Wes Montgomery

Wes Montgomery ranked among the foremost jazz guitarists, extending the innovations of Charlie Christian through his signature and widely imitated octave phrasing. Substantial commercial breakthroughs defined his final years, which ended abruptly with his early death.

Recognition came to Wes Montgomery only after years of steady effort. He began self-teaching the guitar in 1943, relying on his thumb instead of a pick, and performed on tour with Lionel Hampton from 1948 to 1950, where he can be heard on several surviving broadcasts. He then returned to Indianapolis and remained largely unknown through much of the 1950s, holding a daytime job while appearing nightly at local clubs. Between 1957 and 1959 he recorded with his brothers, vibraphonist Buddy and electric bassist Monk, and cut his first Riverside album in 1959 as part of a trio that included organist Melvin Rhyne. Release of The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery in 1960 brought him prominence within the jazz community. Except for a brief engagement later that year with the John Coltrane Sextet, which also featured Eric Dolphy, Montgomery worked exclusively as a leader for the remainder of his career.

His recorded output divides naturally into three phases. The Riverside sessions of 1959–1963 contain his most freely improvised jazz playing, small-group dates that enlisted such musicians as Tommy Flanagan, James Clay, Victor Feldman, Hank Jones, Johnny Griffin, and Mel Rhyne. The one departure was the misleadingly named Fusion!, a collection of ballads backed by strings. All of the Riverside material has since appeared in a comprehensive 12-CD box set. After Riverside folded, Montgomery moved to Verve and, from 1964 to 1966, made a series of largely orchestral albums with arranger Don Sebesky and producer Creed Taylor. These releases maintained a workable balance between jazz content and wider appeal, though their strongest moments occurred in small-group settings with the Wynton Kelly Trio or Jimmy Smith.

In 1967 Montgomery joined Creed Taylor at A&M and, across 1967–1968, completed three best-selling albums that presented him simply playing basic pop melodies over string and woodwind arrangements. Jazz listeners expressed disappointment, yet the albums received regular AM radio play at the time. In doing so Montgomery helped bring jazz to new audiences, while his concert performances remained as spontaneous and exploratory as the earlier Riverside dates. At the height of this success he died of a heart attack. Montgomery’s influence nevertheless persists among many younger guitarists.