Fingerpickin'
Encyclopedia
Fingerpickin' is an album by American
jazz
guitarist John "Wes" Montgomery
, released in 1996 and comprising tracks from sessions in 1957 and 1958. Seven of the ten tracks were originally released as The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others in 1957.
Montgomery played in the session with a group called The Mastersounds which included two brothers of his, Buddy
and Monk Montgomery
. Dick Bock,a producer for Pacific Jazz Records
, was familiar with Montgomery and invited him to record. "Fingerpickin'" was a song contributed by Montgomery and is his only original composition on the album. The recordings were not particularly successful despite the talents of Montgomery and a young Freddie Hubbard
, however, they enhanced his reputation especially amongst jazz guitarists. They are the first recordings of a musician who would later be hailed as one of only three real innovators in jazz guitar, as quoted by Joe Pass
.
wrote "This CD reissues the complete album (which usually has appeared in piecemeal fashion) and finds Wes already quite recognizable. The pretty standard hard bop music... Although this reissue on a whole is not essential, the music is generally enjoyable and the CD will fill some gaps in one's Wes Montgomery collection."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist John "Wes" Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, released in 1996 and comprising tracks from sessions in 1957 and 1958. Seven of the ten tracks were originally released as The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others in 1957.
History
The majority of the album was recorded during a session in Indianapolis on December 30, 1957. From that session seven songs were released as an album titled The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others. The remaining three tracks were recorded during a session in Los Angeles on April 22, 1958, and originally appeared on the album titled Kismet by The Mastersounds.Montgomery played in the session with a group called The Mastersounds which included two brothers of his, Buddy
Buddy Montgomery
Charles "Buddy" Montgomery was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the youngest brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery. He and brother, Monk, formed the "Mastersounds," in the late 50's and produced ten recordings...
and Monk Montgomery
Monk Montgomery
William Howard "Monk" Montgomery was an American jazz bassist.Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Montgomery was the older brother of guitarist Wes Montgomery; younger brother, Buddy Montgomery played vibraphone and piano...
. Dick Bock,a producer for Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by Richard Bock and drummer Roy Harte in 1952....
, was familiar with Montgomery and invited him to record. "Fingerpickin'" was a song contributed by Montgomery and is his only original composition on the album. The recordings were not particularly successful despite the talents of Montgomery and a young Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, however, they enhanced his reputation especially amongst jazz guitarists. They are the first recordings of a musician who would later be hailed as one of only three real innovators in jazz guitar, as quoted by Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Scott YanowScott Yanow
Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...
wrote "This CD reissues the complete album (which usually has appeared in piecemeal fashion) and finds Wes already quite recognizable. The pretty standard hard bop music... Although this reissue on a whole is not essential, the music is generally enjoyable and the CD will fill some gaps in one's Wes Montgomery collection."
Track listing
- "Sound Carrier" (Buddy MontgomeryBuddy MontgomeryCharles "Buddy" Montgomery was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the youngest brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery. He and brother, Monk, formed the "Mastersounds," in the late 50's and produced ten recordings...
) 6:57 - "Bud's Beaux Arts" (Buddy Montgomery) 7:33
- "Bock to Bock" (Buddy Montgomery) 10:08
- "Billie's BounceBillie's Bounce"Billie's Bounce" also known as "Bill's Bounce", is a jazz composition written in 1945 by Charlie Parker in the form of an 12 bar F blues. It was dedicated to Billy Shaw by the Yardbird. The original recording by Charlie Parker and His Re-Boppers was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.....
" (Charlie ParkerCharlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
) 4:42 - "Lois Ann" (Buddy Montgomery) 4:45
- "All the Things You AreAll the Things You Are"All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.It was written for the musical Very Warm for May , where it was introduced by Hiram Sherman, Frances Mercer, Hollace Shaw, and Ralph Stuart...
" (Jerome KernJerome KernJerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
, Oscar Hammerstein IIOscar Hammerstein IIOscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
) 3:59 - "Fingerpickin'" (Wes Montgomery) 2:32
- "Stranger in ParadiseStranger in Paradise (song)"Stranger in Paradise" is a popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet and is credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Like all the music in that show, the melody was based on music composed by Alexander Borodin, in this case, the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens," from the Polovtsian...
" (Alexander BorodinAlexander BorodinAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
, George ForrestGeorge Forrest (author)George Forrest was a writer of music and lyrics for musical theatre best known for the show Kismet, adapted from the works of Alexander Borodin.-Biography:...
, Robert C. WrightRobert Wright (writer)Robert [Craig] Wright was an American composer-lyricist for Hollywood and the musical theatre best known for the Broadway musical and musical film Kismet, for which he and his professional partner George Forrest adapted themes by Alexander Borodin and added lyrics...
) 4:55 - "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" (Forrest, Wright) 3:29
- "Not Since Nineveh" (Forrest, Wright) 7:24
Personnel
- Wes MontgomeryWes MontgomeryJohn Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
– guitar - Freddie HubbardFreddie HubbardFrederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
– trumpet - Waymon Atkinson – saxophone
- Pookie" Johnson – saxophone
- Buddy MontgomeryBuddy MontgomeryCharles "Buddy" Montgomery was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the youngest brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery. He and brother, Monk, formed the "Mastersounds," in the late 50's and produced ten recordings...
– vibraphone - Joe Bradley – piano
- Monk MontgomeryMonk MontgomeryWilliam Howard "Monk" Montgomery was an American jazz bassist.Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Montgomery was the older brother of guitarist Wes Montgomery; younger brother, Buddy Montgomery played vibraphone and piano...
– bass - Paul Parker – drums