Guitarist Wes Montgomery and pianist Wynton Kelly first recorded together in late 1961 on Bags Meets Wes!, a Montgomery/ Milt Jackson project for Riverside Records. Clearly, they really got along on a musical level, getting together again for Wes’ Full House in 1962 for Riverside, and for the classic Smokin’ At The Half Note, recorded for Verve at various times during 1965. Now, with the release of Maximum Swing: The Unissued Half Note Recordings, we have another two hours of the Wes Montgomery & the Wynton Kelly Trio to enjoy, all from 1965. The music will be available on limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day and on CD in early December. All of disc one and the first three tracks on disc two of the CD version were originally broadcast on Alan Grant’s WABC Portraits in Jazz radio show. The final five tracks were sourced from the private collection of Yoshio Tokui of the wesFANclub in Japan. Many of the airchecks appeared on bootlegs, in poor sound, but the fan club tapes are previously unissued in any format. The quarter-hour segments of the radio broadcasts featured two or three tunes. On the Tokui recordings, made without the self-editing necessary for the radio show, Wes and company got to really stretch out, extending their performances to lengths unheard in most other settings. Sound quality on the broadcasts is quite good, which took some tinkering by restoration engineer Matthew Lutthans. The poorly recorded Tokui segment is another matter, and Lutthans describes the process of making this section listenable. As rough as it still is after digital manipulation, you get used to the sound after a few minutes. The band’s fantastic 10-minute version of Cherokee, taken at the song’s typical frantic pace, offers a genuine look at Montgomery and company on stage with no considerations beyond hard blowing. Kelly gets to play more on these tracks, too, another bonus. Montgomery is in great form throughout both discs, with several outstanding performances that listeners will return to again and again, including a stunning solo on the November 12 version of Four On Six and more jaw-dropping soloing on The Song is You, which also features some spirited exchanges by Montgomery and Kelly with drummer Jimmy Cobb. The 52-page booklet includes Bill Milkowski’s informative liner notes, Lutthans’ discussion of mastering the album, and a note by Yoshio Tokui on the origin of the tapes. There are also previously unseen photographs by Raymond Ross, remembrances by Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter (who subbed for the incredibly busy Paul Chambers on the November 5 performance), and appreciations by Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, and Marcus Miller. Miller is Wynton Kelly’s cousin and he’s got some good stories to tell. Alan Grant signed off his broadcasts by saying “Stay beautiful” and that’s easy to do when savoring the sounds of Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly trio. Highest recommendation!
Resonance HCD-2067 (also on vinyl): Wes Montgomery (g) Wynton Kelly (p) Paul Chambers$, Ron Carter*, Larry Ridley#, or Herman Wright% (b) Jimmy Cobb (d); NYC, dates as noted; Disc 1 (50:10): September 24, 1965: Laura/ Cariba/ Blues; November 5, 1965*: Impressions/ Mi Cosa/ No Blues; November 12, 1965#: Birks’ Works/ Four on Six/ The Theme. Disc 2 (74:18): November 19, 1965%: All the Things You Are/ I Remember You/ No Blues; late November, 1965#: Cherokee/ The Song is You/ Four on Six/ Star Eyes/ Oh, You Crazy Moon. www.resonancerecords.org
No comments:
Post a Comment