Who was Wes Montgomery?
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A musical exploration of a jazz guitar legend
This article is a part of my graduate assignment at the Aaron Copland School of Music.
The genius of John Leslie ‘Wes’ Montgomery is undisputed by critics and guitarists alike. Just as Charlie Christian blazed a trail in the late 1930’s, Wes was the leading force in jazz guitar from the 1960’s onwards. Wes built on Christian’s innovations to form a playing style that quickly became the defining sound of jazz guitar.
Background & Influences
Unlike most leading guitarists, Wes Montgomery (1925–1968) only began playing guitar at the late age of 19. After playing guitar for just six months he began playing Charlie Christian solos note for note in his home town of Indianapolis.
Wes listened to the leading players of the 1950’s: Jimmy Raney, Barney Kessell, Tal Farlow but like most guitar players his main influences were horn players: Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
A Soulful (yet modern) Playing Style
Wes was solidly rooted in the blues while still fluent in the rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated language of bebop. Unlike other R&B jazz guitarists of his time (such as Kenny Burrell and Grant Green) who hinted at the bebop vocabulary of Charlie Parker, Wes could effortlessly execute bebop lines and developed his own approach to the style. He used modern, altered harmony, that was all the more amazing due to the fact he couldn’t read music and didn’t understand music theory — he taught himself to play by ear.
TONE & TECNHIQUE
The first thing that hits you when listening to Wes record is his huge, warm, woody tone. Wes achieved his signature tone by using his thumb rather a pick. He played mostly down-strokes, which sound naturally more full than up-strokes.
Wes’ atypical right hand technique arose out of his need to practice quietly in his house when he started out. He found that by using his thumb he could achieve a softer, more mellow tone that didn’t disrupt his neighbors. Similarly, Wes found during these earlier days he could strum two notes an octave apart (‘Octaves’) very quietly. It is easy to imagine how natural it would have been for Wes to play soft and mellow when it came to gig time with an amplifier, after having practiced under those restrictions. Octaves became a signature of Wes’ sound. His fluency with the technique remains unmatched to this day.
Wes would often employ a simple, three stage approach when improvising: single notes, octaves, then shout chords. This gave his solos exciting contour and melodic shape.
Wes’ phrasing was unlike any guitarist before him; more similar to the flowing lines of saxophone or trumpet than the ‘guitaristic’ phrasing of Django Reinhardt or Charlie Christian. Wes sat right on the beat whereas Grant Green would sit in front of it. The rhythmic accuracy of Wes’ lines, no matter the tempo, is incredibly high: he’s always ‘in the pocket’.
Articulation was another significant strength for Wes. He used a combination of slurs and thumbed notes to create smooth, swinging lines. He would often slide into notes — often the major 3rd of a key (e.g. the note A in the key of F), and within a minor of major blues scale. He didn’t use an over bearing amount of trills or any one, mode of articulation. Every phrase was articulated perfectly so that the right notes were highlighted and rhythmic accuracy maintained.
Especially on slower songs, Wes was unafraid of using wide intervallic leaps. For 16th note lines or at faster tempos he would often use raked arpeggios and scaler runs. Wes often used chromatic approach notes originating from bebop.
Wes Montgomery’s Legacy
As a jazz guitarist living in NYC, it is hard for me to escape the influence of Wes Montgomery. Wes is the foundation on top of which Pat Metheny, George Benson and any jazz guitarist since his time, have built from. Most younger, learning guitarists will know his name and even non-jazz guitarists are usually aware of his importance. The biggest indicator of Wes’ genius is that his music and playing style doesn’t sound outdated. Wes’ music is so organic and heartfelt, it is truly timeless.
