Search - Wes Montgomery :: So Much Guitar

Great sessions from a guitar titan

Scott Hedegard | Fayetteville, AR USA | 12/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We have all heard Wes Montgomery, either from the great man himself or referenced by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who did a good approximation of Montgomery's signature octave picking.

Of course, that's not all Wes could do. This session, recorded in a few days time, is precise, mindblowing and represents some of guitar oriented bebop's finest moments.

"Twisted Blues" starts off with a friendly jump, and "Cotton Tail" follows with a nearly incomprehensible rhythm pattern that no novice should ever attempt without a safety net.

The album is smooth and shows us what a well rounded guitarist could do for the instrument. Perhaps Montgomery's only real contemporary competition was Chet Atkins. Like Atkins, the chord knowledge and voicing is encyclopedic. No guitar player should be without this CD as a lesson for great rhythm work (not to mention lead work, too), and no fan of be-bop should neglect to have this gem in his or her collection, either."