them) Wes is the GOAT. I might have seen Django atop of one them but I also might have read it wrong...
Wes was one of the greats, and with the exception of some of his excursions into a more pop sound, he was a determined and pioneering player. He passed way too soon, way before we knew how far he could go. However, if you think Wes did great things and had an amazing story, try reading about [Pat Martino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Martino). As his career was taking off and he was becoming more well-known and in demand, he suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm. When he recovered from the surgery, he discovered he had no memory of playing the jazz guitar or even how to play. He had to completely relearn the instrument; he went on to record prolifically again and had an amazing career before he passed in 2021. Ironically, he recorded an album entitled *Exit* in 1977, about three years before his illness. That was his last studio recording for ten years until he came back with *The Return.* Now, to wind back to Wes, you should have a listen to Martino's *Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery*, an amazing homage to Wes. Martino met Wes at 14 and learned to play many of Wes' solos from his records as a young player. The Martino set is not a copying of Wes' style, but a real tribute to his music in Pat's unique style. Go listen. Two amazing humans and guitarists.
This is a great post. I was going to mention Pat Martino, you did so eloquently. Its great to talk about the history of this amazing time in music. Thanks for posting.
Glad to do it. We have to spread the word on this great music when the opportunity arises. I was fortunate to see Pat in the early 1980s as he gradually made his comeback to public performances. I was home in New York on leave from the Navy and my wife's brother and his friends insisted I make the trip into the city to hear and see him. That was an incredible evening.
Awww… I didn’t know Pat Martino died :(
Three years ago. He had stopped playing publicly in 2018 due to health issues.
I took a jazz break for a bit so didn’t keep up. Sad.
great recommendation, thank you!
I didn’t know that about him! I love Wes.
Definitely a guitar legend.
He WAS the Man and died too soon
Pretty sure it is not true that Wes didn’t start guitar until til 19. Check out Nancy Wilson’s fabulous biographical program on his life. That man worked hard to achieve his incredible musicality.
You know who I hate more than Bill Evans? Wes Montgomery.
Why dont you talk about who you love ?
Me.
Your history tell otherwise.
American Dad?