Wes Montgomery Live in ‘65 DVD

TINMAN82

Have fallen down the jazz rabbit hole recently. Have to say this DVD floats my boat big time. Great picture quality considering it’s age. Totally captivating.

It does make me wonder if guitar playing (and music in general) peaked in the mid 60s! Wes is clearly a virtuoso. As are many of his jazz guitar contemporaries (Grant Green, Kenny Burrell etc). I’m starting to wonder if guitar music in general has become less sophisticated and nuanced since. I can’t think of many players these days who could hang with Wes at the same level of musicality and intuition. 

viz

Wes was totally amazing. 

roberty

Jazz music from that era in general blows my mind. I think there's something to be said of the ubiquity of harmonically rich and complex music at the time. I learnt Joe Pass' arrangement of Autumn Leaves which is fairly abstracted and played it to my 81 year old godmother. She recognised it without being told and started singing along. She's not musical and doesn't listen to music. She might not have heard it for 60 years or more. The jazz of the 50s and 60s came from that tradition of standards. You can learn it now but it's not in the air the way it once was

guitars4you

TINMAN82 said:

Have fallen down the jazz rabbit hole recently. Have to say this DVD floats my boat big time. Great picture quality considering it’s age. Totally captivating.

It does make me wonder if guitar playing (and music in general) peaked in the mid 60s! Wes is clearly a virtuoso. As are many of his jazz guitar contemporaries (Grant Green, Kenny Burrell etc). I’m starting to wonder if guitar music in general has become less sophisticated and nuanced since. I can’t think of many players these days who could hang with Wes at the same level of musicality and intuition. 

My 3 favourites - Wes, Grant, Kenny - You can see why so many blues/jazz/fusion guys are influenced by them - I find you can take some of their style/influence and still drop it into pentatonic land with many appropriate passing notes - A lot of jazz imo is like trying to split the atom - But these 3 and I find I can take some licks/style and drop it into me and my ability

If you have not already got it, then Midnight Blue by Kenny is compulsory, let alone recommended 

TINMAN82

guitars4you said:

TINMAN82 said:

Have fallen down the jazz rabbit hole recently. Have to say this DVD floats my boat big time. Great picture quality considering it’s age. Totally captivating.

It does make me wonder if guitar playing (and music in general) peaked in the mid 60s! Wes is clearly a virtuoso. As are many of his jazz guitar contemporaries (Grant Green, Kenny Burrell etc). I’m starting to wonder if guitar music in general has become less sophisticated and nuanced since. I can’t think of many players these days who could hang with Wes at the same level of musicality and intuition. 

My 3 favourites - Wes, Grant, Kenny - You can see why so many blues/jazz/fusion guys are influenced by them - I find you can take some of their style/influence and still drop it into pentatonic land with many appropriate passing notes - A lot of jazz imo is like trying to split the atom - But these 3 and I find I can take some licks/style and drop it into me and my ability

If you have not already got it, then Midnight Blue by Kenny is compulsory, let alone recommended 

Completely agree. I find their versions of the blues genuinely exciting. Almost a visceral reaction that I don’t get from standard modern blues. Midnight blue is phenomenal, I agree. Also worth checking out Emily Remler’s Firefly album.

DB1

I think the Live in '65 was featured on Sky Arts about a year ago. I recorded it, but it disappeared and Ive not been able to track it down again on TV.

I tracked down and bought an L-5 Wes Montgomery on the strength of that. It must be rubbish though, as I don't sound at all like him still.