Fingerpickin'

Performer: Wes Montgomery
Artist: Freddie Hubbard
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Wayman Atkinson, Alonzo Johnson (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Buddy Montgomery (vibraphone); Joe Bradley, Richie Crabtree (piano); Monk Montgomery (electric bass); Paul Parker, Benny Barth (drums). Producer: Richard Bock. Compilation producer: Michael Cuscuna. Recorded in Indianapolis, Indiana and Los Angeles, California in December 1957 and April 1958. Includes liner notes by Don DeMichael. Personnel: Wes Montgomery (guitar); Wayman Atkinson, Alonzo Johnson (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Joe Bradley , Richie Crabtree (piano); Buddy Montgomery (vibraphone); Monk Montgomery (electric bass); Paul Parker, Benny Barth (drums). Liner Note Authors: Don DeMichael; Michael Cuscuna. Recording information: Forum Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (12/30/1957/04/22/1958); Indianapolis, IN (12/30/1957/04/22/1958). Photographer: Chuck Stewart. Both historically important and highly entertaining, FINGERPICKIN' serves up 10 recordings from before Wes Montgomery officially burst on the scene as a leader with his Prestige albums. The core ensemble will be familiar to anyone who's heard the Montgomery Brothers' GROOVEYARD album; Buddy and Monk Montgomery are the leaders here, on vibes and bass respectively, with Buddy contributing four originals. The material was cut on the West Coast in 1957, while Wes was still holding down his day job in Indianapolis and gigging six nights a week on the home front. The guitarist gets to solo, but the ensemble sound revolves around the solid bop of the three-horn front line on the first four tunes, and his brother's vibes on the ballads and the final three selections (from the musical KISMET). Wes cuts loose on the title track, and while his dry, elastic tone is somewhat different from his sound on the Riverside records his chops are all here--the octaves, the block chords, and the dizzying lines. FINGERPICKIN' is a fascinating trip to the source.

Wes Montgomery's warm sound and hard-driving swing are, for many listeners, the epitome of jazz guitar. Rising from relative obscurity in the late 1950s, he became a huge sensation in the '60s, to the point that his recording career veered increasingly into commercial realms. Montgomery could tear off exhilarating solos with effortless grace, and in his relatively brief career he left an enduring legacy of brilliant playing.

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