Track Listing

1. No Blues
2. If You Could See Me Now
3. Unit 7
4. Four on Six
5. What's New?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #671 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

From Amazon.com
Wes Montgomery brought the art of the electric guitar to new heights in the 1950s and 1960s before his untimely death at 43. His vaulting style employed octaves much as his main influence, Charlie Christian, did in the Benny Goodman Sextet. Montgomery's crowd-pleasing facility with the fretboard was best employed in live performance when he could stretch out and really be heard. Smokin' is a thoroughly satisfying live album recorded in 1965 and 1966 at the New York nightclub, with co-leader Wynton Kelly and his trio--Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Montgomery and Kelly are in perfect sync here, especially on "No Blues" and "If You Could See Me Now." --John Swenson

Album Description
Japanese limited edition reissue of 1975 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. Universal. 2005.

Album Details
Japanese Limited Edition Gold CD in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.

Customer Reviews

Guru of the Guitar
Wes arrived late (he was 35) and checked out early (fewer than 10 years in the spotlight). Still, no guitarist has had a greater impact in the history of this music. By the time he had moved on from Riverside to this session for Verve, he had little to prove to musicians and was beginning to accept more accessible, popular assignments that would broaden his appeal to the general public. "Smokin'," despite lacking any tunes as challenging as "Airegin" ("The Incredible Guitar Artistry of"), can stand alongside his Riverside work as an example of creative, inspired playing. And the presence of Wyn Kelley along with Chambers and Cobb definitely raises the swing factor a notch.

If you're new to Wes, don't expect to be blown away by just one recording. Guitar is such a popular if not universal instrument that to be designated "number one" often seems to over-inflate listeners' expectations, inviting subsequent doubt and dissent. What sets Wes apart from the field is not pyrotechnical legerdemain or bold innovation but every "little" thing that he does so well so effortlessly so much of the time. The sound he gets out of the instrument is of itself a marvel. It has a deep and meaty, utterly natural, resonance, almost as if the tone is doubling itself, reminding me less of other guitarists than of Bird and Clifford. Additionally, there's never a microsecond of doubt in his playing or solo constructions. Nothing is tentative--in terms of notes, phrases, or choruses. It's all so completely lyrical and logical that the listener's biggest challenge can be not to take it for granted.

His solo on Sam Jones' "Unit 7" might serve as a touchstone to all of his playing. He starts with inventive single note melodic ideas, then moves to octaves without the faintest suggestion of slowing down to accommodate the extra note, then finally kicks it into high gear with a fully chorded "out" chorus that feels as forceful as a shout chorus by the whole Count Basie Band.

I never caught Wes live, but I've heard that visually he was the mirror image of his music--efficient, composed, resourceful, economical--not the least hint of wasted motion, just like Bird and Tatum. Genius requires a level of concentration that the rest of us probably have little to no experience with. Wes Montgomery is one of those artists who can take the listener beyond the music, producing vibrations that are not merely satisfying at a sensual or emotional-intellectual level: his music is capable of leading to discoveries about the creative process itself.

amazing, but incomplete
Of course this album is a classic - and rightly so. But for the complete recordings from these historic sessions, check out "The Verve Jazz Sides". Though the double-album includes samples from Wes' other Verve albums (which you may already have or not desire), it's worth the investment (and 5 stars) to hear 'Smokin' in its entirety.

THE Jazz Guitar Album
I could sing most of the solos in their entirety off of this album just because I've listened to it so many times. The first cut "No Blues" just tells you what Wes is all about. Every other track is great as well and of course you get to hear "Four on Six" which is any Wes fan's favorite. There arn't any disappointing tracks on this album.

AND HIS TONE! I have never heard Wes' tone sound so big and full. I didn't think that his tone could get any fatter... but it has, and it is gooood. The whole album is choc full o' phat octaves, as are all of his albums. And let me also tell you that this is some straight ahead jazz, before Wes went Pop.

I have no doubt that this is one of the best Wes Montgomery albums available. Most people I know think it is, and it's worth the $10.99 (which is a good deal for any CD these days) You owe it to yourself to get "Smokin' at the Half Note.