The functioning was recorded alive at Tsubo inwards Berkeley, California on June 25, 1962. The session featured a quintet that included Wynton Kelly on piano, Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Paul Chambers on bass, as well as Jimmy Cobb on drums.
The original liberate was on the Riverside Records label. There stimulate got been a number of reissues of the recording, nearly including alternate takes of several tracks. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 1987 CD liberate on Riverside Records/Original Jazz Classics was digitally remastered past times Danny Kopelson at Fantasy Studios inwards Berkeley, California. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 to a greater extent than recent, 2007 Riverside liberate features additional bonus tracks.
That's how many stars this incredible Live recording rates. There are thus many special moments, musically, to treasure hither that it's difficult to know where to start. Wes' handling of "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" is a solo showcase for his genius for musical dynamics - the way he thumb-strums the melody; the way he pauses as well as 'slurs down' on the 2 "words", referencing the lyrics; the way he intro's (and 'out-ros') inwards a dissimilar key...the side past times side minute that comes to hear is inwards "Blue 'N Boogie". Wes gets off some automobile gun licks, as well as thus hands it off to Wynton, Paul, as well as Jimmy. Listen to how Jimmy Cobb shifts the dynamic of the trounce at the start of Wynton's 3rd verse, bumping the off-beat as well as rim-clicking the 2/4 - literally creating a novel grade for Wynton to become to (which he does, alongside a Red Garland-esque block chord ending). The nearly amazing affair of all is that this is all a prelude to Johnnie Griffin's solo, followed past times all some 'trading fours' to the end. It's a hospital inwards dynamics, group-style. On the side past times side track, "Cariba", Wes gives a hospital on how to build, chorus after chorus, upon each previous statement. I recall it may live i of his best solos of the night. Every rails could live broken downward into these variety of moments (I'll spare you...), but the betoken is that this band - specifically Wes alongside the Wynton Kelly trio, equally Johnny Griffin is sugariness icing on that cake, was i of the tightest, nearly dynamic jazz units to ever grace a stage. What a minute inwards Time that nighttime must stimulate got been. What a CD this is.
Forget "The Incredible". This is Wes's masterwork, performed alive alongside a band lastly upward to his genius. Despite all the praise he got equally a player, I recall this album makes the declaration that he's STILL under-appreciated. His solo on "Blue N' Boogie" is equally fine a slice of spontaneous composition equally exists. If y'all similar jazz guitar, if y'all similar jazz... hell, if y'all similar music, don't expect some other second. Get it.
"Smokin at the Half Note" is commonly touted equally Wes' best recorded operate as well as understandably so. However, inwards my opinion, "Full House" makes for a much ameliorate record. "Smokin'" equally orginally issued is a piecemeal recording. Only the kickoff 2 cuts are recorded live. The other tracts were recorded after at the Van Gelder Studios. Subsequently, "Willow Weep for Me" was issued posthumously containing the other tunes from the Half Note dates but alongside the cuts unfortunately overdubbed alongside a horn section. The nearly exciting cutting from the Half Note dates, "Impressions" was absent from both records, entirely to look on a after Verve collection. Just way also much tampering alongside a alive functioning for my taste. Full House is unadulterated as well as Wes plays alongside simply equally much fire. The feeling of "actually existence there" is much ameliorate represented past times this record. My entirely electrical load is the needless repetition of the same songs i correct after the other. If you're going to pose on alternate performances, pose them at the halt of the tape for crying out loud! Still, Full House is thus practiced inwards spite of this that I can't convey myself to give it anything less than v stars. If I could entirely ain i Wes cd it would live this one.
I dear guitar jazz. Real guitar jazz, non the watered downward sap they play on 'smooth jazz' radio or the avantgarde dreck intellectuals play at their dinner parties. The category is chock total alongside wonderful players, both living as well as dead; alas, Wes is no longer alongside us, but his influence is all over the place. He was a dandy technician but also a bright interpreter who could accomplish gorgeous tone, as well as sometimes slipping into schmaltzy popular modes. None of that on this disc, sparkling as well as freshly-remastered, that showcases Wes at the absolute compass of his game...and of the guitar jazz heap.
As i of the nearly influential jazz guitarists of all fourth dimension (second entirely to maybe Charlie Christian), Wes Montgomery created a vocabulary of techniques as well as mannerisms for jazzers similar to how Andres Segovia did for classical players. His trademarks - octaves, extended block chord solos, as well as inwards a higher house all, melodicism - blew many away inwards the forceful way which Wes employed them. I experience that on this release, Full House, Wes demonstrates his talents equally a bandleader as well as utilization instrumentalist ameliorate than nearly of his recordings, except for maybe the legendary Smokin' at the Half Note.
The applied scientific discipline on this tape is superb; every musical instrument comes through inwards the mix loud as well as clear, yet retains a special spot inwards the good spectrum as well as blends nicely alongside the other instruments. I personally ain the 20-bit remaster, but it sounds to me similar the basic mix itself was pretty practiced to get with.
This is i of the nearly superb bands that jazz has maybe ever seen. We stimulate got the esteemed Wynton Kelly trio, alongside Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, as well as Jimmy Cobb on drums, to dorsum upward Wes, of course, as well as also on this occasion the formidable talents of saxophonist Johnny Griffin (who would brace alongside the same quartet on several after dates). Wes as well as Johnny oft harmonize on the melodies, peculiarly on "Cariba" as well as "S.O.S.", as well as it industrial plant quite well, peculiarly alongside the notable deviation inwards tone colouring fabric betwixt their instruments. Griffin has a good that I can't quite pivot down; to my ears, it doesn't good distinctly similar whatsoever of the sax masters, thus it's a surprise that he isn't ameliorate known inwards the jazz canon. Regardless, his playing is superb as well as he goes toe-to-toe alongside Wes on nearly every cut.
The blues is inwards potent final result on this record, equally alongside nearly Wes recordings; "Cariba", inwards fact, is at its inwardness a basic 12-bar Latin blues, alongside a unique bassline that gives it a niggling fleck of a distinctive sound. "Cariba" is also the cutting alongside the best Wes solo (although "Full House" comes rather unopen equally well). Really, the whole ensemble industrial plant together to brand an overall appealing sound, as well as it's non simply similar the musical rhythm department is ticking away piece the soloists blow. The drummer as well as Wynton are ever inwards tune alongside the soloists, whether they're doing repeating riffs as well as Cobb comes inwards alongside a few synchronized cymbal hits, or the soloists measuring it upward dynamically as well as the musical rhythm department follows them all the way. This is a niggling to a greater extent than evident on Smokin' at the Half Note, but that was several years later, when Wes had been playing alongside Wynton's trio on a regular basis; this is the genesis of their collaboration, as well as it's an impressive one.
So why entirely 4 stars if the tape is overall incredible? Well, having multiple takes of the same vocal to fill upward infinite on a jazz tape is non something I am particularly fond of. It makes it a niggling difficult to hear to the tape instantly through multiple times as well as non larn a niggling annoyed. Plus, each extra accept is pretty routine. Also, the rails selection is non quite perfect; "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" was non a practiced choice, equally Wes's chord-melody playing is nowhere close his octave- or single-note talents. He is a primary chord soloist, true, but he can't play chord-melody similar Joe Pass or anything. Also, "Come Rain or Come Shine" is variety of a substandard tune on the tape - non bad past times whatsoever means, but every other rails is killer, thus it weighs downward the others a bit.
This is even thus a real worthy purchase; the band is hot, as well as thus are Johnny Griffin as well as Wes, as well as that's pretty much the key selling betoken of whatsoever dandy jazz record. If multiple takes don't bother y'all much, this tape is entirely to a greater extent than recommended. For everyone else, it's even thus a dandy album to simply patently hear to; it's non dull similar some jazz records, due to the incredibly dynamic playing of the band. Plus, hearing Wes alive is pretty much the entirely way to go, as well as that's in all probability the best compliment I tin give. I'm certain the monastic say was a Full House on this nighttime for sure.
Track listing
Original Issue
"Full House" (Wes Montgomery) – 9:14
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) – 3:18
"Blue 'n' Boogie" (Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli) – 9:31
"Come Rain or Come Shine" (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen) – 6:49
"S.O.S." (Montgomery) – 4:57
"Born To Be Blue" (Mel Torm̩, Robert Wells) Р7:23
2007 Reissue past times Riverside
"Full House" (Wes Montgomery) - 9:16
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (Lerner, Loewe) - 3:29
"Blue 'N' Boogle" (Gillespie, Paparelli) - 9:38
"Cariba (Take 2)" (Wes Montgomery) - 9:41
"Come Rain or Come Shine [Take 2]" (Arlen, Mercer) - 6:57
"S.O.S. (Take 3)" (Wes Montgomery) - 5:03
"Cariba" (Wes Montgomery) - 8:28
"Come Rain or Come Shine" (Arlen, Mercer) - 7:21
"S.O.S." (Wes Montgomery) - 4:49
"Born to Be Blue" (Tormé, Wells) - 7:27
"Born to Be Blue (alternate take)" (Tormé, Wells) - 7:35
Personnel
Wes Montgomery – guitar
Johnny Griffin – tenor sax
Wynton Kelly – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Jimmy Cobb – drums
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