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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