Wes Montgomery - Blue Monk - 1965

[toddallenhooper]

Talent refined eventually matures into pure art... This is art...

[SeerTrulth]

If you weren't rolling like a Mack truck at 1:19, you missed a classic Johnny Griffin setup!

[metalmilitia137]

wes's smile is simply contagious

[dlo691]

Great piano player too, haven't got a fix on this guy ...must check him out

[pcadier]

@dlo691 Get hold of "Martial Solal improvise pour France Musique". There's some serious swinging stuff on that album.

One of the best french jazz pianists in my opinion.

[MediumNothinFull]

i really liked that

[pauljannone123]

Lovely bit of footage of Wes, That smile he has, For some reason fills my heart with joy!

[bigkittysmile]

wow. you'd have to be musically dead to dislike this.

[theseakubrick]

That guy passed out behind the sax is on so much heroine...

[alanblake1492]

Man this is amazing!!!! Love Wes and love Johnny. But the rythym section is really great too.

[brenonion]

i love how humble and relaxed wes always looks, like hes totally oblivious that hes the baddest mofo to ever pick up a guitar

[mussman717word]

Jesus, I love Wes Montgomery.

[mussman717word]

This is somewhat irrelevant, but Kenny G is a marshmallow.

[vdeferens]

@mussman717word That statement is relevant to every aspect of life.

[markmarktarmann]

@mussman717word never irrelevant if the musty G string is the target.(see Pat Metheny's interview. justifiably rips him to shreds.)

[railcar123]

Johnny Griffin's treatment of the melody is a lesson in itself.

[GeorgiaBoy1961]

I had the privilege and good fortune to see the great Johnny Griffin perform at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago a few years before his death, and it was an amazing experience... he was still at the top of his game. Griffin and Wes played together alot and were good pals; you can hear 'em trying to "cut" one another on the bandstand. If you appreciate them together, pick up the live album they did at Tsubo's Cafe in Monterey in the early 1960s. A smoking record...

[aliengroove85]

WTF is that guy doin' behind.

[SugarMind1]

@aliengroove85 Dying.

[longboarder1960]

ahhhh! very, very nice... thank you! GENUIS playing GENUIS!

[cgptony11]

Man this is too much, stone cold blues all the way. Wes jamming. I wish he would have done a chord solo. Then he lays out for the piano. And Johnny Griffin...

[leoncoda]

Solos : Johnny Griffin - tenor sax; Wes Montgomery - guitar; Martial Solal - piano

;

[wagz0216]

so much soul

[ghairraigh]

The joy in wes' face and thenotes sounding like little jewels- there's the feeling of jazz!

[BRILLIANTCORNRS]

THANKS. this is just GREAT. Even Solal sounds ok here. (he's not even the best french piano player...) , little Giant is just IDEM.

[aleksandersucharski]

the way he plays the tune's head is the experience of waking up slightly hungover aftery a nice drinking with some of your finest pals, musically.

[jhump2431]

I think that the keys were being a bit over played I mean that was a Monk tune, it sounded really busy on his end, but man that sax was killin.

[mooshashie]

dude, i do not feel like it is a monday .

[ienjoystuff]

i dont know what these guys are talking about. i thought they killed it

[guitar17johnny]

there was a time, when musicians smoked while the song was still playing ^^

[JMOLIVES]

Gosh , i had the misfortune to read the comments of these brain washed before listening solal solo. Haha, solal was so great that the other musician listened to these lines with tempo changes, original ideas, and non pentatonic schemes and some morons are brave enough to say its not swinging ??? come on, have life and if u want to stick with bonjovi 3 chords melody but please go elsewhere and le the music happen...

[FrenchyDuckbill]

Thanks a lot

[Lukasoncapeta]

Well Solal maybe wasn't feeling it this time, but solo on a glass of cool wine is one od the best I've heard in my life. They all kick ass.

[gillyarchtop]

Long day in the studio?

[fngrpkn06]

Oh yeah!

[whyhellodevin]

martial is so kiling on these vids

[SamFrampton]

I wish people would play blue monk at this tempo more often. It takes incredible skill to swing when the tempo is so slow.

[ElGbayRGX]

i love the octave melodies !!

[DolphLundgrenix6909]

i love wes but i pisses me off how there is no old footage of grant green and kenny burrell. great vid tho johnny griffin is a beast.

[aesopslyre]

The pianist is not swinging, and not expressing anything about blues phrasing. Plays like a conservatory trained hack.

[drifteromega]

@aesopslyre

He was mainly self taught though. He doesn't play like everyone else, but that's what's special about him. He plays some really great ideas in this solo. Just watch Wes Montgomery and Johnny Griffin's reactions.

[GuitarSlinger151]

sweeeeet, i didn't know al pacino was such a good piano player

[Zeokoz]

2:35 haha, that's all I have to say.. Well except the obvious God DAMN that neck was never cold so long as Wes had his hands on it.

[brh062222]

Sorry but the pianist is right on top of the beat, if not ahead. It’s not really about the notes he plays-it’s more of an issue of where he plays the notes in relation to the band's pocket. 4:23 to 4:47 is a good example of him rushing and emphatically getting to ‘one’ before the bass and drums, then his recognition of rushing with some sustained chords but then a rush to get to an Earl-type line -"no shame in his game”-we’ve all done it - just hate it when we do it when tape is rolling ;) .

[SeerTrulth]

Wiper-blade thumb on those octaves at 3:00!  Up and down!

[gigijazzygirl]

i can't stop watching this video. PURE GENIUS!!! i love wes's playing, and i always will =D

[jhg123456]

Cocaine's a hell of a drug

[ALTERED13TH]

Amazing pianist.

[Virtuosic1]

@ALTERED13TH You're not kidding. I've transcribed well over 100 of Martial's recordings. 60+ years of absolutely unique and super inventive improvising. No other pianist is even close, and that includes my mentor and teacher, Lennie Tristano. Solal = the improvisational mind of Tristano + the technique of Tatum.

[SeerTrulth]

I can't watch this or appreciate it because whites aren't supposed to be able to play jazz well.

[MacXpert74]

@SeerTrulth That's a very shortsighted view. You should listen with your ears, NOT your eyes! Good musicianship has nothing to do with race or color.

[SeerTrulth]

@MacXpert74 I was being sarcastic. Sorry it was taken wrong. I was criticizing, via sarcasm, the narrow-minded view that certain people have that only minorities who have had a hard life can play good jazz.

[MacXpert74]

@SeerTrulth I'm happy to hear that. I know some people really do think of jazz like that. And I think that's very disturbing. So it's good to see your not one of them! All music should be played by whoever likes to play it. Music can bring people together, no matter what nation, race or color. And that's a thing we need more of in this world!

[SeerTrulth]

Music is so unrelated to any visible parameters that it is crazy to think of it that way! I am from Oberlin, Ohio, where the famed Oberlin Conservatory of Music is. Until Dave Brubeck played there it was known as a pretty stiff classical kingdom (1950). Dave and Paul Desmond tore that up. Then you see the less-technical people -- often of color -- re-defining what it means to make music by doing it without necessary knowledge of the theory. Wes was one of these! He was a conduit!

[IRACEMABABU]

@SeerTrulth And obviously you aren't supposed to have receive a brain and a heart, not speaking of ears...

[fakesoundsjazz1983]

why do pianists always take control in the comping.. never leaving any space for the guitarists to comp.. so annoying

[DimebagsLeftToe]

@fakesoundsjazz1983 i guess thats true but you have to admit piano comping can get a lot more euphonic and creative than guitar. maybe thats just my opinion. im a guitarist by the way, haha

[fakesoundsjazz1983]

@DimebagsLeftToe not quite sure what you mean by euphonic? i disagree.. i think maybe it due to the fact that, for beginning jazz guitarists, its much harder to comp convincingly so its always the pianists that end up doing the comping and maybe it just develops from there.. listening to kurt or phil robson comping is amazing i think. Also, if youre talking creativity, i think the guitar is so much more able to comp creatively as we're able to bend the pitch of our notes.. i dunno

[DimebagsLeftToe]

@fakesoundsjazz1983 yeah true. euphonic just meaning more appealing to the senses. that classic jazz piano comp sound. just a matter of taste though. anyway, ill have to look into that. never noticed it

[NolitaDenise]

@fakesoundsjazz1983 - guitar wins that battle. but in the old days supposedly the guitar just couldn't be heard over the rest of the band(just old stories idk how true) - maybe that's why piano keeps taking over. old habits die hard. then again i'm not a jazz junkie. i just listen to whatever i like and happen to like some jazz.

now i'll go re-watch the bit where i think there's an inaudible end to the guitar's lead/solo.

[sitarnut]

@fakesoundsjazz1983 I've seen it all my life and I'm 66... the piano guy always thinks he is the chord master, but Wes can cut most of them..mainly, it's ego & sonic clashing. The piano guy usually fails to see that it's two different axes... he can't play the Johnny Smith- Ed Bickert- WES sonic -timbre chord packets, BUT neither can the guitar sound Bill Evans clusters... a guitarist just wants his playing space and respect - the piano dudes usually have to step on them anyway? I never get it

[NolitaDenise]

@sitarnut - even w/o experience i can see/hear what you're saying. it was like bad dancing. stepping on toes and bumping into each other. not feeling your partner. sorry, i often mix art forms' vocabularies when trying to learn/understand. with music it's sometimes more a dance to me than the connect the dots of online tabs and lessons and such. more gestures and motions than how it's taught. if i see it like a dance i can come close to hearing and playing it right...

[NolitaDenise]

@sitarnut - i'm letting much go though. it's a rehearsal. not a performance right? perhaps they worked things out b4 playing? is the actual performance the "Hamburg 1965" one?

The pianist's body language conveys discomfort. Maybe he felt like he was out of his league or misfit? He just doesn't look comfortable.

[sitarnut]

@NolitaDenise Brilliant ! I too, get everything you said... you make sense to me- if you ever play any instrument the way you write I want to buy your first CD. If you could say what you just did, with same stream of consciousness, pan-arts waves, say on Alto Sax, gosh would I love to hear that! Keep thinking and writing and playing- I hope you keep a journal. Ever read any, " Yasunari Kawabata"? Namaste

[hillybunker]

totally dragging, but in the good on purpose way

[123toobster]

i like how they're arranged

[merrymonarch]

a time when talent mattered

[Virtuosic1]

@merrymonarch Sadly, not any more!

[simsdogg92]

@merrymonarch when it comes to jazz it still matters.

[kevinherbert]

@merrymonarch : what does that statement actually mean?

[jazz1bro]

@merrymonarch

I'd add , telling stories musically were important instead of running fast technical math/musical exercises/stolen licks due to the lack of life experiences worthwhile telling about . The times were turbulent legally for those who were the best and the main innovators. Greed has developed less musicians, fewer Jazz Clubs, horrific losses of jobs, increased "selling out" and more religious intolerances.

[oldsyphilitic]

@merrymonarch Talent has and will always matter but sadly most people don't always recognise it. That has also always been thre case and will be ever more.

[ivanredskin]

uf uf uf

[toddoliver99]

They start in Bb and Johnny's solo.... then Wes takes his solo in Eb...(which he of course plays Bb minor licks all over) ... then Solol in takes his in Ab and they stay there for the out chorus... pretty freakin cool.

[NintendoSinceBirth1]

@toddoliver99 ahhhh! im just a blues player, all this key changing scares me

[Tzachi076S]

@NintendoSinceBirth1

just move the pentatonic 3 frets forward and then 5 frets backwards (;

[taildragger53]

Most guitarists pull the strangest faces when playing BUT Wes smiled throughout...what an amazing guy! There'll never be another.

[boogster123321]

heavy blues, great playing

[willwelsh816]

Damn, who knew a steinway could do jazz lol, I always thought of that as a classical piano.

[pjabtg]

My theory is that Wes Montgomery's fame at the time of this recording pushed every musician in the room to play their best. favorite part is after Martial Solal fries everyones' brains, Griffin acts like nothing happened and finishes the song with same shameless joy he started it with. THIS is collaboration

[willwelsh816]

@pjabtg lol THATS how your supposed to act after an amazing solo is played right before your turn lol. You should see the video of Miles playin Walkin' with Herbie Hancock, and the sax player friggin fries the stage, and Herbie is left speechless and playless for a few minutes before he starts to go, which of course he does fine.

[Virtuosic1]

@pjabtg Light years ahead of his peers, rhythmically, harmonically,

contrapuntally, improvisationally, Solal has been the greatest of all

jazz pianists for the past half century, and most don't even know his name!

[pedemeyer]

Thers a few far out moments here:)))

My hat goes off to the bassplayer, making that jam come together.

[Existentialexplosion]

Johnny Griffin's playing is devine!

[livewire242]

These gentlemen are SO high.

[frafunk]

tomorrow i ve a musical test and i m going to play this standard on guitar,but i ve discovered only today this version. i m such an idiot...

[dsgraham72]

Frightfully nice.

[BeatBay]

one of my favorite standards and my favorite jazz player = wes!

[yngwiemalmsteen8]

JAZZ IS MY AQUILES´S HEEL.SOME DAY I WISH CAN PLAY JAZZ IN MY GUITARGOD BLESS TO ALL, GREETINS FROM ARGENTINE

[207522179]

its so cul to see wes genuinly smiling and diggin wat he's doin.in front of an audience he's usually got this 'just doin my job' kinda grin!

[stcroixmusic]

Rolling Stone is a rock magazine. Even thought they mention a jazz artist once in a while, as far as Jazz is concerned, they don't know their asses from a whole in the ground. They are just looking at pop stardom, not artistic achievements.

JJ Rocks, St. Croix music Magazine

[Jermswhite]

I love the look he gives everyone and smile at 2:35. It's pure communication.

[hotdrumchick]

Damn, half the band was named Ronnie! What did they do, give them numbers, lol!

Cool vid, though. Nobody played like Wes!!

[Boldstrummer]

Such ignorance about no pick. His thumb defined HIS sound.

This is beyond all technique. It is very close listening and response to the other musicians.

[alzhammer1]

if you love jazz Victor van Kampen is The master guitar player.... not this guy who does't even know how to use a pick...!

[pencap23]

@alzhammer1 holy shit hahahahahaha!

[failont01]

@alzhammer1 sometime you need to keep you mouth shut so pepole

think your a fool but when you open your pepole know your a fool

[TubeSpoker]

@alzhammer1 Ignorant. At least learn to play an instrument, and learn that a pink does not matter and sometimes it destroys the subtle and gentle touch. Learn more before making such grotesque remark.

[plectroman]

Solal may be the only musician who played with both Django and Wes....

[nadirsharav]

awesome

[musicblew69]

WOW!? GREAT !

[sunnyD2008]

ha!! :30 looks like steve jobs walks by in the background....

[14nitetripper]

How cool can it get??

[Surfister]

@14nitetripper this cool!

[cjoey39]

Wow!! Talk about heaven!! Obviously I love music to be listening to this, but this makes me appreciate it even more! These guys are all fantastic!! Joey Vaughan "World Blues Attack"

[raypere43]

Anybody knows who is the piano player?

Ray.

[biggerturtle]

@raypere43 solal

[kazoo175]

cool!

[Thechilihot]

Wes is the king.

[Contextura]

they are having a overdose of fun man...!!!

and that's the real deal after all..!!!

[jhoughton4]

OMG WHAT a line up! That's such an incredible collaboration of different jazz cultures - Solal of France, Koller of Germany etc. This is how jazz should be! An environment for integration, the consolidation of differences, and musical genius.

[notti33]

@jhoughton4

hans koller was an austrian! i knew him very well, he was a great human beeing. koller , zawinul, also gulda... great musicians from austria.

[jhoughton4]

Thanks. ;]

[shaunberkovits]

@jhoughton4 kollers austrian

[007Elvisofnazareth]

@jhoughton4 ... Nice sentiment, but Dude.... Seriously.....most of his bands from the US were WAY higher caliber than most of these cats. Tighter timing, better swing, more creative, better chemistry and synergy.

[qwerly45]

Some underrated musicians here.

[MAJORSNODGRASS]

Kenny Clare on drums trying to look like Phil Seaman!

[DYNODRUM]

Is IT

[BARCI09]

Martial sounds like divinely from 4.01 to 4.23, poetry, genius,beatiful

[viniguitarjazz]

*************STARS WEs !

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Hang in there Ronnie Scott.

[Seebu]

Aaaahhh, I just love the sloooow, drowsy sax.

[cliffworks4321]

whenever anyone plays there could be a zillion factors influencing their performance, might have been played weeks, months on end while traveling, with little sleep & too much booze, drugs & women. i've experimented with them all

but still can't play like Wes :-)

[NuclearSoda]

Usually those kind of things distract the mind from music, not the other way around...

[cliffworks4321]

all self righteous preachers go sailing and

pull the plug on your vessel in shark infested waters, more art has been inspired by women than lots of other 'distractions,' the worst being religion, the catalyst of more killings than anything else, if it takes drugs, sex, booze, then so be it, if it doesn't that's fine too, but never never ever preach. end of sermon, I have spoken.

[sonny2020]

@cliffworks4321

I agree with you regarding women. I always liked this quote from Bird. You probably know it.

"Any musician who says he is playing better either on tea, the needle, or when he is juiced, is a plain straight liar . . . You can miss the most important years of your life, the years of possible creation.

[mrgone78]

Anyone else love just how slow they take this??? Seriously!!! Great.

[xHelpMeIAmHungry]

I liked the piano solo because it was something differenet. not your standard aeborsold blues riffs

[metalstring346]

weird, started in Bb, ended in Ab hehe

[1jayloew]

i second that who speaks ill of this! the shit is awesome and plus its a monk song for crying out loud a little oddity is quite permissible sometimes i wonder if the people who comment on here know anything about real jazz and the evoulution of it.... but such is life today

[guitarstranger]

I'm unsure why anyone makes neg comments regarding the piano solo, or any others for that matter. This is improvised music, and when I'm surfing thru here, I never fail to find "Peanuts" in the gallery. I'm confident most commenters of that ilk have their opinion, but probably would fold placed in this situation right now, huh? Close minds, open Ears!

[Potordi]

MARAVILLOSO

[SuperflyFunkyBunny]

This session definitely has a weird vibe to it. Love Johnny and Wes as usual . Solal's solo is interesting- not melodic per say, but memorable. They all seem to behaving fun which is great to see. Maybe they all went out for Waffles after..

[sixtiessoul]

Um. Can nobody else who's commented realize that they're all high / drunk as a motherfu**er here? Either that, or it's a "super-early" rehearsal and they're all hungover as shit. Actually that's probably it. But yeah, the piano solo is uh...technically awesome but out there. Then again this whole thing is all over the place. Whoa.

[druss56]

I hear art tatum in martial solal, but I agree, his solo is too technical and lacks the smooth feeling found in wes' and Griffin's solo

[localboy1948]

yikes........even wes is a little goofy here.......well.........hmmmmm­mm ? I think the sax player started it.

[sitarnut]

Johnny & Wes are the living end, and Martial's solo is one of the most un-melodic things I've ever heard which has nothing to do with blues, but I suspect with Ego....

[kathymizuno]

Agreed...a slew of awesome licks and textures that left me cold.

However, since it is a rehearsal, I'm guessing he's just exercising these Monk-ish runs that will go nicely between thoughtful blues motifs he will play during the public performance.

Or, since he obviously doesn't seem to need the practice (out of my league tecnique for sure) , he tired and he wants to go to bed.

[IRACEMABABU]

@sitarnut Man, for me Solal's solo is melodic and bluesy, but his thinking is very fast, that makes his music a no-easy-listening music. Before condamn him, be sure you are able to follow and understand this kind of virtuoso. If not, do your homework. Modern sophisticated jazz isn't for beginners...

[sitarnut]

@IRACEMABABU It is all so wonderful and laughable- suspect we are all to serious- all the various comments....what it really proves is the old adage: TO EACH HIS OWN- here is what I'll say- maybe I have been too hard on Solal, but technique alone without a lot of soul 'aint ever gonna cut with me or my old mates... as for the homework, I've been playing Alto, Flute and Clarinet since 1959- that is precisely why I can can listen to this and make a comment with a bit of experience under my belt.

[IRACEMABABU]

@sitarnut OK you play since 1959, but in what style ? With modern harmony ? etc... Experience doesn't prove much if it is in an old style... Fortunately big jazzmen don't hesitate to mix their musics and don't underrate other's talent. Solal was just 25/30 years ahead of others and he was playing what he was hearing, which is phenomenous. Lack of soul ? Yes, he isn't black american, but Griffin and Wes obviously didn't care ...

[Somegamer]

I'm but Martial Solial is awful here, he's playing absolute nonsense which doesn't fit the music at all. Technically fantastic though.

[RootsinBrooklyn]

Your comment is nonsense. I think Martial's solo is just right.

[blah148]

well to be honest, after listening to about a trillion blues tunes--most of which use the exact same riffs--its unbelievably refreshing to listen to wes' or martial's solo

[halibutty]

pretty sure that guy in the back has got that heroin nod thing going on, odd to have him "sittin in" as he looks too incapacitated to play anything. Great vid!

[kdheithaus]

every time i hear the opening notes I hear - disney's "Cruella DeVille, Cruella, Deville" Just that, and I'm always surprised that it's not that song.... great tune tho! I should be over this disney thing by now!

[909kong]

If they play like this during a mere rehearsal, what did they do for the concert???

[anonymityrocks]

love the depressed sax player in the back ground....lol

[metalstring346]

hahah, pretty sure hes diggin the music, maybe..

[marcospinetta]

wes uber alles!

[cicopia1]

Wes montgomery was amazing in his use of octaves .

[pjabtg]

I've listened to this clip just about every day for about a month and it still is getting better with every listen.  Everyone single player is on fire, Martial Solal an inferno. My favorite part is at 4:30 when Johnny Griffin is acting cool as he watches Martial go, when inside he is thinking how the FUCK!?

greatness.

[timetherton]

wes is the man

[atomicFlyer]

These guys are killin it!

[vieurocker]

exceptionnel, sensationnel !

very good !

[chooseyourblues]

This is actualy more of a Blues jam played by Jazz musicians...

[dasilvaj2008]

i love jazz

[gigijazzygirl]

@dasilvaj2008 me too!! i've always loved it and i'm 17 =)

[zweiosterei]

Good God!!

Look at Martial!!!

[lornezedleather]

love how johnny griffin is playing behind the beat!! Sounds cool

[BrunoJazzmanLeicht]

Wonderful lineup, amazing clip. While Wes was possibly the most stunning guitar man of them all, Martial Solal shouldn't be underestimated. Top stuff.

Feel free to check out my swing & jazz site -- for link see my profile.

Thx & Cheers,

Bruno "Brewmery" Leicht

[grantgre]

Solal sucks!@#

[kulamdaparim]

hes playing like a million bars ahead I think he got the entire rhythm section confused