Wes Montgomery "Twisted Blues"

[Fruscianteistheman]

that little lick wes does at 4:27-

wow~~ i could make a song based off that lick alone its so good

[LiquidCruelty]

The bass solo seems to say "I ain't even mad"

And I'm not either, now. This video always improves my day

[occhei1]

Perfect!!

[AmericanDiaz]

This guy wasn't only the baddest jazz player in his time but he had a cool name! Just saying his name makes me feel like all is good in the world. 5star!

[jessebordoe]

My first thought upon listening to this was "This is so much better than Lady Gaga", therefore I have Good Musical Taste. The how-much-better-is-this-than-L­ady-Gaga scale is the tried and tested method for music appreciation and discussion. I give this 3.5 Lady Gagas

[DoctorHadoken]

It's a shame that my generation doesn't know real shit like this.

Sometimes I'm judged for liking jazz and metal, but I brush it off. Lady Gaga has nothing on Wes.

[justinllalor]

this trio is amazing

[ClarenceHW]

The art of being relaxed and intense at the same time.

Swings like mad.

For younger players who usually don't grow up hearing music with a lot of chord changes and don't get the chance to play through changes... start with the blues, it's a good intermediate step between rock and jazz, some common ground. Wes has a solid blues background you hear it all the time in his playing.

[zoso1able]

@ClarenceHW

thanks, fot the tip i 'm a student in a jazz school , and i was quite confused when i saw all these changes but now i feel better now

[DYNODRUM]

Arthur Harper ,Looks alot Like Julian Bond, from late 60's. The Politician /activist ,Very cool guy also...Great Player on Upright , says So.

[nahro316]

This is too short! : (

[Gibsonitejoe]

the legendary television performance at the Belgian televison in 1966. great player .

thanks for sharing

[wesm65]

@Gibsonitejoe This legendary performance is actually from BBC television in London from 1965, a programme from the legendary "Jazz 625" series. The show was presented by trumpeter Humpherey Lyttleton. I have the full show on vhs - doesn't really get much better than this imo!!! All of the tunes from the show are on youtube - Yeterdays, Jingles, Round Midnight, Twisted Blues(this) and Full House with West Coast Blues as an intro and an outro.

[wesm65]

@Gibsonitejoe The Belgian show was from the same tour with the same band, also in 1965 as far as I remember - so easy to see how you thought it was that performance. Anyway - amazing music - thank God for youtube!!

[mrjohn1964]

How to be elegant, smooth and genial? And above all playing THE guitar so so precisely?

Just beeing Wes Montgomery.

[SEANFIR]

This should be a lesson to allllll the bassists out there that GUT strings are the only way to go. They sound so much better. The attack is great and the sustain isn't as long, but it doesn't HAVE to be... you need BASS and attack! plus the tension on gut strings is a fraction of that for steel... easier to play, finger, hammer ons, pull-offs... and they're louder too! Your bass won't break in half after 5 years, etc!

[jazzroom]

@SEANFIR second that - - > Gut Strings All the way , and a Real playin'!

[YIANNISKASSETAS]

Wes is my favorite guitarist of all time!!

[jambimon]

ALL i WANT TO KNOW, WHICH 6 DUNDERHEADS DON'T LIKE THIS????

[adamanddeuce]

Didn't he die sometime ago? He was before his time, an original.If he's still alive he's probably still great.

[aarfeld]

@adamanddeuce: He died of a heart attack in 1968 at the age of 45.

[Sankukai11]

That line he played between 4:06 and 4:11 have some resemblance with Django Reinhardt's start on the second chorus solo of Django's Tiger... hummm where did Wes learnt playing octaves? perhaps musicologist should study this further...

[majordilligaf]

this is so much better than the digitized crap i have to grow up with

[IsuckYoungBlood]

just wow!

[Dethsquirrel]

hnghugnughnugh i think my brain just creamed out of my ears

[lifestraight]

I inevitably have to own this DVD. I'm a Wes Montgomery newbie, but I am already very impressed with his playing. Jazz on Wes!!!

[topanguitarchannel]

wes montgomery was a jenius!!

and he can inspiring a thousand guitar player aroun the world...

[Jamzamurai]

jazz is the rocket science of music

[SeerTrulth]

Hey, tech-rockers. Did "sweep" start with Wes?

[SeerTrulth]

Mr. Mabern's chromaticism is marvelous.

[deejayhenke]

4:37 swings so hard.

[ngomabit]

the guitar is a man called wes montgomery and the tune is

something sharped from him impression self...

cause he doesn't compar himself to no body and u can prove it

on this tune full of joy...

[mackyouaccount]

I've already commented saying the same thing but DAYUM! Sicccckk bass solo

[thechewydude]

The subtle genious of this music is overwhelming.

[davidofpiano423]

I love how Wes switches strings to play the same note at 4:05!

[dojomania]

@davidofpiano423 ... it's a Charlie Christian lick , from the Benny Goodman band, show's Wes's understanding of the roots of jazz.

[stkmce]

"good" music, is good music. it has no specific genre, or idiom. comparison, more than not, separates and destroys what can stand on it's own.

just so glad that jazz was born into this wide open space called music!

[ngomabit]

@Afovidiofguitar...

okay i and i agree with someone who says nothing to compar wiht other

cause what is true is that....the guitar like a train coming from evolution slave time to break the pressur and wes montgomery is probably something i cant explain...

[blueturtleblues]

probably one of the best blues solo of Wes...Just after W C B...

[mickhutchinson]

BRILLIANT BRILLIANT

[geamit4]

amazing double bass solo!

[jumblesaleguitar]

i just love the way wes uses octaves. i once thought octaves werent very useful or didnt know how to use them and sound good but then i heard wes

im also kind of tired of the fact most people on my class that play an instrument, play metal, but today i played some jazz on the music lessons and it seemed people liked it... maybe they dont know enough about jazz yet, im sure some could start to like it as much as i do if they did

[richardsmamma]

That is one hell of a bassplayer.

[erpukeru]

had this riff goin in my head all day.. then finally figured out it was good old wes!

*sing* dedepdedipdidieldidep *stopsinging*

i´m only 18 but since my father showed me that old school stuff i love it. hate how everybody around me is so into either bullshit techno oder hardcore metal.

[SonofHelge]

I wonder how old harper is in this recording, he looks pretty young.

[mackyouaccount]

Why have I never heard of Arthur Harper?!

[1954telecaster]

forget jaco pastorious, this is real bass playing right here!

[MrPhantom359]

wonderful to see someone using youTube for something besides banal wastes of bandwidth!!

thank you!!!

[Hammerfoot72]

glad to see there are no idiots leaving stupid comments on here.. I mean really what could you say !!! this is so awesome ..you just do not see talent like this anymore..glad my dad got me into jazz 25 years ago... thanks dad... now I know what you were talking about..

[kurinakornel1]

woouuh!

[LiquidCruelty]

Any ailment you have

Cancer is a fucking pussy, this song will annihilate it

[jendretz]

incredible bass!

[bigbass421]

Hi DaDrumBum1 ! What you see is what many upright jazz bassists did back then, to amplify their basses, it most certainly is a microphone wrapped in either foam rubber or cloth, wedged up into the arch of the bridge. Remember, this clip is from 1965, that was 45 years ago...seems incredible to me that it is, but the years fly by, don't they? I've seen bassists do this. There were no pickups on the market in '65 that could sound this good. What a great bass player he was.

[aafgomes]

That's sensational!

[school1]

jeez he is so good!

[paynow]

As much as I love Wes I keep returning to this to hear the Arthur Harper solo. Unreal how good that is. Complete focus and concentration. So well done it sounds like speaking.

[DihColorado]

pure music...pure talent

[elekrikal]

This is what I call great music. Jazz of the highest order!!

[bigbass421]

Arthur Harper! Wow, I keep coming back to this vid, I just can't help wondering why Arthur Harper didn't receive the recognition he deserved. R.I.P. Mr. Harper. This is without a doubt, one of the most relaxed, killer bass solos of all time, he's in total command of the instrument, his amazing ideas, NO AMP and gut strings...man, this is just the epitome of a bass solo and what it should be - Wes is totally gassed, watch his expression! Thanks for posting this!

[DaDrumBum1]

@bigbass421 I totally agree, wonderful solo, but I believe he does have an amp. Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like he has a pick up on his bass.

[bigbass421]

This is the definition of genius. Wes, perfect. Harold Mabern's work here is just incredible. He is my all time favorite jazz pianist, and his work with Lee Morgan is wonderful. Jimmy Lovelace does what every great drummer does, swing...and Arthur Harper- damn, I never heard him before this live in England stuff with Wes...wow, a very gifted player. Why didn't he become more well known? A mystery for sure..

[aarfeld]

@bigbass421: Yes, one doesn't hear much discussion of the work of Harold Mabern anymore--it seems he's a forgotten man. But what criminal neglect for his touch at the piano was simply exquisite.

[DJTonySeal]

@bigbass421 I wonder about Arthur Harper all the time, I have rarely heard a Bassist put so much thought and competence in improvisation, let alone his bass lines. His talent, all though relatively unknown, is still very much thought about, our acknowledgement is the best thing we could have done to his legacy.

R.I.P. Arthur Harper

[BenFrancDes]

hmmmm....where can i get tabs for this (the intro that is)?

[metalmike31216]

Use your ear and transcribe it.

[BenFrancDes]

yeah, i get the octaves bit easy enough. Its the chords in the second half of the movement which i find tough. Any ideas?

[metalmike31216]

Try and recognize voicings you might know. Otherwise find good notes and use theory to guess at what the voicings might be. Transcribing chords is tough for me too.

[BenFrancDes]

thanks metalmike. You're right, it is infinitely more satisfying to work it out yourself.

[ShiffronLandren]

@BenFrancDes @BenFrancDes Since I've taken the time to figure this out, allow me to share it with you. Wes is playing four note major 7th and dominant chords on the top four strings. The second movement is a series of chromatically descending II-Vs. Wes substitutes the relative major for the minor II chord. So, he'll play a Gma7 (fourth string root) for an Emi 7 (can be thought of as Emi9 without root).

[wesm65]

Wes is amazing on this as always. I keep going back to Arthur Harper's bass solo, though - it has to be my all time favourite bass solo. The entire tv programme this is taken from (bbc Jazz 625 from 1965) is top class. I've been watching it on video for the last twelve years and it still sounds amazing! It's all on Youtube I think: Yesterdays, Jingles, Round Midnight, Twisted Blues, Full House and West Coast Blues(as intro and outro).

[TV3020001A]

@wesm65 Wes, Amazing. One of favorite solos of all players time. I love it all including Jaco, Stanley, Mingus, Graham, NHOP, Scott LaFaro, Victor Wooten, F. Rabbath et al. I am blown away by them each but I there is something unique about this solo.

[vhfgtiuoiu]

completely agree joceeco.

Was not until I had been playing a while and attempted jazz guitar, then cam a huge amount of appreciation and respect......

Still think Jazz is muso's music. Anyone who appreciates and doesn't play, think of the instrument you would most liek to play and begin your journey!

[deejayhenke]

+ 1

[HendrixPrinceFlea89]

Speaking of sounding like Hendrix you can tell hendrix was influenced by him in Villanova Junction Woodstock and other songs.

[63Brummie]

I agree with you there buddy... it's not just Wes, Chalie Christian too or maybe it's just the Blues :-)

I love this stuff though... so inspirational.

[HolyFerdinand]

5:05 castles made of sand.

[philh37]

At 4:17 there's a good long closeup of his Thumb. I swear it looks like it was broken and reset at a 90 degree angle.

[BenFrancDes]

That's it, get the pliers out! ;)

[ShiffronLandren]

@BenFrancDes (continued) The second movement, starting from 5:33 is: G dim (at 10th fret); F#7#9 (at 9th, no root); G#ma7 (fourth string root voicing followed by sixth string root voicing; A ma 7 (fourth string root voicing); B7 (triad at 7th); Ab ma7, Bb7 . Next, he changes it slightly. For the Emi7th chord he plays a A7sus (emi7th voicing with no root), followed by A7 ;, and from there decends chromatically to the G7 chord which leads into the tonic, F#7.

[richcapo]

@ShiffronLandren Good lord, I couldn't even imagine the modal chops it would take to solo over changes like that. Amazing analysis, ShifronLandren. Thanks for writing it up.

[mig15fan]

awesome!!!

[RebornGuitarLearner]

Absolumment genial! Mon Dieu!

[HendrixPrinceFlea89]

actually it's pretty remarkle how much funk came out of jazz, it's like funk is just a small excerpt of the bigger jam that is jazz.

[qwerly45]

I always though james Brown's music was pretty close to hard bop.

[Leuriel]

Juste merveilleux...

[TamMars]

merci beaucoup !

[WashburnN4ist]

Absolutely fantastic. And indeed the gentleman on bass brought down the house.

[qwerly45]

Thats funk bass before funk bass even existed.

[queekers]

What a shame - today's music is all about the lyrics and an image, focused on profits.

[mig15fan]

agreed... but dig a little, you´l find some real humans,playing real music.

[josemariomega]

wow, he plays the guitar with his fingers.... actually only his thumb!!

[afroboy389]

What a great ensemble. The way they can communicate through the music is spectacular. These guys are absolutely incredible!

[redorayer]

Bass player = Arthur Harper Jr.

[TheTeleplayer1]

Who is the bass player? He is absolutely sick!

[jesscaralsen]

Wes kicks ass with one thumb...amazing

[justinllalor]

I bet his wife liked that!

[diggthepigg]

yea

[thedng]

wow, these guys are seriously very very tight!! :D

[thedarkwarriorfdeath]

im a classical trained guitarist and im taking a jazz improve class were we have to do a transcripsion and i think im going to do a wes montgomery song. very good stuff. o well got to go practice my modes

[jaffijoe]

I imagine that they want a transcription of the solo, as well. I did mine on the Zappa tune "Duke of Orchestral Prunes:, that including all transpositions and stage positions in order to get feedback on particular notes (I know, it isn't jazz, but I still aced it). But, if you are thinking about doing any Wes tunes, I recommend "Four on Six" (the version from 'Smokin' at the Half-note'. 'Full House is another good one. It really depends on what you Prof is in to; that is what really matters

[jaffijoe]

To continue from where I left off, I have found it extremely helpful to practice all of my scales, and modes thereof, utilizing the cycle of 4ths/5ths. It is boring as all heck, but when it comes to improvising, it shows you the flow of things. After a few years and your hands just seem to go to the right place for whatever it is you want to express. I've been slacking lately, but this method does help when it comes to improve and transcribing solos.

[justinllalor]

Modes? Just practice Wes.

[furyofbongos]

Rich nutrition for the soul.

[attributionerr]

genius

[jasmicar]

toum ta li la lou tam

poum pim poum pam

[joshuasound]

arthur harper baby!!!!! on bass!!!!!!!

[joshuasound]

arthur harper on bass! jimmy lovelace on drums, harlod mabern, piano, wes on guitar.

this is the real thing...

healing music to make your soul happy

[shop4sue]

@joshuasound iT'S AMAZING HOW YOU CAN TAKE YOURSELF BACK IN TIME ALMOST AS THOUGH YOU WERE REALLY THERE....WES IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CadillacL]

This swings :)

[drwinkle101]

Boy, that bassist has great rhythm! Can hear all sorts in Wes's mid-60s music, even a proto-funk feel.

[madrast]

Bassist is Art Harper from Philadelphia, PA.

[alisanchazz]

what about the bassplayer does <nybody knows who he is?

[Dalsia]

Does anybody know who's on piano?

[BELRUE]

I think the pianist is Harold Malbern

[johnnyguitarcarson]

It is Harold Mabern ,

no "L"

[KAROLAmaJABOLA]

zajebista solówa na kontrabasie

[PSIchiater]

sophisticated,this is my Wes!

[helljumper1893]

this is way better than the studio recording.

[fakestrat57]

slower too

[N7YnkaS]

great!

[WillieDines1]

Man, anyone who wants to hear a group of some of the coolest jazz cats to ever roll into town, this clip has got some of the coolest cats to ever play jazz :)

I have the studio version of this piece on CD, which is always enjoyable to hear, but this live version sounds that little bit smoother :)

Thanks for uploading a true Jazz gem :), top rating always :)

[Harry427]

agreed man, i love all the solos on this piece!!

[artestra]

dig the rhythm behind the bass solo... super kewl

[rch456789]

it's a shame how the music nows days are so empty.

[Orbit91]

You're not looking hard enough.

[dkrumrie123]

yeah i agree and disagree. as far as most mainstream music i agree but theres some good stuff out there

[yoursxtruly]

i think a better way to put it is

its a shame how the majority of the population is into music that is so empty.

[BillyC15]

you said it

[thedeadlynightshades]

I think jazz is an acquired taste that not everybody can get into. I didn't appreciate it until I took a class in college that helped me to understand how it historically developed and what they players are actually doing on their instruments. I love the way Wes plays, he's so free.

[koreankayagum]

Agreed. If one realizes the ungodly amount of work a jazz musician has to do just to begin to improvise confidently, and if they understand all the computations that are going on in a player's mind during improvisation, they will be in a position to really appreciate jazz. Now that I'm deeply into this music and its history, it's very hard for me to be impressed by relatively simplistic rock or pop (though there are a few things here and there that catch my ear).

[joceeco]

Jazz is an aquired taste or one must be born into it like I was. I was born in Baton Rouge and spent many days and nights in New Orleans with my father, who was a Pianist and my uncles who were singers played in Jazz clubs throughout the city. One can find jazz being sung and played around New Orleans throughout the day, on every street in N.O. For the true jazz experience, go to N.O.

[feelit4]

i completly agree man

[louisbrillon]

I agree with all of you. I think that jazz is to music what a fine wine is to food. It takes a lot of attention and practice to detect and feel the finest aromas (translates to intentions/moods/feelings in music) but once you do, I think you reach hapiness hearing Wes or others...

[taildragger53]

@yoursxtruly I agree..it's a sad reflection on society. The attention span of most today is very limited and DEEP , emotive music like this passes many by. (except for the ones on here who KNOW their music) Back in the 1950s-1960s there were just so many imaginative innovators in music.

[Laughincow]

@yoursxtruly the majority of the population is simply not into music. that's why...

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

damn that was smooth. what a great group of musicians. Wes is the patron saint of cool in my book.

[jasmincar]

I had this DVD but I lost it

[xdivinebladex]

that's unfortunate

[jasmincar]

yes it is

[wildpeachatl737]

Amazing what you can do with simply a quartet and nothing else...genius!

[rockandrollman59]

genius..

[wi11donovan]

Harold Mabern's head is so ugly and big

[Kunstdesfechtens]

Gotta love Wes. And Harper's kicking some posterior as well. :)

[artestra]

haha yeah

[Gitaarboy32]

R E S P E C T

[Lot2learn]

Wow, this is just so excellent in every respect! Arthur Harper is totally amazing and I assume that is Harold Mabern playing that killin' piano solo. Great post. Thanks!

[ntucker88]

is that the bassist?

[artestra]

Harper on bass

[cherber2]

bass player loves coke

[smokey0skates]

everyone should clap to the tempo at 5:20-6:03 you really feel like your their jam'in

[artestra]

Yeah! Love when wes takes it home after that

[anitadavideduo]

WES is amazing!!!!!

[GuitarMan1695]

stuning i absolutly love this to the point it never gets old

[GuitarMan1695]

what was the year?

[6435415]

the best jazz guitar

[08machine]

Wes ISN'T capable of playing anything uninteresting. such feeling in his melodies.

[ChillC]

dood......exactly..

[Oscarelheladio]

Someone know ho is this bass player?

[snuffy39]

Bassist is Arthur Harper.He's no longer alive, however.

[Oscarelheladio]

Thanks snuffy, have any idea where else does he plays? i have not find any video else...

[minor7b5b9]

Try typing his name in your searchbox you idiot

[blackdog435]

That's a shame. He seems like he's quite the bassist.

[Indensity]

It doesn't get better then this if so send me the link haha

[coolcolbass]

haha well said. its refreshing to see people like this not just arguing on youtube.

[longestsoloever]

Genius.

[Mortician93]

great video, and great music, not enough people appricate this music

[coolcolbass]

i agree, ive been telling my friends about this stuff

[Huddiethegreat]

I have been as well, they still like their "rap-rock" though. its a shame.

[coolcolbass]

it is isnt it? i cant even listen to that kinda stuff anymore

[leemasterfunk]

Excellent video.

Love the use of octaves in Wes's solo parts.

The bassist is amazing.

Awesome.