Wednesday, Mar. 12, 2014 | 08:18
Wes Montgomery - Fingerpickin' and Smokin' At The Half Note
i am from indianapolis. when i was getting into jazz i was curious about whether any significant jazz musicans hailed from indy, or at least indiana. although i hadn't heard of Wes Montgomery before, my research suggested he was not an unknown in the jazz world (i think his reputation suffers from his shift into lounge-pop background music shortly before his early death in the 60s). he was a skilled jazz guitarist and while i'm sure had he lived his 70s output would have been absolute dreck, while he remained in the jazz mode he was quite good.
i probably picked up Fingerpickin' at a local store since best buy was never that deep in jazz and it doesn't have a bmg label. i doubt i got it from amazon because that would mean i tracked it down, and i had no reason to know which album to get. no, i'm sure i got the name in my head and when i saw the disc at the store i grabbed it.
i know i bought Smokin' At The Half Note, a great but disjointed live album at a local store. i found it in the used section and couldn't pass it up. it's a re-issue of a live release that puts the bonus tracks at the end instead of re-constructing the original concert. there is a version somewhere that has everything in order, but that's out of pring and i already have this.
wes montgomery is technically great but his songs tend toward the commercial and feel too smooth. i think, too, jazz guitar doesn't interest me. i don't find the tone of the acoustic guitar exciting on these recordings. don't get me wrong, i like john mclaughlin, but the sounds we makes don't grab me. perhaps i should find some django reinhart before i pronounce myself immune to the allure of the acoustic jazz guitar. for now, though, i'll work with wes and see what i can do.
