The Original Wes Montgomery Solo - "Four on Six"

by Wes Montgomery, as heard on Smokin' at the Half Note (1965, Verve Records)



If "Four on Six" can be called Wes Montgomery's most famous self-penned tune (although he wrote a few other great ones -- "West Coast Blues" jumps to mind), then his solo on Smokin' at the Half Note is almost certainly his most famous solo on the tune. In fact, more than a few big band arrangements of "Four on Six" use bits and pieces of his solo in different locations. Take a listen above and find out why.

This analysis was actually an assignment for me during my undergrad, and although it took some time for me to find it again, a retrospective read-through finds that most of these insights are actually pretty valid. Our professor at the time, the wonderful Austin saxophonist/Texas State prof Russell Haight, asked us to perform what I'll call a "parallel analysis" of the choruses of the tune. It's a really unique way to visualize what's going on from one chorus to the next.


Chorus Outline
  • A – 0:16 (head)
  • B (first chorus) – 0:33
  • C (2) – 0:50
  • D (3) – 1:06
  • E (4) – 1:22 (ostinato G)
  • F (5) – 1:38 (octaves)
  • G (6) – 1:55
  • H (7) – 2:11 (chromatic quarters)

Harmonic
Wes remains relatively "inside" throughout this solo--that is to say, he avoids chromatic alterations of the changes at nearly every turn. The majority of his harmonic embellishment consists of arpeggios that reach into upper extensions of the underlying chord, generally accessed as triadic arpeggios built from the 3rd, 5th or 7th of the chord beneath. Bars 1-4 and 9-12 are consistently treated as G melodic minor. Bars 5-9 are also handled similarly in every chorus: the downward-moving chord progression is treated as a non-connected series of ii-V's, where ideas are sequenced through the changes--Wes does not play any interweaving lines through these changes. We see the most ii-V activity in bars 12-13 of each chorus, in the Cmin7-F7 cadence.

Melodic
Wes frequently plays over the barline in this solo--noticeably, the phrases at the top of each chorus are begun one or two bars ahead of time, at the end of the preceding chorus. This creates a strong sensation of drive and urgency, while also adding a great deal of connectivity to the lines. As the solo progresses, Wes builds energy by gradually increasing the length of every phrase. The first several choruses consist primarily of brief, motivically-related statements, usually a sequenced rhythmic or melodic pattern. While there is a great deal of sequencing in this solo--especially in bars 5-8 of every chorus--Wes also utilizes the blues scale and pentatonics generously, as well as simple triadic shapes.

Rhythmic
The motivic and sequential nature of this solo lends itself to considerable rhythmic variety. Wes frequently hints at cross-rhythmic ideas by using unusual note groupings--in bar 9 of the first chorus, for example, Wes plays a series of three-note ascending augmented chords. Similarly, in bars 9-12 of chorus 3, Wes plays what is essentially a 6/8 pattern in G melodic minor, altering the rhythm slightly to get out of the phrase. The fourth chorus is quite interesting: Wes plays insistent G notes throughout, varying the articulation of his notes to create a 3/8 texture that continues nearly uninterrupted for the first 8 bars of the chorus. Leading into the seventh chorus, we see a long series of ascending chromatic quarter notes, followed by a fast quarter note triplet line. Throughout the solo, Wes is very rhythmically motivic, giving every chorus a strong, unique identity while also providing rhythmic cohesion to his ideas.

Sonic
Typical of Wes, this solo starts as a single-line solo, then develops into an octaves solo at the fifth chorus, developing further into a series of chord melody statements in the final chorus. His use of articulation creates a great deal of contrast in carefullychosen spots, especially in chorus four (mm. 1-8) and chorus seven, where he interrupts his own steady quarter note line with alternating ghosted and accented notes. Grace notes play a significant role throughout the solo, both in the single-line and chord-melody sections, as do falls and slides.

A few final notes: Wes's band members get to take a solo each, and it goes without saying that they're all pretty spectacular. The group behind him, Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Jimmy Cobb (drums), were collectively known as the Wynton Kelly trio, and were Miles Davis's late '50s-early '60s rhythm section. Also, an interesting note from Josef Woodard's 2005 article on Wes:
The original version of the 1965 LP had five tracks, though only two were recorded at the Half Note: "No Blues" and "If You Could See Me Now." The other three tracks, deemed unsuitable by producer Creed Taylor, were recut in Rudy Van Gelder's studio three months later.

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