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Guitar Planet's Monthly Revival: Wes Montgomery

Guitar Planet considers the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time; but only the ones you might not know about. This month we take a look at Wes Montgomery.

Thursday, 10. March 2011 - by Evan Dexter

: BBC TV Centre: Wes Montgomery performing on tv show (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/GettyImages)

Last Monday, like any other Monday, I stood at Starbucks waiting in a line of suits and students to get my morning caffeine fix. As I shuffled closer to the counter I glanced up from my iPod and took notice of a trainee struggling to match a drink order to the sea of options on the touchscreen in front of her. Sympathetic to the stress of a first shift at a new job, I thought to myself, “Poor…” and focused in on her nametag to target my irrelevant pity. “Poor Layla.”

“You got me on my knees, Laaay-la,” was the thought that next occurred to me and that was it; I was spiraling down the jukebox in my head and doing everything I could not to air-guitar Clapton’s solo. Because that’s the power of “Layla”. Anyone who’s heard the song can never forget it. And everyone has heard it.

“Layla”, and Clapton, have spanned generations. As have Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page; four examples of guitarists who are known to all, young and old. Guitarists who have survived the test of time

And that got me thinking: why? They’re all guitarists that have defined the world of music that they lived in, but there were other guitar legends that did the same and yet if you asked anyone in Starbucks about them you’d get nothing but blank stares.

Guitar Planet’s Classic Guitarist of the Month aims to recast the limelight on the players that every guitarist should know about. Those whose names didn’t endure the generations, but influenced the names that did. This month we honor Wes Montgomery.

Who?

Montgomery is considered by many to be one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Nobody boasts a line of guitarists influenced by his style and technique quite like Montgomery; a list which includes Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani and Steve Lukather.

Born to a family of jazz performers in 1923, Montgomery grew up idolizing jazz moguls Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt.

With no formal training in technique or reading music, Montgomery learned to play the guitar by listening to recordings and working out the complex riffs and melodies by ear. He developed a reputation for being able to play intricate guitar solos note-for-note, which landed him early work with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.

Montgomery’s recording career would go on to be extremely successful and include working with many of the greatest names in jazz music. He earned substantial acclaim, including wins and nominations at the Grammy Awards and Down Beat magazine. But what really made Montgomery special was his technique.

The Wes Way

Any guitarist can relate to having to keep the noise down when wanting to play, but it was this requirement that would define Montgomery’s technique and style when playing the guitar. Having worked long hours during the day, Montgomery’s practice was limited to nighttime while his wife was sleeping. For this reason, instead of using a pick, he strummed chords with the flesh of his thumb, developing a softer and more expressive tone through the instrument. For single notes he would use downstrokes and for chords and octaves he would combine upstrokes with down.

Montgomery, as revealed in the liner notes for the album Ultimate Wes Montgomery, also had a corn on his thumb, which gave his sound what George Benson described as a “point”. “He would get one sound for the soft parts, and then that point by using the corn. That's why no one will ever match Wes,” Benson wrote in the album notes.

Having virtually no knowledge of scales or modes, Montgomery’s style became centered on the use of single note lines, octaves, and block chords when soloing, which, combined with his thumb technique, provided a full and rounded sound while maintaining his soft and expressive signature touch. It was his lack of training combined with his unusual technique that allowed Montgomery to be so innovative and influential as a jazz guitarist. According to Joe Pass, Montgomery was one of only three guitarists who were “true innovators”; the other two being Montgomery’s heroes Christian and Reinhardt.

Be sure to check out…

The simple truth is if you’re a guitarist, or even a fan of great guitar music, you owe it to yourself to check out Wes Montgomery. No stranger to the fact that diving into an extensive jazz catalogue can sometimes be daunting; here are some great starting points we recommend to familiarize yourself with Wes’ music and style. You can thank us later.

Smokin’ at the Half Note was recorded in 1965 and matched Montgomery with Miles Davis’ rhythm section; Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. Pay special attention to tracks “If You Could See Me Now” and “Unit 7” to hear the best of Montgomery.

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, recorded in 1960, is considered to be the highest accomplishment of Montgomery’s career with tracks showcasing his thumb technique. Pay special attention to “Four on Six” and “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”.

For more Wes Montgomery recommendations, just leave a comment or email me at evan@guitarplanet.eu.

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