The Incredible Comfort Zone

After a fairly long, exhausting, bizarre, head-scratching weekend, I found myself sitting down on this Sunday evening, curious as to what my musical relaxant would be. For the most part, I have spent the past three days cycling between funk, rap, and metal. But those are not befitting of these final few weekend hours… it’s not how I want to wrap up one week before starting a new one.

Amazingly enough, this choice was made for me without my realizing it. My brain checked down to the default… the place where I go when I just need to breathe deeply and let go of every single little thing that clutters my mind. The Chili Peppers? No. They are my default for pretty much everything else. But when I am in these moments where I need to zone out and transcend everything else, it’s time for jazz music.

I love jazz. I always have. I think I can attribute much of that to my father and his affinity for this genre. His steering-wheel-jazz-drumming has been well documented for years, as has his knowledge of, and love for, so much of history’s great classic jazz music. What is probably lesser known, is that he was actually a fairly accomplished musician in his day, playing and traveling for years as a keyboardist/accordion player. And from what I understand, jazz music was definitely a large part of his repertoire. So yea, I’m pretty sure that’s where my love affair with jazz music stems from.

However, to say you love “jazz music” is the equivalent of saying you love “sea food.” Such statements do not take into account the immense amount of diversity within the main subject. Do you like Swing? Dixieland? Bebop? Post-bop? Fusion? Acid? West Coast? Smooth? There are no shortages to the sub-genres in jazz music. And more importantly, you do not have to like or love all of them to be a jazz aficionado. I know I don’t. There’s plenty of jazz that just doesn’t really sit well with me. But as always, why focus on the negatives, when there’s so much else to fall in love with?

For me, it’s the jazz music of the 50’s and early 60’s. Some call it “contemporary”, some call it “post-bop”, some call it “soul jazz”… but whatever the title, you just know it when you hear it. It’s unmistakable. “Walking” basslines, syncopated drum hits to go with swinging cymbals, and of course the melodic/harmonic trade-offs between the piano, guitar, vibes, horns, or whatever else is center stage. Whereas bebop was loud, and fast, and experimental, and untamed, contemporary jazz music was/is clean, and cool, and groovy, and, for my money, the absolute best you can find. Nothing else can take your mind away like these songs. And that is probably why I came right back to my home base tonight. There’s just nothing like it. Things don’t seem to matter as much when you hear these guys get going.

So who is the man of the hour tonight? It’s the guy who has been my jazz music man of the hour for the past few weeks actually. Wes Montgomery. Without question one of the, if not the, most important and influential jazz guitarists of all time. My list of favorite jazz musicians is comprised mostly of pianists, drummers, and various horn players. I usually find jazz guitar to be too soft. Montgomery, however, is a clear exception to that rule. His play is soothing, yet edgy… clean, yet unrestricted… aesthetically pleasing, yet complex and challenging. He redefined his instrument, and created a sound that has been held as the gold standard of jazz guitar for decades.

Now, I wouldn’t dare attempt to cover all the astounding contributions this man has made to jazz music in a blog post. That would just be disrespectful. So instead, I will simply touch on one album. The one that I am now listening to. The one that is considered to be his finest work. The one that I would recommend to people if they were to ask for suggestions as to where a good place to start listening to jazz music would be. The one that I implore any and all of you who read this to check out. The one with the most blatantly upfront title you could ever ask for. The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. Please note however, that iTunes lists this album as just Incredible Jazz Guitar.

Montgomery’s unique style varied throughout the years, changing with the ebbs and flows of the musical landscape in the jazz world. At the point of this release however, in 1960, vintage contemporary jazz music was at its peak. As a result, we are given a sound that grooves, but also hits hard when it wants to. I know I am repeating myself, but I am always taken by how the great players can effortlessly blend styles that seem both low-key and wild at the same time. And that is what I feel happens on this album. Montgomery’s play is so incredibly refined and beautiful, but it never loses its bite.

Adding to the splendor of the album is Montgomery’s rhythm section, which is comprised of some extremely seasoned jazz vets. On piano is Tommy Flanagan, longtime accompanier of Ella Fitzgerald. On bass, Percy Heath, of Modern Jazz Quartet fame. Lastly, on drums, is Albert Heath, Percy’s younger brother, and a masterful musician in his own right. These three helped Montgomery tap into a sound that grooved on the deepest of levels. Percy Heath’s brilliant basslines set the tone of each song, while Flanagan plays the perfect counterpart to Montgomery’s guitar, and also handles his duties as a soloist quite admirably. Albert Heath sits back and manages the whole thing with his no-frills time-keeping, while also adding in the occasional few bars of soloing himself. It’s no surprise that the album became such a classic with these three contributing to Montgomery’s play.

This album is one of the classics… one of the rare albums that can be considered the “finest work” of a particular musical genius. I find it to be amazing on so many levels, including the practical level. You don’t have to be a jazz guru to appreciate this album. It’s accessible even to the most novice of listeners, and yet is challenging enough to please the pros as well. For that reason, I say “Go listen!” I’m sure you all have found yourselves in moments where you just need to step back… be it on a Sunday night after a long, and hectic weekend… or on a Wednesday morning when you need to chill out before your stressful day at work/school… or on a Friday night when you want to get ready for your night out in a slightly more low-key fashion. This album works no matter what. Enjoy.

Song(s) For The Week: Four on Six and Gone With the Wind. Two Montgomery standards. I think “Four on Six” might be my favorite song on the album. It’s one of the darker (relatively speaking) and groovier songs on this record. The rhythm sections sets everything up with this great, double-time 4/4 beat, allowing Montgomery to come in with a light, beautiful chorus melody, before everyone just kicks it into gear. The aforementioned Percy Heath basslines are on perfect display here. Also, you can hear traditional “block chords” by Flanagan on the piano, used to harmonically contrast the trills of Montgomery’s guitar. He also, at 3 ½ minutes in, takes the lead from Montgomery, in the traditional trade-off style of contemporary jazz music. We even get brief solo sections by both Heath brothers, before the band takes us back to the chorus (the “head” in jazz music). An absolutely phenomenal song. “Gone With the Wind” shows a lighter side. The tempo is slowed down, the bassline less aggressive, and Montgomery himself playing a far more relaxing tune. If “Four on Six” grooves, then “Gone With the Wind” soothes. The most breathtaking aspect of this song, is the layered playing style that Montgomery employs, playing one single harmony on separate guitar strings, thereby creating the illusion that you’re listening to two or more different players. You can’t help but walk away from this song feeling at ease. I hope you all enjoy both of these choices very much. And before I go, my sincerest congratulations to one of my all-time favorite jazz musicians, Herbie Hancock, on his Grammy win tonight for Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters. Jazz music is alive and well.