Wes at the Half Note reissue

[Soul Stream]

Dropped a good chunk of change on this...sounds to me during Portrait of Jennie it's obvious snap crackle and pop of a LP transfer. Anybody else have this reissue?

Also, the bogus announcer guy sucks and interrupts the music. Couldn't they have taken that crap out? They took out the overdubbed strings, couldn't they lose the bogus fakey live announcer thing..it's horrid and disrupts the music.

[ghost of miles]

Dropped a good chunk of change on this...sounds to me during Portrait of Jennie it's obvious snap crackle and pop of a LP transfer.  Anybody else have this reissue?

Also, the bogus announcer guy sucks and interrupts the music.  Couldn't they have taken that crap out?  They took out the overdubbed strings, couldn't they lose the bogus fakey live announcer thing..it's horrid and disrupts the music.

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Wow... that sounds bad. Do you have IMPRESSIONS: THE VERVE JAZZ SIDES? I think that has most, if not all, of SMOKIN' AT THE HALF NOTE, minus the strings AND the fake announcer.

[jazzbo]

Previous discussion:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...t+the+half+note

[jazzbo]

The "Impressions" two disc version is not free of announcer. . . .

[Ron S]

SS, if you don't already have it, I strongly recommend that you also get the Definitive 2-CD set "Complete Live in Paris 1965." This has live Wes like you've never heard him (if you've never heard this CD, that is ) from the same period as the Half Note date, except with Harold Mabern, Jimmy Lovelace, and Arthur Harper, and with Johnny Griffin guesting on a few tracks. The music and sound are both terrific, and the length really allows Wes to stretch out with some great soloing. And although this is from Definitive, the usual complaints don't apply since--to my knowledge--this was never a U.S. release and--presumably--all licensing requirements have been met. FWIW, here is the rather detailed AMG review with sound samples.

[Soul Stream]

To tell the truth...ummm....I know this is blasphemy....but, I've never been a big follower of Wes Montgomery. I mainly bought this for the rhythm section, but I think these guys play better elsewhere. Wasn't blown away by this one even though it's considered a legendary album. Maybe you had to be there at the time it came out.

[ghost of miles]

The "Impressions" two disc version is not free of announcer. . . .

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Oops... haven't listened to that one in awhile. (Not the Half Note sessions, anyway.)

[BFrank]

SS, if you don't already have it, I strongly recommend that you also get the Definitive 2-CD set "Complete Live in Paris 1965."  This has live Wes like you've never heard him (if you've never heard this CD, that is ) from the same period as the Half Note date, except with Harold Mabern, Jimmy Lovelace, and Arthur Harper, and with Johnny Griffin guesting on a few tracks.  The music and sound are both terrific, and the length really allows Wes to stretch out with some great soloing.  And although this is from Definitive, the usual complaints don't apply since--to my knowledge--this was never a U.S. release and--presumably--all licensing requirements have been met.  FWIW, here is the rather detailed AMG review with sound samples.

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I have an LP on Affinity called "Impressions" from these dates. A truly great album. I should get the CD set one of these days, for sure.

The album has four tunes: "Four on Six", "Wes Rhythm", "Impressions" and "To When".

[mikeweil]

There were two of thes Affinity LPs. Some of the best live Wes there is. Sound's excellent, too.

[Ron S]

SS, if you don't already have it, I strongly recommend that you also get the Definitive 2-CD set "Complete Live in Paris 1965."  This has live Wes like you've never heard him (if you've never heard this CD, that is ) from the same period as the Half Note date, except with Harold Mabern, Jimmy Lovelace, and Arthur Harper, and with Johnny Griffin guesting on a few tracks.  The music and sound are both terrific, and the length really allows Wes to stretch out with some great soloing.  And although this is from Definitive, the usual complaints don't apply since--to my knowledge--this was never a U.S. release and--presumably--all licensing requirements have been met.  FWIW, here is the rather detailed AMG review with sound samples.

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I have an LP on Affinity called "Impressions" from these dates. A truly great album. I should get the CD set one of these days, for sure.

The album has four tunes: "Four on Six", "Wes Rhythm", "Impressions" and "To When".

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The CD-set has ten tunes--1 hour 43 minutes of music--and great sound. If you're a Wes fan, you should get it sooner rather than later.

[BFrank]

I was just looking at the listing on Amazon and noticed that the CD set does not include "Wes Rhythm". I wonder if it's mis-labeled on either the CD or album?

[Ron S]

I was just looking at the listing on Amazon and noticed that the CD set does not include "Wes Rhythm". I wonder if it's mis-labeled on either the CD or album?

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There's a discussion of this here.

[BFrank]

Thanks, Ron.

I just read this on AMG:

"The tune mislabeled "Wes' Rhythm" (actually "Twisted Blues") is an extraordinary example of Montgomery stretching out — starting with just Wes, bass and drums and developing into full, shouting call-and-response chords and octaves."

[Claude]

From the 1965 european concerts, there exists a film recording of a Belgian TV studio performance:

http://www.playjazz.com/VI071.html

Edited June 18, 2005 by Claude