Wes Montgomery Interview Part 1

I think so cuz um we don't have as many resolving cards we'll discuss that yeah hello I'm Jim Rockwell our program is people in jazz and today our man in jazz is Wes Montgomery and many years ago about 1959 well it was indeed in 1959 a dear old friend with whom I had been associated and who owned a record company which was Riverside sent me a demonstration record of an album he was about to release and it was a guitarist then quite unknown it was Wes Montgomery who since then has emerged and has become a major star and it delights me to have watched this happen over the years Wes it's been nearly 10 years been nine years but in those years to watch this this blossoming from an unknown guitarist from Indianapolis to the major star that you are and I remember so fondly the things on on Riverside West because I think in all the years that that company existed with bill Grover's death because accompanied the end but I think in all of the years that Riverside existed they never knowingly released the bad album and that is a rare company that does is a rare company so many companies they'll release the thing they they don't really believe it's that great but it'll sell do it hmm I'm not suggesting that every album they ever made was great but if it didn't come off bad it isn't because they didn't try right I mean if it did come off that it isn't because they didn't try to make a good album everything they did was intended but doing what we were doing art for art's sake and a good album and they had such great faith in West Montgomery and they had such insight and being the first to record you that happened because Cannonball Adderley heard you in Indianapolis and went back and told the Raval ATP's said this man in Indianapolis is playing guitar so you wouldn't believe now this is the way most unknown players become known I think as itinerant musicians traveling around the country as you do now when you get in the local town you hear somebody and you go back to New York and say it when you travel around the country West and indeed now you travel all over the world do you listen to players wherever you go every chance I get but we'd be working so much it's hard to get out to your other groups other felt night I do some guitar players and then upcoming guitar players and sound good where have you heard somebody who would does someone come to your mind now that you've that you've heard an unknown guitarist it's playing someplace rotas yeah Geordi ro from Chicago I've heard of them no keys together and but I think the most fantastic guitar player here was Nelson Simon it's in much of Canada Oscar Peterson told me about it Coltrane told me about him horse ever told me about him also most of the major musicians as told me about him so I figured he must be great and I played there one week and I had a chance to hear so I couldn't burn my guitar because I was working while I was if you ever come here is all oh really Halla see now you probably don't do this day no I sort of what ever doubted you in my life but I sort of felt like you know you know you can feel like that's good sure you know we could like excite somebody that sort of the way I felt but it's much more than that he's got the new approach to the instrument new direction for instance he played cards as fast as la guys plane lands well you do this no no no no no no I mean clay Emily she make all the changes all of them I know about like we start off with big tears if you can large changes really oh yeah yes never-ending like any always crashes always time oh I'm not rhythm I get myself together I'm coming yeah that's right too much man all the man is he I know you look like she's around 31 been plenty mad but if they want some I think he don't know his own talent no no well I'll keep that in mind nothing time Nelson Simon in Montreal on throw the last Oscar about him when he's in town Axelrod but now here's the case in point you have mentioned half a dozen musicians who have told you about this guy huh and this is the way unknown players frequently become known players I have other players hear them right the word spreads now uh does it wait then for a player like one of these that you have mentioned or like yourself who to hit on a record company about an unknown player like this see the reason I'm mentioning this hospital s is the soul frequently players will come to me or come to somebody on say I want to play what did I do now well it's not quite as easy today as it used to be a major record companies while back or looking for new talent but they don't seem to be looking for anymore unless it comes from the people that's in the company I'm an outside news that meeting references I went to I'm of the am now if I went to my company so look this AG I think it's great don't care what this I know what yes yeah great good come on in that's a proper know that you're an awful subject it's just different that's all just like those same differences that large major jazz labels has sort of started their artists to put one or two commercial things on an album they used to undo that like the other side with one one and that in that debate without it but just like things change you know so and that's one things got changed you said for instance that this young man is unaware of his talent this is historically what has been said of West Montgomery everyone in life has said Wes had no idea how infinitely talented the man is because you're a self-taught guitarist well it has also been said that in the history of the instrument there have been three men who have done something new who have brought a new dimension to the instrument and who have made an honest-to-goodness contribution to the to the to the instrument Django Reinhardt Charlie Christian Wes Montgomery because before you know one played the way you play and it's been said because you didn't know right had you Bennett had you been a schooled guitars have you been taught from the very GetGo to do everything according to impeccable technique goodness everything as it should be done you wouldn't be the player you are I think probably not because you don't have you don't have an instruction saying that you can't cook it's all in the old man what you feel like time now have you already feel like to be developed not having been channeled in a traditional in a traditional track of a school guitarist you are free to go right fortunately you went in a beautiful way but now this is the right but done this is not to say I'm just thinking that each of these three men that we've mentioned Django Reinhardt Charlie Christian yourself have all been self-taught guitarists oh yeah okay but this is not say that a young man aspiring to play should intentionally remain self-taught for and avoid all all school because it's a rare man indeed who can be a self-taught player and have it come off and do something right well in fact I know quite a few fellows that I'm self-taught well I could select anything else sometimes it comes off and sometimes I don't and any part of it is rare when it comes to making that and the contribution at all yours is a family of self-taught musicians and we'll hear some of them now great pianist in the in the group is Wes's brother buddy Montgomery the bassist is Wes's brother monk Montgomery these are all self-taught players and will hear the group by windy forest okay all right good

Channel: dave gould

Views: 140,384

Keywords: Wes Montgomery (Musical Artist), Montgomery; Wes; Brothers

Id: dsZ3VXHJEas

Length: 9min 28sec (568 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 07 2014