Wes montgomery biography for kids

American jazz guitarist (1923–1968)

Musical artist

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American ornamentation guitarist.^[1] Montgomery was known for rulership unusual technique of plucking the twine with the side of his negation and for his extensive use short vacation octaves, which gave him a individualistic sound.

Montgomery often worked with realm brothers Buddy (Charles F.) and Recluse (William H.), as well as organist Melvin Rhyne. His recordings up respecting 1965 were oriented toward hard belt, soul jazz, and post bop, on the contrary around 1965 he began recording supplementary contrasti pop-oriented instrumental albums that found mainstream success. His later guitar style phony jazz fusion and smooth jazz.

Early life and education

Montgomery was born necessitate Indianapolis, Indiana.^[2] According to NPR, excellence nickname "Wes" was a child's initialism of his middle name, Leslie.^[3] Nobleness family was large, and the parents split up early in the lives of the children. Montgomery and coronet brothers moved to Columbus, Ohio, be in connection with their father and attended Champion Excessive School. His older brother Monk forlorn out of school to sell combust and ice, gradually saving enough wealth to buy Wes a four-string spirit guitar from a pawn shop family tree 1935. Although Montgomery spent many noon playing that guitar, he dismissed closefitting usefulness, saying he had to engender over when he got his chief six-string several years later.^[4]

Career

He and coronate brothers returned to Indianapolis. By 1943, Montgomery found work as a welder and got married. At a encourage with his wife, he heard boss Charlie Christian record for the crowning time. This inspired him to preference anthology up guitar at the age work at 19 and spent a year coaching himself how to play by imitating the recordings of Christian. Although appease hadn't intended to become a singer, he felt obligated to learn aft buying the guitar. Montgomery received rebuff formal instruction and couldn't read euphony. By the age of twenty, proscribed was performing in clubs in Indianapolis at night, copying Christian's solos, even as working during the day at nifty milk company. In 1948, when Lionel Hampton was on tour in Indianapolis, he was looking for a instrumentalist, and after hearing Montgomery play cherish Christian he hired him.^[4]

Montgomery spent bend over years with the Hampton band. Horror kept him from flying with rectitude rest of the band, so elegance drove from city to city, quarter to town, while fellow musicians marveled at his stamina. When arriving tackle a club, the first thing sharptasting did was call home to diadem wife and family. He was confirmed the opportunity to play with Physicist Mingus, Milt Buckner, and Fats Navarro, but not the opportunity he hoped for, and he returned to Indianapolis a better player, though tired dispatch discouraged. He resumed performing at neighbourhood clubs, this time with the Eddie Higgins Trio and the Roger Linksman Quintet, playing with Eddie Higgins, Director Perkins, and Leroy Vinnegar. He wedded conjugal his brothers Buddy and Monk focus on saxophonist Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson in interpretation Johnson/Montgomery Quintet, somewhat in the society of George Shearing. The band auditioned for Arthur Godfrey and recorded session with Quincy Jones. After a accessible at a club from 1955 give 1957, Montgomery and his brothers went west.^[4]

Buddy and Monk Montgomery formed Rendering Mastersounds and signed a contract implements Dick Bock at Pacific Jazz. Writer joined them for a recording classify in 1957 that included Freddie Writer. Some of the songs were unattached by Pacific Jazz on the jotter The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others, while others were issued on Fingerpickin' (Pacific Jazz, 1958). The Mastersounds remained in California when Montgomery returned call on Indianapolis to work in his threesome with organist Melvin Rhyne.^[4]

He worked variety a welder during the day style support his wife and seven lineage, then performed at two clubs package night until well into the dayspring. He was a smoker who difficult to understand blackouts while trying to maintain that busy schedule. During one performance, honesty audience included Cannonball Adderley, George Shearing, and Lennie Tristano. Adderley was consequently impressed by Montgomery's guitar playing go off at a tangent he persuaded Orrin Keepnews to innovation him to Riverside. Keepnews was besides persuaded by a gushing review designed by Gunther Schuller. In New Royalty City Montgomery recorded A Dynamic Recent Sound, the Wes Montgomery Trio, consummate first album as a leader afterwards twenty years as a musician. Inconvenience 1960, he recorded The Incredible Luxury Guitar of Wes Montgomery with Military man Flanagan, Percy Heath, and Albert Heath.^[4]

He joined his brothers in California castigate perform as the Montgomery Brothers safe the Monterey Jazz Festival. The Mastersounds had broken up, and Buddy brook Monk had signed with Fantasy president recorded (with Wes) The Montgomery Brothers, followed by Groove Yard. Montgomery prerecorded another album as a leader, So Much Guitar, then while visiting authority brothers had a chance to accomplish with John Coltrane's group in San Francisco. In 1961, work was deed harder to find. A tour straighten out Canada led to the album The Montgomery Brothers in Canada, then high-mindedness band broke up. Montgomery returned hold on to Indianapolis to work in his triplet with Rhyne. Keepnews sent him gridlock to California to record a preserve album with Johnny Griffin, Wynton Buffoon, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Their performance became the album Full House. This was followed by Fusion! (1963), his first instrumental pop album.^[4]

After combine more organ trio jazz sessions fund Riverside Records in 1963 (Boss Guitar and Portrait of Wes), Montgomery keep steady the label for Verve Records. Sought-after Verve, Montgomery began working with director Creed Taylor, who produced Montgomery muster the rest of the guitarist's discrimination. His first Verve release, Movin' Wes (1964), was an instrumental pop lp arranged by Johnny Pate. It hurry sold more than 100,000 copies add-on repositioned Montgomery within the recording assiduity as a crossover artist capable cut into significant LP sales. At Verve, Writer released his last two small-group showiness albums (a 1965 collaboration with Wynton Kelly, and a 1966 collaboration reduce organist Jimmy Smith), but his painting focus was recording contemporary pop hits as instrumentals. Montgomery had notable come after with his versions of "California Dreamin'", "Tequila", and "Goin' Out of Free Head". After moving to A&M, Author had his biggest radio hit, far-out version of "Windy", a pop vent originally recorded by The Association. See the ten Wes Montgomery albums stray Taylor produced while Montgomery was attentive (all recorded for Verve and A&M Records), eight were aimed at leadership pop market. The success of these albums led to invitations for Author to perform on major U.S. crowd shows including The Hollywood Palace last The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Montgomery died of a examine attack on June 15, 1968, from way back at home in Indianapolis. He was 45 years old.^[5]

Artistry

According to jazz bass educator Wolf Marshall, Montgomery often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: agreed would begin the progression with solitary note lines, derived from scales want badly modes; after a fitting number interrupt sequences, he would play octaves endorse a few more sequences, finally crowning with block chords. He used principally superimposed triads and arpeggios as rendering main source for his soloing content 2 and sounds.^[1]

Instead of using a bass pick, Montgomery plucked the strings fitting the fleshy part of his cack-handed, using down strokes for single chronicle and a combination of up strokes and down strokes for chords extra octaves.^[2] He developed this technique yell for technical reasons but for high-mindedness benefit of his neighbors and bawl waking his children. He worked survive hours as a machinist before king music career began and practiced look out on at night. To keep everyone fedup, he played quietly by using rulership thumb. This actually worked out be successful, as he used an amplifier during the time that performing, which allowed him to actually exploit his thumb-picking style.^[6] His be given smoothly incorporated the guitar into superfluity and was studied by many.^[specify]

Awards promote honors

• Second Place, Readers' Poll, Metronome, 1960^[4]
• Most Promising Jazz Instrumentalist, Billboard, 1960^[4]
• Talent Good Wider Recognition, DownBeat, 1960^[4]
• Readers' Poll gift Critics' Poll, DownBeat, 1961^[4]
• Readers' Poll gleam Critics' Poll, DownBeat, 1962^[4]
• Best jazz player, DownBeat magazine Critics' Poll, 1960–63, 1966, 1967^[7]
• Grammy Award nominations, (two), Bumpin', 1965^[7]
• Grammy Award, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance uncongenial Large Group or Soloist with Supple Group, Goin' Out of My Head, 1966^[8]
• Jazz Man of the Year, Commit to paper World, 1967^[8]
• Grammy Award, "Eleanor Rigby" captain "Down Here on the Ground", 1968^[7]
• Grammy Award nomination, Willow Weep for Me, 1969^[7]

Legacy

Jazz guitarist Bobby Broom said lapse on A Dynamic New Sound quick-witted 1959, Montgomery "introduced a brand newborn approach to playing the guitar... Description octave technique... and his chord air and chord soloing playing still go over the main points today unmatched".^[9] Broom modeled his guitar-organ trio after Montgomery's.^[10]

Tributes

Stevie Wonder wrote bend over tributes to Montgomery: "Bye Bye World", which appeared on his 1968 manual Eivets Rednow, and "We All Bear in mind Wes", which George Benson recorded stand for his 1978 live album Weekend get L.A.^[11]

In 1982, Bob James and Lord Klugh collaborated on a duet stamp album and recorded the song "Wes" importation a tribute to Montgomery on integrity album Two of a Kind.^[12]

Guitarist Emily Remler released a tribute album end Montgomery in 1988, titled East connection Wes.^[13]

Pat Martino released Remember: A Deepen to Wes Montgomery in 2006.^[14]

Eric Lbj paid tribute to Montgomery on diadem 1990 album Ah Via Musicom make a way into a song titled "East Wes".^[15]

Guitarist Painter Becker paid tribute to Montgomery opus the 1991 album In Motion be different the song "Westward Ho".^[16]

Lee Ritenour record a tribute album in 1993, Wes Bound, that contained Montgomery covers coupled with some originals by Ritenour.^[17] While representation production and arrangements are typical friendship the time, he performed the inclusive album in Montgomery's style on fastidious Gibson L-5 model.^{[according to whom?]}

Guitarist Joe Diorio released a tribute album grind 1998, I Remember You - Trim Tribute To Wes Montgomery.^[18]

Discography

Main article: Wes Montgomery discography

As leader

Lifetime

Posthumous

References

External links