He's using thumb cos that's the way he taught himself to play the guitar. He used his thumb instead of a pick cos he had a day job and he practiced guitar when he got home at night. He didn't want to disturb his wife in bed so he didn't use a pick but his thumb which produces a softer, more mellow sound. Another guitar great gone way too early, like Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian and Jimi Hendrix.
The sax player second from the left is the very famous English jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott, RIP, who also owned the very famous 'Ronnie Scott's' jazz club in London,,where all the legendary jazz players/singers performed.
The best way to describe swing is to not put a metric on it. That doesn't really make sense with the style. Whether its a triplet feel or a dotted eighth sixteenth. The best way I've heard it described is that the up beat is actually on the next beat... almost. To make the first eighth as long as physically possible.
To all the people saying that swung eighths are dotted etc...I understand what you're saying for the sake of the basic concept but true swung eighths can't be assigned any special rhythmic value, which is why they're called EIGHTHs in the first place. You can't teach them, you just have to feel them.
@bluewaterpig - umm swung eighth notes are dotted eighth notes. Period. There's certainly a feel thing involved, but "dotted eighths" pretty much covers it. (there's ALWAYS a "feel thing" involved, in any musical situation, in any genre -just listen the 100 ways a Bach invention can be played - so that part is moot)
@CRUNCHYGUITAR Swung 8th notes aren't necessarily dotted. It's more of a triplet feel. The first note of any pair of 8th notes on the downbeat is twice as long as the 2nd note in the pair. Dotted 8th-->16th is a little stiff sounding for a swing rhythm.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Pardon ! after Ronald Reagan...who was the last great American president.America has never been so rich and blessed under Ronald Reagan.American spirit rise up !
A friend of my fathers (guitarist Ike Isaacs) once interviewed Wes in 1965 in London. Wes was so self deprecating..he always felt everyone else was better than him.
Kept saying "I wish i could use a pick, i wish i could play faster , know more chords etc" Quite the opposite of most rock guitarists who have huge egos. All i can say is i've never seen anyone smile so much whilst performing the impossible.
Music this good....is no longer acceptable these days. This high level requires musicianship....completely lost in the USA today. This quality of music requires....talent, dedication, study....and learning how to dress for the gig! In today's mu-sick scene, it's best (for success) if you're a felon first. Now the doors are open....But, it's a beeeoch to try to spend all that loot....while your sorry ass is behind bars.
@thegreatdrbob That's true . The emphasis has been on having ' bad attitude" & creating a stash of cash, it's encouraged by the media..and not just in the USA, the music scene is pretty poor everywhere.
@thegreatdrbob today the bad is called the good and the good is called bad.That's true also in Music.
America is no more blessed because the last american presidents (specially the Bush Family) behind the "supposed continuous support to Israel" in fact have taken the worst decisions for Israel.
All the nations which don't deliver Israel in the hands of their worst ennemies will be blessed .That's not the case for the western world which tries to force Israel to negociate a false peace treaty
Paul gilbert, malmsteen, jason becker, angelo, vai, so many that play SOOO fast and yet cannot achieve the same level os mastery of the great of the greatest.
@billmossII Actually, if you listen close you can hear some of the licks that Hendrix copped form Wes, thats where he got all his octave runs from. He was on his way.
@billmossII completely different styles, aeons, and cultural backgrounds... stop comparing different genius that have nothing to have with other. jimi is jimi, wes is wes, so on. Let´s be humble with music, it´s not a dictatorship comparison .
Great music! Interesting arranging choice to not use Wes' usual blowing changes for the solo. Instead, they stick with the same chords as for the melody.
So great to hear Wes here -- he's killing it, as always.
Now this is truely pure for the soul. I should know since i am a fat lovable oaf who also enjoys pantera, whitechappel, and slipknot and lady gaga and other artists along those lines. The reason i like this is because of the drumer. The drummer plays good.
@macoulin its arguable but i think youre right, it does remind me of "get your kicks". hes among the bird and louis armstrong in my book maybe even higher his improvisations are so brilliant that there still studied and imitated today! i love wes
well that depends cuz some ppl are really purist, some ppl actually criticized john coltrane for using some reverb on his sax, or bob dylan for plugging in, but ye there are some crap players that hide behind their effects
@yuritim cos they dont wanna. its not that i dont like this guy, its not like im defending the modern artists. in fact, im insulting the modern artists...they dont wanna make music like this cos they have no soul.
(i have to spell everything out because of moody youtube video watchers)
There are varying degrees of swing feel. You can move towards a straight feel, or swing heavily.
One musician I spoke to when I was starting out said that a good default swing feel could be obtained by dividing each beat into quintuplets, and tying the first three and the last two!
Or.... Jaffi jow. An easier way (for the classically trained) to feel swing 8th notes is to think of them not as two 8th notes, but as a dotted 8th followed by a 16th. Instead of 1and 2 and... it's 1 (eeh and) Uh. with the notes D and A it's counted D (eeh and) A.
Well, good luck. I know this from experience, the more you delve into jazz, the more you realize that you don't know a thing. Then you end up spending 8 hours a day playing the guitar. Not that it is a bad thing, but it definitely takes a great dedication. So, if you have other things that take up your time then you will simply have to do away with some of them. Otherwise, you just aren't going to be very proficient in jazz.,
You are intellectualizing the thing too much. The point is not to become a Wes or a Scofield or something. The point is to understand the jazz by improvisation. It's all about the liberty and to live this attitude. Don't try to reproduce something or someone, try to get your own music out of you. So then, you don't have to spend 8 hours a day to have plenty of fun.
Yes, I understand that the point is to find your own voice. But, in order to do that, you need to be able to play what you are hearing in your head at the moment and on the fly. This takes a lot of practice in order to hear the intervals and their relation to one another. Sure, you can maybe wing it and come up with a good solo, but you aren't going to do that on the bandstand night after night without a strong base in melodic movement and how to apply it to harmonic changes.
you got a point, the last part of the solos progression is driving me nuts. i even got the music written in front of me and i've been at this for two days straight already, barely an improvement in my playing this piece some justice -.-
It is all in the phrasing. You have to get a feel for swing phrasing. What helped me was how I looked at eighth-notes in jazz. They aren't played straight. If you encounter two consecutive 8th notes, you don't play them as written, you play them as if you are playing a triplet, only with the second note not being played (only the 1st and 3rd are played). It takes time to get that FEEL, but once you get it, you got it. And, that is what gives jazz that swinging feel that only jazz has.
Just to elaborate a little more, say you have two consecutive 8th notes, the first is A and the second is D. To play them correctly in jazz you combine them into a triplet with A being the first note in the triplet, the second note in the triplet is not played (because it doesn't exist in this context), and then D is the 3rd note in the triplet. So, it is A-pause--D. Wes, having studied sax players in his learning, plays this way in almost all of his solos. It's the foundation of jazz phrasing
It's not a corn, it's some corn. And the corn is the hard skin you have on your fingers when you work hard with them. As every guitatist have on their fingers.
If you look reaaally closely at the beginning you will see he looks at the sheet music and then closes it like its trash. He didn't know how to read! and on top of that its the blues! he knew he would kill it...and so he does!
Wes had a corn on a side of his thumb. George Benson said it. Wes would use the flesh or corn for different sounds.Plus the angle of his hand below the pickquard gets different sound then in other positions. Also his action was super low with heavy Flats and a straight as possible neck. Ted Dunbar noted this after playing Wes 's guitar.
He did read chords though...not the single notes like the quarter and eight notes or such. For example, he understood what a AMaj 9 or B9#5. He learned to play guitar from a guitar chord book. Yet, he play everything by ear after having learned chords.
No he didn't sight read. But he knew all the chords and how they were constructed. Factor that plus the fact that he knew the instrument inside and out. Not to mention his perfect ears....
Im positive it is Ronnie Scott, or someone who sure as hell is his double. The guy besides Ronnie with the moustache and glasses is damn familiar too but I cant place him? Although he looks like Johnny Griffin, but it couldn't be him surely?
one of the greatest,and they're showing the horns... yes it is an L-5,with the famous mother of pearl heart under his middle finger which originaly wore a spot-hole? in the finish. gibson put it there. you can special order a wes L-5,with the heart. a mere $40,000.
the more I learn to play jazz on my guitar, the more I realize that current jazz guitar phenoms just play wes licks at a faster tempo. Wes, Christian, and Reinhart laid so much of the foundation for what jazz guitar is today. I wonder if you could include Farlow with them, probably not, he came a bit afterword, but he's another astonishing cat...
...and he didn't read either...an inspiration to all us dislecsic players.
did you know that Coltrane was so impressed with Wes that he asked him to join his quintet but Wes declined because he felt inadequate...damn that would have been some sweet recordings...
Astonishing. How does he play those chords so fast and accurately??? And more than that, the creativity and imagination needed to create those lines and melodies is totally unique. Still an inspiration 40 years on!
wes was better before he had that big band and played all those pop tunes, he sort of sold out, like i think the best album of wes's was the incredible jazz guitar of wes montgomery - all the tunes on it are incredible
Hi. I'm about to buy a new guitar and i'm really into montgomery, george benson, joe pass, and i also play fusion and want the guitar to sound good with distortion also. Could someone please guide me. what guitar should i buy and i'm also on a budget.
You can try with as thin hollow body like the Gibson ES 335. With that you are more flexible, you can play with jazzy sound as well rock & blues. Budget is 2-3K $. if you want a cheaper you have to get something like washburn hb35 build in china.
@ kpersson40454
He's using thumb cos that's the way he taught himself to play the guitar. He used his thumb instead of a pick cos he had a day job and he practiced guitar when he got home at night. He didn't want to disturb his wife in bed so he didn't use a pick but his thumb which produces a softer, more mellow sound. Another guitar great gone way too early, like Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian and Jimi Hendrix.
monkeytown1000 14 hours ago in playlist Favorite videos
The sax player second from the left is the very famous English jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott, RIP, who also owned the very famous 'Ronnie Scott's' jazz club in London,,where all the legendary jazz players/singers performed.
Duncan464 3 months ago
I never liked jazz.maybe i was listening to the wrong jazz. This moves me.
Mattydilly 4 months ago 3
He's using his thumb for a reason, and it would have fooled me, I love his playing....
e
There is also a reason he's been such an example to other players, maybe because of the unusual style !?
I only know that when listening to his music, it doesn't sound as what I see.....so we should all close our eyes and listen to the damn music...
kpersson40454 5 months ago
Wes is the shit! Fantastic!
colourjazz 6 months ago
Second from the left is Steve Jobs.
rogntudjuuuuu 6 months ago 2
Does anybody know who the horn players are???? LA? Belgium? The guy on the Bari rocks
I wish I could chord solo like that! Is that his Standell he's using?
cgptony11 6 months ago
Does anybody know who the horn players are???? LA? Belgium? The guy on the Bari rocks
I wish I could chord solo like that!
cgptony11 6 months ago
Does anybody know who the horn players are???? LA? Belgium? The guy on the Bari rocks
cgptony11 6 months ago
Does anybody know who the horn players are???? LA? Belgium?
cgptony11 6 months ago
The best way to describe swing is to not put a metric on it. That doesn't really make sense with the style. Whether its a triplet feel or a dotted eighth sixteenth. The best way I've heard it described is that the up beat is actually on the next beat... almost. To make the first eighth as long as physically possible.
ALWhite19 6 months ago
This is a gem. At about 2.10 he appears to imitate the drumming for a couple of seconds. This guy was brilliant.
wowjef 7 months ago
Check out youtube search " James Brown Sex Machine 1971 " The band and James do a tribute to Wes Montgomery in this song..really cool stuff...
gblueslover2 7 months ago
thank you, wordpress, blog, for the invitation... nice chatroom... jade
elfinforest09 8 months ago in playlist MóJ UKOCHANYJAZZ
Dat thumbstrum, at the end. Ouchhhh.
williamindragunawan 8 months ago
love it love it love it xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
VirginUbiquity 8 months ago
Swing on, hepcats!
riffbashing27 9 months ago
Man, this got all the stank in it! Whoa!
bassbob42 10 months ago
diggin
philserious 11 months ago
To all the people saying that swung eighths are dotted etc...I understand what you're saying for the sake of the basic concept but true swung eighths can't be assigned any special rhythmic value, which is why they're called EIGHTHs in the first place. You can't teach them, you just have to feel them.
bluewaterpig 1 year ago
@bluewaterpig - umm swung eighth notes are dotted eighth notes. Period. There's certainly a feel thing involved, but "dotted eighths" pretty much covers it. (there's ALWAYS a "feel thing" involved, in any musical situation, in any genre -just listen the 100 ways a Bach invention can be played - so that part is moot)
CRUNCHYGUITAR 10 months ago
@CRUNCHYGUITAR Swung 8th notes aren't necessarily dotted. It's more of a triplet feel. The first note of any pair of 8th notes on the downbeat is twice as long as the 2nd note in the pair. Dotted 8th-->16th is a little stiff sounding for a swing rhythm.
funkifyyourlife 9 months ago
Is that Johnny Griffin?
BassM0TH3R 1 year ago
@BassM0TH3R: Yes, it is.
aarfeld 9 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Pardon ! after Ronald Reagan...who was the last great American president.America has never been so rich and blessed under Ronald Reagan.American spirit rise up !
Don't listen anymore Europe and Humanism...
G2D2ON 1 year ago
@G2D2ON get your shit off this video
zubestr 1 year ago
Since Ronald reagan, America is falling and I'm sad because I love America!
G2D2ON 1 year ago
man, it takes a lot of heroin to maintain a horn section that size!
ugmodude 1 year ago 8
@ugmodude - Or cocaine for those long solos!
Bopalena 1 year ago
@Bopalena lol!
ugmodude 1 year ago
Damn these are some cooool cats.
1971speeddemon 1 year ago
A friend of my fathers (guitarist Ike Isaacs) once interviewed Wes in 1965 in London. Wes was so self deprecating..he always felt everyone else was better than him.
Kept saying "I wish i could use a pick, i wish i could play faster , know more chords etc" Quite the opposite of most rock guitarists who have huge egos. All i can say is i've never seen anyone smile so much whilst performing the impossible.
taildragger53 1 year ago
Music this good....is no longer acceptable these days. This high level requires musicianship....completely lost in the USA today. This quality of music requires....talent, dedication, study....and learning how to dress for the gig! In today's mu-sick scene, it's best (for success) if you're a felon first. Now the doors are open....But, it's a beeeoch to try to spend all that loot....while your sorry ass is behind bars.
thegreatdrbob 1 year ago
@thegreatdrbob That's true . The emphasis has been on having ' bad attitude" & creating a stash of cash, it's encouraged by the media..and not just in the USA, the music scene is pretty poor everywhere.
taildragger53 1 year ago
@thegreatdrbob today the bad is called the good and the good is called bad.That's true also in Music.
America is no more blessed because the last american presidents (specially the Bush Family) behind the "supposed continuous support to Israel" in fact have taken the worst decisions for Israel.
All the nations which don't deliver Israel in the hands of their worst ennemies will be blessed .That's not the case for the western world which tries to force Israel to negociate a false peace treaty
G2D2ON 1 year ago
@G2D2ON Keep your political bullshit off of a Wes video. And at the risk of delving into hypocrisy; Ronald Reagan was a fucking idiot.
Hoffletrof456 9 months ago
Wes's guitar is unmistakable!!
68generation 1 year ago
Lovin the fat reed section with two tenors an alto and a berry. .. like how you would tune your EQ!
CongaDR 1 year ago
As much of a joy as it is listening to Wes,it is twice the pleasure to hear and see him in action.
postatility 1 year ago
THUMPS UP FOR WES HA HAH A HA HA :D
ifhyymf 1 year ago
How...the...F@$&...Does... He...Do...That?
maigles 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Eddy Lang's heir.
voidforpurpose 1 year ago
Eddy's Lang's heir.
voidforpurpose 1 year ago
dude look at his thumb holy shit! thats incredible
zubestr 1 year ago
Daayyuumm!!!
TaipeiDawg 1 year ago
Timeless music.
karitea 1 year ago
Paul gilbert, malmsteen, jason becker, angelo, vai, so many that play SOOO fast and yet cannot achieve the same level os mastery of the great of the greatest.
TubeSpoker 1 year ago 2
how does he play like that with just his thumb? craziness
Praying4tidalWaves 1 year ago
@Praying4tidalWaves well, he also uses his left hand xD but still, its 'craziness' :D :D :)
ChilloutGuru 1 year ago
at 0:50...almost lost my shit.
pzcato 1 year ago
Hey watch it man... by "They" do you mean "YOU people" ? Hahah Just kidding.
007Elvisofnazareth 1 year ago
look at his right thumb O_O
robostomo1 1 year ago
This reminds me of yahtzee and red headed sociable drunks. Real fucking loud! !aH
dannyhood66 1 year ago
holy thumb!!
synesthesia67 1 year ago
sweet
artbychristine 1 year ago
Wes, locked into true gravity.
StephenHousden 1 year ago
@dumaluck I couldn't agree with u more!!
xXironraiderXx 1 year ago
yeeah!:-))Nice!!!
kurinakornel1 1 year ago
Tres cool dude! Wes is my man! Love the bunnet.
BOPPPPER 1 year ago
some people dont like this? guess they are the same crazy guys who think 9/11 was done by arabs
dumalucky 1 year ago
That`s cool!! I like it!!!
bellofpeterpan 1 year ago
Four on six is another of his great compositions.
stalzz 1 year ago 4
My God, this really hauls ass. What an absolute pleasure. This dude Wes Montgomery is what Jimi Hendrix would have become.
billmossII 1 year ago 2
@billmossII Actually, if you listen close you can hear some of the licks that Hendrix copped form Wes, thats where he got all his octave runs from. He was on his way.
jimigrunge 1 year ago
@billmossII completely different styles, aeons, and cultural backgrounds... stop comparing different genius that have nothing to have with other. jimi is jimi, wes is wes, so on. Let´s be humble with music, it´s not a dictatorship comparison .
TubeSpoker 1 year ago
@TubeSpoker True, true, true - I meant it as a compliment to Wes and would never intentionally discount Jimi.
billmossII 1 year ago
Great music! Interesting arranging choice to not use Wes' usual blowing changes for the solo. Instead, they stick with the same chords as for the melody.
So great to hear Wes here -- he's killing it, as always.
WesMontgomeryBook 1 year ago
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WesMontgomeryBook 1 year ago
Comment removed
WesMontgomeryBook 1 year ago
the recorded version was much smoother and it was more centerd around wes, but this is still awsome
glassroom135 1 year ago
There will never be another Wes Montgomery! Period.
BLacKCatB0ne 1 year ago
Now this is truely pure for the soul. I should know since i am a fat lovable oaf who also enjoys pantera, whitechappel, and slipknot and lady gaga and other artists along those lines. The reason i like this is because of the drumer. The drummer plays good.
fatandbaldbob 1 year ago
Genius.
MARTINBENITO 1 year ago
Love Wes... "west coast jazz," not so much.
Hoopermazing 1 year ago
What a tragic loss at only 45 and what a talent.
jazzpianoman01 1 year ago 4
Wes and his playing is such a joy
TJmoneymaker13 1 year ago 3
ha ha ha get the quote from route 66?
macoulin 2 years ago
@macoulin its arguable but i think youre right, it does remind me of "get your kicks". hes among the bird and louis armstrong in my book maybe even higher his improvisations are so brilliant that there still studied and imitated today! i love wes
guitaraddict4life 1 year ago
wes, thank you.
realself1 2 years ago 4
Its Ronnie Scott and Ronnie Ross on baritone plus Phil Seamen on drums, best around at the time.
MAJORSNODGRASS 2 years ago
These guys would be MONSTERS today too especially Seaman.
63Brummie 2 years ago
they were monsters then
macoulin 2 years ago
they don't make 'em like Wes anymore, that's for sure!
yuritim 2 years ago 20
You make a good point, do you think it's the effects that some players hide behind?
The true test is when you hear a guy who uses the clever application of volume and reverb.
63Brummie 2 years ago
well that depends cuz some ppl are really purist, some ppl actually criticized john coltrane for using some reverb on his sax, or bob dylan for plugging in, but ye there are some crap players that hide behind their effects
flipperboy 2 years ago
@yuritim when did they make em like wes? theyre is only one wes
boogster123321 1 year ago
@yuritim when did they make em like wes? there is only one wes
boogster123321 1 year ago
@yuritim cos they dont wanna. its not that i dont like this guy, its not like im defending the modern artists. in fact, im insulting the modern artists...they dont wanna make music like this cos they have no soul.
(i have to spell everything out because of moody youtube video watchers)
dvdsmlprstylr 9 months ago
There are varying degrees of swing feel. You can move towards a straight feel, or swing heavily.
One musician I spoke to when I was starting out said that a good default swing feel could be obtained by dividing each beat into quintuplets, and tying the first three and the last two!
JekyllBoote 2 years ago
If you want to play like Wes, you must play 30 years 12 hours aday.
Genius
mrhuepf 2 years ago
Or.... Jaffi jow. An easier way (for the classically trained) to feel swing 8th notes is to think of them not as two 8th notes, but as a dotted 8th followed by a 16th. Instead of 1and 2 and... it's 1 (eeh and) Uh. with the notes D and A it's counted D (eeh and) A.
hookerking105 2 years ago
nice
normantonkilla 2 years ago
Triplet rhythms, genius. They have that sexy va va voom. Well for me anyway.
qwerly45 2 years ago
jaffijoe:
Sometimes you have to play for a long time to be able to play like yourself.
- Miles Davis.
Also, the whole swung eighth notes deal. You could have made it a lot easier by saying the first note in a pair of eighth notes is dotted.
hendrix035 2 years ago 14
It's not a dotted rhythm. Each beat is divided into triplets, not sixteenth notes. Please don't ever try to swing by using dotted rhythms.
Lettster86 2 years ago
@hendrix035 its not that rhythm. swung eighth notes is a quarter note triplet and an eighth note triplet.
candlewick163 1 year ago
one of the most genious compositions/melodies ever.
this band is hot as hell.
ksenos69 2 years ago 2
I freaking love the Saxophone quartet!!!
DiaryofaMadman1982 2 years ago 2
Johnny Smith is my favorite Jazz guitarist.
iamJROD 2 years ago
Wes really love the drummer! But how he play, magic!
jazzuffe 2 years ago
He's a reason for me to begin learning jazz-guitar, for sure :)
GeneralEisenhower 2 years ago
Well, good luck. I know this from experience, the more you delve into jazz, the more you realize that you don't know a thing. Then you end up spending 8 hours a day playing the guitar. Not that it is a bad thing, but it definitely takes a great dedication. So, if you have other things that take up your time then you will simply have to do away with some of them. Otherwise, you just aren't going to be very proficient in jazz.,
jaffijoe 2 years ago
You are intellectualizing the thing too much. The point is not to become a Wes or a Scofield or something. The point is to understand the jazz by improvisation. It's all about the liberty and to live this attitude. Don't try to reproduce something or someone, try to get your own music out of you. So then, you don't have to spend 8 hours a day to have plenty of fun.
Enjoy :)
karitea 2 years ago 3
Yes, I understand that the point is to find your own voice. But, in order to do that, you need to be able to play what you are hearing in your head at the moment and on the fly. This takes a lot of practice in order to hear the intervals and their relation to one another. Sure, you can maybe wing it and come up with a good solo, but you aren't going to do that on the bandstand night after night without a strong base in melodic movement and how to apply it to harmonic changes.
jaffijoe 2 years ago
you got a point, the last part of the solos progression is driving me nuts. i even got the music written in front of me and i've been at this for two days straight already, barely an improvement in my playing this piece some justice -.-
Ugazful 2 years ago
It is all in the phrasing. You have to get a feel for swing phrasing. What helped me was how I looked at eighth-notes in jazz. They aren't played straight. If you encounter two consecutive 8th notes, you don't play them as written, you play them as if you are playing a triplet, only with the second note not being played (only the 1st and 3rd are played). It takes time to get that FEEL, but once you get it, you got it. And, that is what gives jazz that swinging feel that only jazz has.
jaffijoe 2 years ago
Just to elaborate a little more, say you have two consecutive 8th notes, the first is A and the second is D. To play them correctly in jazz you combine them into a triplet with A being the first note in the triplet, the second note in the triplet is not played (because it doesn't exist in this context), and then D is the 3rd note in the triplet. So, it is A-pause--D. Wes, having studied sax players in his learning, plays this way in almost all of his solos. It's the foundation of jazz phrasing
jaffijoe 2 years ago
Looks like Ronnie Scott in the sax section
gplest 2 years ago
imagine if he were to have used more fingers to pluck hes already fast with his thumb alone.
SteinBach89 2 years ago
a TRUE innovator
headbanger623 2 years ago
He would use the corn on his thumb basically the way someone would use a pick.
benbendude 2 years ago
what the hell is a corn?
DimebagsLeftToe 2 years ago
It's not a corn, it's some corn. And the corn is the hard skin you have on your fingers when you work hard with them. As every guitatist have on their fingers.
karitea 2 years ago
like calluses? thats a disgusting way to put it
DimebagsLeftToe 2 years ago
Yeah, like calluses. That's the way I figure it out. But I'm maybe wrong. English is not my first language.
And I don't think Wes uses any kind of pick guitar. He just have very special fingers and get benefit of it.
karitea 2 years ago
yeh apparently the his srumming thumb was double jointed - he could push it all the way back onto his wrist...
mji1967 2 years ago
Wes Montgomery was class...
jplent 2 years ago
thank you for this fantastic vid...
cool swing
tokingreens 2 years ago
that's awsome mate. best video of west coast blues on youtube :D
lukeroxs08080808080 2 years ago
Johnny Griffin (horn-rimmed glasses) on tenor.
BuckshotLaFunke 2 years ago
Just a bunch of GODS...
They live forever.
mjazzeki 2 years ago
WES GENIUS
skype dvareckas49
Dvareckas 2 years ago
If you look reaaally closely at the beginning you will see he looks at the sheet music and then closes it like its trash. He didn't know how to read! and on top of that its the blues! he knew he would kill it...and so he does!
BassicallyChristian 2 years ago 4
thanx for pointing that out, luv how he smiles and I imagine him saying, what´s this!!lol
SNOWJAZZ66 2 years ago
Wes Montgomery smiled when he played so many players in jazz have such a serious demeanor. i wish more players were like wes. thanks for posting this
cwhanna 2 years ago 3
No coment King of Jazz Guitar
LittleBluesMan 2 years ago
wow nice check my riffs
donottawaguitar 2 years ago
Who's the name of the song that came b4 this one is this same tv recording, i've been dying to know for sometime
NEMISIS50 2 years ago
ummm... does anyone else feel like the sax section is just really sloppy and imprecise? guess it could be recording, but...damn shit!!
aaronvespro 2 years ago
your words are just stupid!
lorenzopetrocca 2 years ago
?
Is that Wayne Shorter on ts?
lalulofi 2 years ago
Man, how does he achieve such clarity by just using his thumb?! incredible string attack!
bipolarbear91 2 years ago 2
Wes had a corn on a side of his thumb. George Benson said it. Wes would use the flesh or corn for different sounds.Plus the angle of his hand below the pickquard gets different sound then in other positions. Also his action was super low with heavy Flats and a straight as possible neck. Ted Dunbar noted this after playing Wes 's guitar.
jazz1bro 2 years ago
1:26 baby! Awesome.
tjc197 2 years ago
WOW...Saxy as Hell...dig it, baby.
desadiste 2 years ago
I'm so Happy! I love WES thank you for posting.
Stevenbalee 2 years ago
Comment removed
maxten 2 years ago
Wes Wes Wes! Hey shreders, wacth this and GOTO hell!
escricco 2 years ago 5
Keep your eyes on WES during the first 10 secs or so. He looked down at the sheet music on his stand and looked over at the drumer as if to say
"what is this for ? LOL
Bomberomusician 2 years ago 2
he couldn't read music?
OhYeah729 2 years ago
He did read chords though...not the single notes like the quarter and eight notes or such. For example, he understood what a AMaj 9 or B9#5. He learned to play guitar from a guitar chord book. Yet, he play everything by ear after having learned chords.
sotonemuel 2 years ago
No he didn't sight read. But he knew all the chords and how they were constructed. Factor that plus the fact that he knew the instrument inside and out. Not to mention his perfect ears....
Bomberomusician 2 years ago 5
Is that Ronnie Scott on sax?
beachhutblues 2 years ago
Im positive it is Ronnie Scott, or someone who sure as hell is his double. The guy besides Ronnie with the moustache and glasses is damn familiar too but I cant place him? Although he looks like Johnny Griffin, but it couldn't be him surely?
AlannahBabalon156 2 years ago
No Idea. I'm a guitar player who has recently got into playing jazz over the last 5 years or so after playing blues/rock etc for the last 30 years.
I just seemed to recognise Ronnies distinctive nose! I came on here to see Wes playing.
By the way...read your page...very intriguing!
beachhutblues 2 years ago
It's Jonhhy Griffin for sure!!!
benbendude 2 years ago
one of the greatest,and they're showing the horns... yes it is an L-5,with the famous mother of pearl heart under his middle finger which originaly wore a spot-hole? in the finish. gibson put it there. you can special order a wes L-5,with the heart. a mere $40,000.
daffer53 2 years ago
its great to see musicians enjoying the music they make. you can tell wes is loving it!
davelikes2playguitar 2 years ago
are you serious about the coltrane thing.. that would have been some orgasmic music. damnit Wes ; of all the things to fail at... self-confidence?
fendergasm 2 years ago
the more I learn to play jazz on my guitar, the more I realize that current jazz guitar phenoms just play wes licks at a faster tempo. Wes, Christian, and Reinhart laid so much of the foundation for what jazz guitar is today. I wonder if you could include Farlow with them, probably not, he came a bit afterword, but he's another astonishing cat...
MaximusDowns 2 years ago
THE MAN. The original greatest.
...and he didn't read either...an inspiration to all us dislecsic players.
did you know that Coltrane was so impressed with Wes that he asked him to join his quintet but Wes declined because he felt inadequate...damn that would have been some sweet recordings...
upT3mpo 2 years ago
his chords solo is amazing!
skafskaf 2 years ago 4
yeah. awesome.
houseofcoffe 2 years ago
Just like Charlie Parker ,a bluesy/swinging genius. Those who created this music have left their mark No pun intended..
jazz1bro 2 years ago 2
Delete all the other Wes clips on Youtube - THIS IS THE ONE THAT MATTERS! :)
SameSolarSystem 2 years ago
no man...they ALL matter dude! I wasn't around when all this gold was out...amazing what he could do THEN
Chromatype 2 years ago
godammit. im gonna go cry now....
Pewpshmear 2 years ago 2
Atonishing by his technique and his sound, very clean and very beautiful.
drutrane 3 years ago
Astonishing. How does he play those chords so fast and accurately??? And more than that, the creativity and imagination needed to create those lines and melodies is totally unique. Still an inspiration 40 years on!
plasticpigeon 3 years ago
probably the most astonishing jazz guitar soloing of all time
irockuvm 3 years ago
wes was better before he had that big band and played all those pop tunes, he sort of sold out, like i think the best album of wes's was the incredible jazz guitar of wes montgomery - all the tunes on it are incredible
communistmusic 3 years ago
yeah alot of artists do that. I am sure most of us would do the same in that position.
MuyGordito 3 years ago
its wild how wes hardly used his pinky(unless of course playing octaves(left hand).......
i got an ibanez artcore...the next best thing to the gibson....
justinastarr11 3 years ago
Wes Benson!
jimpy419 3 years ago
One of my favs from Wes!
flyingsnow918 3 years ago
pure musical confidence based off honest feelings from him. Thanks Wes!
jazz1bro 3 years ago 3
Hi. I'm about to buy a new guitar and i'm really into montgomery, george benson, joe pass, and i also play fusion and want the guitar to sound good with distortion also. Could someone please guide me. what guitar should i buy and i'm also on a budget.
kbilbou 3 years ago
Maybe an old Ibanez 335 or Epiphone 335 type or Joe Pass Model.
ThemanfromZambodia 3 years ago
I agree, but I think the Ibanez version is called "artist series," it is a gibson es-335. They are basically the same guitar.
RoxusMaximus 3 years ago
Ibanez Artcores are really affordable and they sound Incredible. I won 2. Sounds really great with slight distortion, sorta like Ted Nugent.
DoomMarco666 3 years ago
but are they also good for jazz
kbilbou 3 years ago
You can try with as thin hollow body like the Gibson ES 335. With that you are more flexible, you can play with jazzy sound as well rock & blues. Budget is 2-3K $. if you want a cheaper you have to get something like washburn hb35 build in china.
napojazzer 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
get a strat , semi acoustics feed back if you crank it up with pedals ect . you can sound like a jazz guitarist on a strat ...
mikebassy 3 years ago
i have an epiphone sheraton II that has a greeat jazz sound... prob suit what you need. (like 600 bones)
ediglo 3 years ago
I have the same guitar; It sounds great and I prefer it over full-hollow electric in most situations.
KindofGuitarish 3 years ago
didn't Wes play a Gibson L-5?
MaximusDowns 2 years ago
you mean that he quotes scott joplin's "entertainer"? :)
katho8472 3 years ago
Wes era il migliore! Come ride mentre suona... pazzesco... Illuminato da dio
marcospinetta 3 years ago
I love his technique--the thumb gives him such a nice tone.
foowah7 3 years ago
This guy would be uncontrollable if he used ALL his fingers.
jeffbeck147087 3 years ago