Wes Montgomery - Naptown Blues Live at Newport Jazz Festival (RARE) 

When I was in NEWPORT in 1967, WES played the NAPTOWN Blues in F with his brothers. He told me backstage "Günter, I'm not a guitarist, I - WES - only use the instrument as a tool and output for the music I have in mind."

Best guitarist ever existed. Period!

The God of jazz guitar!No one but Wes!

Wes Montgomery fans owe you a great debt for posting this. The recordings of him playing balls-out jazz after 1965 are extremely rare. So rare that most people think he stopped playing straight-ahead jazz after he got into the Creed Taylor thing. Not that his playing on those pop tune albums wasn't great, but it's a shame there are no formal recordings of Wes playing like this after 1965. Obviously, he was still killing it, and he's really smokin' on this cut!

I could listen to Wes play the blues all day!

sounds like monk on his fender bass! my favorite jazz on fender bassist of all time.

The best guitar player in the world and forever.

It's so extraordinary that it makes me imagine the possibility of a film about Wes!

What has always knocked me out about Wes Montgomery's playing is he's doing all that with just his thumb and no effects at all. My all time favorite Jazz guitarist. Peace.

God bless you Wes for being a great guitar player that was so inspiring that there are no words to describe the importance of you.

Thanks for posting. This is my first time him with his brothers. Must have been a fantastic set.

Wes is an eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

Killin' the blues, Wes builds and builds...a natural jazzman. So great thanks for posting.

Excellent Performance , Very High Energy!

Heard the same line-up weeks later at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, DC. Wes improvised for about 20 minutes in both sets on "The Shadow of Your Smile," that is 40 minutes in all. Out of this world! And straight ahead bebop.

Wes used to live in my home town of Berkeley CA where he played at this club where he recorded the "Live at Tsubo" album! I was barely a teenager and playing the guitar then! My parents loved jazz music and had a lot of his hit records in the house. I was fortunate to have grew up listening to some good jazz music back then and it certainly has influenced my guitar playing and my music career!

This recording has been made available by the Bill Graham Archives. It's available as a digital download (I believe the OP got it the same way) - The full session is: Naptown Blues, Goin' Out of My Head and Tequila. For his appearance at the 1967 Newport Jazz Festival, the guitar great was joined by his brothers Monk on bass and Buddy on piano while drummer Grady Tate provided his always reliable swing factor to the proceedings. Following introductions by Newport impresario George Wein, the quartet launches into a spirited rendition of Montgomery's "Naptown Blues" (named for his hometown of Indianapolis). Buddy solos first on this jaunty uptempo swinger and Wes follows with a brilliant solo that showcases his bristling single note lines and inimitable use of swinging octaves. Brother Monk, a pioneer on electric bass, also gets in some licks of his own here on an extended walking bass solo. Next up is a mellow instrumental take on the Little Anthony & The Imperials hit, "Goin' Out of My Head," which was also the title track of Montgomery's highly successful 1965 album for Verve Records. The guitarist's smooth octaves carry the vocals on this familiar pop tune. They close out the Newport set with a lively rendition of "Tequila," the Latin-flavored rock tune introduced in 1958 by The Champs and which also served as the title track for Montgomery's best-selling 1966 Verve album. The guitarist's unparalleled octaves work is on full display on this vibrant jam.

What a find! What a gift to the jazz community!

Thank you for posting the great Wes Montgomery, he is so at home with his brothers and Grady. This is a wonderful and priceless recording and highlights the unique interplay between the musicians. Wes was simply a genius and a master guitar player with an individual and amazing tone and style.

WES,Yyou are with me always,every day,and for ever and ever.Your light shines forever...R.I.P.

A treasure.

Monumental wes...indescriptible ...sensitive rythmique extreme ... feeling unique... comment en est il arrivé là?...Tu es d une beaute musicale epoustouflante ...Merci

Wes,every day your life is celebrated my me.!

We would like so much to get more and more rare post like that. Gone too early the Wes 🥲

ONE year ago I wrote a comment asking about the speed of this recording that seems exagerate . When I hear it at reduced speed 075 I can obtain the original key ( blues in F ) and erase the hurry stressed tone and phrasing that's not WES' signature .

pure Wes and bros goodness,

Praise be the analog foresight that this was recorded. Wasn't his brother known as an electric bass player?

Only 40 years. Wes 's lived twice(three times) normal life.

That whole group of guitarists; PMartino, GBenson, WMontgomery is the best 4 me .. but I keep coming back 2 Wes’s single lines & language, his octaves gives me headaches just thinking about & his fantastic chord solos .. despite his protestations that he didn’t know many chords. Btw; nice 2 hear a raw, live un-mucked-around-with version of Naptown Blues

Wes Montgomery. Yes

Edoardo thanks so much for posting these memories i. Was in New York where he hit Or maybe it was a year before ...

grande Edoardo....ottimo video e brano!!!Wes is the King

Thanks for posting!

Grady Tate making it swing!

terrific

Absurdamente bom , desde a abertura até as concepções, abertura e fechamento de frases. Improviso construído como um saxofonista faria. Sem velocidade excessiva porém com um senso de swing maravilhoso

Fantastic ! Thanks ! I have some question about the accurate speed it was recorded and the reproduction ( blues in F# instead F the original pitch ) . I feel some faster restitution .

モンゴメリーブラザーズの快演!

BOING!

I found 3 songs from this concert on a site called 'concert vault' , not sure if they are still available there..

Note to the poster of this tune, Edoardo Pizzuto, who wrote: "The only live recording found of Montgomery Brothers in the 60's!!" This is just not true. Check out "Live at Jorgies" from a jazz club in Gas Light Square, St. Louis, Mo, recorded in Aug. 19, 1961, by Wes and the Montgomery Brothers, featuring Billy Hart on drums. Look up the tune "There Will Never Be Another You - Wes Montgomery" on You Tube. Much better sound...

Is there a whole recording available of this gig please?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have what I believe is the only existing tape of the Voice of America recording of Wes & Wynton Kelly trio from Newport 1965. Wondering where you got this?

2:32-2:35!

Sherry, how old are you? Sometimes you just need to shut it if you have nothing to say and enjoy the fantastic music.

Is there a full version? Pls post...

Are you sure that this is Grady Tate on drums ? To me, it's really not him, not his style at all. Noboy is talking about the conga player. It might be Ray Barretto because Ray worked a lot with Wes in NYC and around.

ah, the youth today, proudly displaying their lack of education. Well, you win the prize. Good luck to you.

DJANGO CHRISTIAN WES JOE PASS and who else ?

There's also a conga player here-any idea who it is???

conga player could be CANDIDO

Is he standing?

ブラックミュージックエバー

like most pretty women, when they open their mouths they seem a little less prettier

Pity that the pianist does not know how to accompany the Wes's Solo...