Shorten (SHN) is a file format used for compressing audio data. It is a form of data compression of files and is used to losslessly compress CD-quality audio files (44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo PCM). Shorten is no longer developed and more recent lossless audio codecs such as FLAC, Monkey's Audio (APE), TTA, and WavPack (WV) have become more popular. However, Shorten is still in use by some people because there are legally traded concert recordings in circulation that are encoded as Shorten files. Shorten files use the .shn file extension.

Handling Shorten files[link]

Since few players or media writers attempt to decompress Shorten files, a standalone decompression program is usually required to convert to a different file format that those applications can handle. Some Rockbox applications can play Shorten files without decompression, and third-party Shorten plug-ins exist for Nero Burning ROM, Foobar2000 and Winamp. All libavcodec based players and converters support the Shorten codec.

See also[link]

• FLAC
• MPEG-4 ALS
• Meridian Lossless Packing
• Monkey's Audio (APE)
• TTA
• WavPack

External links[link]

Look up shorten in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Shorten Research Paper, written by the author of Shorten and detailing how it works.
• Trader's Little Helper Download page. Trader's Little helper converts shn to wav among other things
• etree.org Wiki article. etree.org is a trading site for authorized recordings of live performances; etree formerly used Shorten exclusively but is increasingly using FLAC.
• Shorten FAQ (note: If looking for software to play .shn files, you will probably be better served by the etree software page, as the Shorten FAQ has many broken and outdated links.)
• Lossless audio formats, a performance comparison of lossless audio formats, including Shorten.
• A Small SHN and MD5 FAQ Includes a decent list of programs to handle Shorten files.

This article related to a type of software is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

The Honourable Bill Shorten MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Maribyrnong
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 December 2007
Preceded by	Robert Sercombe
Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 September 2010
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Chris Bowen
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 December 2011
Preceded by	Chris Evans
Personal details
Born	(1967-05-12) 12 May 1967 (age 45) Melbourne
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Chloe Shorten
Residence	Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Alma mater	Monash University
Profession	Trade unionist
Website	www.billshorten.com.au

William Richard "Bill" Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician, the Member for Maribyrnong in the Australian Parliament, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.^[1] He was Assistant Treasurer in the first Gillard Ministry and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children's Services in the Rudd/Gillard Government 2007–2010. He is a former Victorian State President of the Australian Labor Party, a long-time member of the right-wing Labor Unity faction, and a former Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union (AWU).

Early career[link]

Bill Shorten was born in Melbourne, where his father was a waterside worker and union official. His mother was a lawyer and university academic. He was educated at Xavier College (a Roman Catholic school) and Monash University, where he graduated in arts and law. During his time at Monash, Shorten was a founding member of Young Labor Network, a right wing Labor youth caucus. He also holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, an unusual qualification for a trade union official.

Shorten began working in the labour movement while still a student, working part-time for federal Labor Minister Gareth Evans and later Neil Pope, a minister in the Labor state government of John Cain. After graduating he worked for 18 months as a lawyer for the firm of Maurice Blackburn Cashman, a firm which generates a large portion of its income representing trade unions.

Union leader[link]

In 1994, Shorten began his union career as a trainee organiser under the ACTU's Organising Works program^[2] at the AWU, before being elected Victorian State Secretary in 1998. Before taking this post, Shorten had decided to enter Victorian state politics, and was elected unopposed as the Labor candidate for the state seat of Melton for the 1999 state election, but gave this up to pursue his career with the union. Shorten was responsible for reforming the union's structure and halting the long-term decline in its membership.

Shorten was elected as the AWU's National Secretary in 2001, and was re-elected in 2005. He resigned as Victorian State Secretary of the AWU in August 2006. As a trade union official with a tertiary education, he reflects the changing composition of the AWU's membership, and of the trade union movement.

Shorten was an active member of the Labor Party; he was a member of the party's National Executive until 2011, as well as the Administrative Committee of the Victorian Branch. He is a former director of the Superannuation Trust of Australia (now Australian Super), and the Victorian Funds Management Corporation. From December 2005 until May 2008 he was the Victorian State President of the Labor Party. He was also a member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Executive. Until early 2006, he was a board member of GetUp.org.au

During his time as AWU National Secretary, Shorten was the interim chief executive of the Australian Netball Players Association (ANPA), following an alliance between the AWU and ANPA in 2005.^[3] Shorten also served on the advisory board of the Australian Cricketers' Association.^[4]

Shorten resigned as AWU National Secretary and his other board positions on 26 November 2007 in order to take his seat in federal parliament.

Politics[link]

During 2005 there was increasing speculation that Shorten intended entering federal politics at the next election. In February 2006 he announced that he would seek endorsement for the safe Labor seat of Maribyrnong, where the sitting Labor member, Bob Sercombe, was supported by the Left faction. The AWU is a pillar of the right-wing Labor Unity faction of the party, which has a majority in the Victorian Branch of the party.

The political correspondent of The Age, Misha Schubert, wrote, "The ascendancy of the articulate, clever and impressively connected challenger, routinely touted as a future prime minister, seems all but assured." She pointed out that, as well as his base in the right-wing unions, Shorten would be supported by some unions normally associated with the left, such as the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union.^[5]

Justifying his challenge to a sitting member and serving shadow minister, Shorten said: "We haven't won a federal election since 1993. When your footy team loses four consecutive grand finals, you renew the team."^[5] On 28 February Sercombe withdrew his candidacy, a few days before the local vote of ALP members in which Shorten was expected to poll very strongly. As a result Shorten was pre-selected unopposed.

During the Beaconsfield mine collapse, Shorten, in his role as National Secretary of the AWU, the union representing the miners, played a prominent role as negotiator and commentator on developments in the immediate aftermath and the ensuing rescue operations. The mine rescue operations drew mass national media coverage, and raised Shorten's political profile ahead of the 2007 election.^[6][7]

At the election on 24 November 2007, Bill Shorten was elected to the House of Representatives as the Labor Member for Maribyrnong. It was speculated that with Shorten's high public profile and general popularity within the Labor Party, he might be given a front-bench portfolio; however, when asked about the possibility, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said that he believed parliamentary experience was essential when designating front-bench portfolios. On 29 November Rudd announced that Shorten would become the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services.^[8]

On 3 December 2007 Bill Shorten was sworn in as the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services.^[9] On 25 June 2010, Shorten was one of the main factional leaders involved in the replacement of Kevin Rudd as leader of the Labor Party and Prime Minister for Julia Gillard.^[10] Following the election there was speculation that Shorten might seek to topple Prime Minister Gillard from her position as ALP leader;^[11] former Labor party leaders Bob Hawke and Kim Beazley had previously endorsed Shorten as a potential Labor leader.^[12]

On 12 December 2011 Bill Shorten was promoted to Cabinet with the Workplace Relations Portfolio.^[13]

Personal[link]

Bill Shorten is married to Chloe Bryce, the daughter of the Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce.^[14][15][16] Shorten is one of a number of current Ministers that has a young family - his daughter Clementine,^[17] and Rupert and Georgette Parkin (the son and daughter of Chloe Bryce).^[18] In May 2012, the Shortens issued a public appeal requesting the cessation of an unspecified smear campaign about their marriage; Shorten was quoted by The Australian saying "personal lives and families should be off limits".^[19]

Bill Shorten was previously married to Debbie Beale, daughter of Liberal Party politician Julian Beale and granddaughter of politician and Ambassador to the United States Sir Howard Beale. Before marriage he was living with Nicola Roxon, present Attorney-General.^{[citation needed][20]}

He has a twin brother, named Rob.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bill Shorten

• Bill Shorten – Labor for Maribyrnong
• AWU: Bill Shorten
• Parliament of Australia – House of Representatives – The Hon Bill Shorten MP
• Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services
• Search or browse Hansard for Bill Shorten at OpenAustralia.org

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Wynton Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States.^[1] He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.^[1]

Biography[link]

Son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in Jamaica,^[2] and started his professional career as a teenager, initially as a member of R&B groups. After working with Lee Abrams, Cecil Payne, Dinah Washington and Dizzy Gillespie,^[3] he was a member of Miles Davis's Quintet from 1959 to 1963. He appears on Davis' seminal 1959 album Kind of Blue, replacing Bill Evans on the track "Freddie Freeloader". Kelly likewise appears on a single track from John Coltrane's Giant Steps, replacing Tommy Flanagan on "Naima".^[1]

He recorded 14 titles for Blue Note in a trio (1951), and worked with Washington, Gillespie, and Lester Young during 1951-1952. After serving in the military, Kelly worked with Washington (1955–1957), Charles Mingus (1956–1957), and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band (1957), but he would be most famous for his stint with Miles Davis (1959–1963), recording such albums with him as Kind of Blue, At the Blackhawk, and Someday My Prince Will Come. When he left Davis, Kelly took the rest of the rhythm section (bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb) with him to form his trio.

Kelly recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside Records, Vee-Jay, Verve, and Milestone.^[4] Kelly had a daughter, Tracy, in 1963, with partner Anne. The track "Little Tracy", on the LP Comin' in the Back Door, is named after Kelly's daughter. Tracy Matisak is a now a Philadelphia television personality.

Kelly's second cousin, bassist Marcus Miller, also performed with Miles Davis in the 1980s and 1990s.^[1] Another cousin is pianist Randy Weston.

Kelly died in Toronto, Canada, from an epileptic seizure in April 1971.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1951: Piano Interpretations (Blue Note)
• 1958: Piano (Riverside)
• 1959: Kelly Blue (Riverside)
• 1959: Kelly Great (Vee-Jay)
• 1960: Kelly at Midnight (Vee-Jay)
• 1961: Wynton Kelly! (Vee-Jay)
• 1961: Someday My Prince Will Come (Vee-Jay)
• 1963: Comin' in the Back Door (Verve)
• 1964: It's All Right! (Verve)
• 1965: Undiluted (Verve)
• 1965: Smokin' at the Half Note (Verve)
• 1965: Blues on Purpose (Xanadu)
• 1967: Full View (Milestone)
• 1968: Last Trio Session (Delmark)

As sideman[link]

With Julian "Cannonball" Adderley

• Things Are Getting Better (1958)
• Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago (1959)
• Cannonball Takes Charge (1959)
• African Waltz (1961)
• The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus (1961)

With Nat Adderley

• Much Brass (1959)
• That's Right! (1960)
• Naturally! (1961)

With Lorez Alexandria

• Alexandria the Great (Impulse!, 1964)
• More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse!, 1964)

With Gene Ammons

• Night Lights (1970)

With Walter Benton

• Out of This World (1960)

With Bob Brookmeyer

• Jazz is a Kick (1960)

With Joy Bryan

• Make the Man Love Me (1961)

With Donald Byrd

• Off to the Races (1958)

With Betty Carter

• Out There (1958)

With Paul Chambers

• Go... (1959)
• 1st Bassman (1960)

With James Clay

• The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!! (1960)

With Jimmy Cleveland

• Cleveland Style (1957)

With John Coltrane

• Coltrane Jazz (1961)

With King Curtis

• The New Scene of King Curtis (1960)
• Soul Meeting (1960)

With Miles Davis

• Kind of Blue (1959)
• Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Dee Gee Days: The Savoy Sessions (Savoy, 1951-52 [1976])
• Dizzy and Strings (1954)
• Dizzy Atmosphere (1957)
• Birks' Works (1957)
• Dizzy in Greece (1957)
• Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith (Verve, 1957)
• Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Verve, 1957)

With Benny Golson

• Benny Golson's New York Scene (1957)
• The Modern Touch (1957)
• Turning Point (1962)

With Paul Gonsalves

• Gettin' Together (1960)

With Dexter Gordon

• The Jumpin' Blues (1970)

With Grant Green

• First Session (1960)

With Johnny Griffin

• Introducing Johnny Griffin (1956)
• A Blowin' Session (Blue Note, 1957)

With Eddie Harris

• Cool Sax, Warm Heart (Columbia, 1964)

With Jimmy Heath

• On the Trail (1964)

With Bill Henderson

• Bill Henderson Sings (1959)

With Joe Henderson

• Four (1968)
• Straight, No Chaser (1968)

With Ernie Henry

• Seven Standards and a Blues (1957)
• Last Chorus (1957)

With Billie Holiday

• Lady Sings the Blues (1956)

With Helen Humes

• Swingin' with Humes (1961)

With Illinois Jacquet

• The Blues That's Me (1969)

With Eddie Jefferson

• Letter From Home (1962)

With J. J. Johnson

• The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1954)

With Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones

• Together! (Atlantic, 1961)

With Sam Jones

• The Chant (1961)

With Roland Kirk

• Domino (1962)

With Steve Lacy

• Soprano Sax (1957)

With Abbey Lincoln

• That's Him (1957)
• It's Magic (1958)

With Booker Little

• Booker Little (1960)

With Chuck Magione

• Recuerdo (1962)

With Blue Mitchell

• Big 6 (1958)
• Blue Soul (1959)
• Blue's Moods (1960)
• A Sure Thing (1962)

With Hank Mobley

• Peckin' Time (1958)
• Soul Station (1960)
• Roll Call (1961)
• Workout (1961)
• Another Workout (1961)

With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery

• Bags Meets Wes! (1961)

With Wes Montgomery

• Full House (1962)
• Smokin' at the Half Note (1965)

With Lee Morgan

• Lee Morgan Vol.3 (1957)
• Here's Lee Morgan (1960)

With Mark Murphy

• Rah (1961)

With David Newman

• Staight Ahead (1960)

With Art Pepper

• Gettin' Together (1960)

With Sonny Red

• Out of the Blue (1959)

With Dizzy Reece

• Star Bright (1959)

With Wayne Shorter

• Introducing Wayne Shorter (1959)

With Sonny Rollins

• Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1 (1956)
• Newk's Time (1957)

With Don Sleet

• All Members (1961)

With Frank Strozier

• Fantastic Frank Strozier (1959)

With Art Taylor

• A.T.'s Delight (1960)

With Teri Thornton

• Devil May Care (1960)

With Phil Upchurch

• Feeling Blue (1967)

With Dinah Washington

• Back to the Blues (1962)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wynton Kelly Discography at jazzdisco.org accessed August 19, 2010
• Wynton Kelly Discography with cover photos accessed August 19, 2010
• Wynton Kelly Hardbop Homepage accessed August 20, 2010
• Wynton Kelly Allmusic Biography accessed August 20, 2010

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968)^[1] was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily Remler, Kenny Burrell, Pat Metheny, Steve Howe, and Jimi Hendrix.

Biography[link]

Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to NPR Jazz Profiles "The Life and Music Of Wes Montgomery," the nickname "Wes" was a child's abbreviation of his middle name, Leslie.^[2] He came from a musical family; his brothers, Monk (string bass and electric bass) and Buddy (vibraphone and piano), were jazz performers. The brothers released a number of albums together as the Montgomery Brothers. Although he was not skilled at reading music, he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. Montgomery started learning the six string guitar at the relatively late age of 20 by listening to and learning the recordings of his idol, guitarist Charlie Christian, however he had played a four string tenor guitar since age twelve. He was known for his ability to play Christian's solos note for note and was hired by Lionel Hampton for this ability.^[1]

Many fellow jazz guitarists consider Montgomery the greatest influence among modern jazz guitarists. Pat Metheny has praised him greatly, saying "I learned to play listening to Wes Montgomery's Smokin' at the Half Note." In addition, Metheny stated to The New York Times in 2005 that the solo on "If You Could See Me Now," from this album is his favorite of all time. Joe Pass said, "To me, there have been only three real innovators on the guitar—Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, and Django Reinhardt," as cited in James Sallis's The Guitar Players and in his Hot Licks instructional video. Kenny Burrell states, "It was an honor that he called me as his second guitarist for a session." In addition, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix, David Becker, Joe Diorio, Steve Lukather and Pat Martino have pointed to him numerous times as a great influence. Lee Ritenour, who recorded the 1992 album Wes Bound named after him, cites him as his most notable influence; he also named his son Wesley.

Following the early work of swing/pre-bop guitarist Charlie Christian and gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Wes joined Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Raney, and Barney Kessell to put guitar on the map as a bebop / post-bop instrument. While these men generally curtailed their own output in the 1960s, Montgomery recorded prolifically during this period, lending guitar to the same tunes contemporaries like John Coltrane and Miles Davis were recording. While many jazz players are regarded as virtuosos, Montgomery had a very wide influence on other virtuosos who followed him, and in the respect he earned from his contemporaries. To many, Montgomery's playing defines jazz guitar and the sound that learners try to emulate.

Dave Miele and Dan Bielowsky claim, "Wes Montgomery was certainly one of the most influential and most musical guitarists to ever pick up the instrument... He took the use of octaves and chord melodies to a greater level than any other guitarist, before or since... Montgomery is undoubtedly one of the most important voices in Jazz guitar that has ever lived-or most likely ever will live. A discussion of Jazz guitar is simply not thorough if it does not touch upon Wes Montgomery."^[3]

"Listening to [Wes Montgomery's] solos is like teetering at the edge of a brink," composer-conductor Gunther Schuller asserted, as quoted by Jazz & Pop critic Will Smith. "His playing at its peak becomes unbearably exciting, to the point where one feels unable to muster sufficient physical endurance to outlast it." Wes received many awards and accolades: Nominated for two Grammy Awards for Bumpin', 1965; received Grammy Award for Goin' Out of My Head as Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by Large Group or Soloist with Large Group, 1966; nominated for Grammy Awards for "Eleanor Rigby" and "Down Here on the Ground", 1968; nominated for Grammy Award for Willow, Weep for Me, 1969. Wes' second album, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, earned him Down Beat magazine's "New Star" award in 1960. In addition, he won the Down Beat Critic's Poll award for best Jazz guitarist in 1960, '61, '62,'63, '66, and 1967.^[4]

Montgomery toured with Lionel Hampton early in his career, however the combined stress of touring and being away from family brought him back home to Indianapolis. To support his family of eight, Montgomery worked in a factory from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, then performed in local clubs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. Cannonball Adderley heard Montgomery in an Indianapolis club and was floored. The next morning, he called record producer Orrin Keepnews, who signed Montgomery to a recording contract with Riverside Records. Adderley later recorded with Montgomery on his Pollwinners album. Montgomery recorded with his brothers and various other group members, including the Wynton Kelly Trio which previously backed up Miles Davis.

John Coltrane asked Montgomery to join his band after a jam session, but Montgomery continued to lead his own band. Boss Guitar seems to refer to his status as a guitar-playing bandleader. He also made contributions to recordings by Jimmy Smith. Jazz purists relish Montgomery's recordings up through 1965, and sometimes complain that he abandoned hard-bop for pop jazz towards the end of his career, although it is arguable that he gained a wider audience for his earlier work with his soft jazz from 1965–1968. During this late period he would occasionally turn out original material alongside jazzy orchestral arrangements of pop songs. In sum, this late period earned him considerable wealth and created a platform for a new audience to hear his earlier recordings.

He didn't have very long to live to enjoy his commercial success, however; on June 15, 1968, while at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., he woke one morning, remarked to his wife that he "Didn't feel very well," and minutes later collapsed, dying of a heart attack within minutes. Montgomery's home town of Indianapolis has named a park in his honor. He is the grandfather of actor Anthony Montgomery.^{[1] [5]}

Technique[link]

According to jazz guitar educator Wolf Marshall, Montgomery often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: He would begin a repeating progression with single note lines, derived from scales or modes; after a fitting number of sequences, he would play octaves for a few more sequences, finally culminating with block chords. He used mostly superimposed triads and arpeggios as the main source for his soloing ideas and sounds.^[1]

The use of octaves (playing the same note on two strings one octave apart) for which he is widely known, became known as "the Naptown Sound". Montgomery was also an excellent "single-line" or "single-note" player, and was very influential in the use of block chords in his solos. His playing on the jazz standard "Lover Man" is an example of his single-note, octave- and block-chord soloing. ("Lover Man" appears on the Fantasy album The Montgomery Brothers.)

Instead of using a guitar pick, Montgomery plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb, using downstrokes for single notes and a combination of upstrokes and downstrokes for chords and octaves. Montgomery developed this technique not for technical reasons but for his wife. He worked long hours as a machinist before his career began and practiced late at night while his wife was sleeping. He played with his thumb so that his playing would be softer and not wake her. This technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone from his guitar^{[citation needed]}. George Benson, in the liner notes of the Ultimate Wes Montgomery album, wrote, "Wes had a corn on his thumb, which gave his sound that point. He would get one sound for the soft parts, and then that point by using the corn. That's why no one will ever match Wes. And his thumb was double-jointed. He could bend it all the way back to touch his wrist, which he would do to shock people."

He generally played a Gibson L-5CES guitar. In his later years he played one of two guitars that Gibson custom made for him. In his early years, Montgomery had a tube amp, often a Fender. In his later years, he played a solid state Standel amp with a 15-inch (380 mm) speaker.

Recording career[link]

Montgomery toured with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton's orchestra from July 1948 to January 1950, and can be heard on recordings from this period. Montgomery then returned to Indianapolis and did not record again until December 1957 (save for one session in 1955), when he took part in a session that included his brothers Monk and Buddy, as well as trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who made his recording debut with Montgomery. Most of the recordings made by Montgomery and his brothers from 1957–1959 were released on the Pacific Jazz label.^[1]

From 1959 Montgomery was signed to the Riverside Records label, and remained there until late 1963, just before the company went bankrupt. The recordings made during this period are widely considered by fans and jazz historians to be Montgomery's best and most influential. Two sessions in January 1960 yielded The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, which was recorded as a quartet with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The album featured two of Montgomery's most well-known compositions, "Four on Six" and "West Coast Blues."

Almost all of Montgomery's output on Riverside featured the guitarist in a small group setting, usually a trio (and always with his organist from his Indianapolis days, Melvin Rhyne), a quartet, or a quintet, playing a mixture of hard-swinging uptempo jazz numbers and quiet ballads. The lone exception, Fusion, telegraphed his post-Riverside career: it was his first recording with a string ensemble. One of the more memorable sets involved a co-leadership collaboration with vibraphone virtuoso and Modern Jazz Quartet mainstay Milt Jackson, whom producer Orrin Keepnews has said insisted on a collaboration with Montgomery as a condition for signing a solo recording deal with Riverside.

In 1964 Montgomery moved to Verve Records for two years. His stay at Verve yielded a number of albums where he was featured with an orchestra—brass-dominated (Movin' Wes), string-oriented (Bumpin', Tequila), or a mix of both (Goin' Out of My Head, California Dreamin').^[1]

But he never abandoned jazz entirely in the Verve years, whether with a few selections on most of the Verve albums, or by such sets as 1965s Smokin' at the Half Note (showcasing two memorable appearances at the famous New York City club with the Wynton Kelly Trio) or a pair of albums he made with jazz organ titan Jimmy Smith, The Dynamic Duo and Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes). He continued to play outstanding live jazz guitar, as evidenced by surviving audio and video recordings from his 1965 tour of Europe.

As a considered founder of the smooth jazz school the album Bumpin' (1965) represents a model from which many modern recording are derived: as the liner notes to the CD remaster issue note, after being unable to produce the desired results by the guitarist and orchestra playing together, arranger Don Sebesky suggested Montgomery record the chosen music with his chosen small group, after which Sebesky would write the orchestral charts based on what Montgomery's group had produced. Longer clips from all of the tracks on Bumpin' and other Wes Montgomery albums are found on Verve Records website.

By the time Montgomery released his first album for A&M Records, he had seemingly abandoned jazz entirely for the more lucrative pop market, though as in his Verve period he played his customary jazz in small group settings in live appearances. The three albums released during his A&M period (1967–68) feature orchestral renditions of famous pop songs ("Scarborough Fair", "I Say a Little Prayer", "Eleanor Rigby", etc.) with Montgomery reciting the melody with his guitar. These records were the most commercially successful of his career, but featured the least jazz improvisation.^{[citation needed]}

Wes and Buddy, along with Richard Crabtree and Benny Barth, formed "The Mastersounds", and recorded "Jazz Showcase Introducing The Mastersounds" and a jazz version of "The King and I", both released by World Pacific Records. They first played together at Seattle, particularly working up the set for "The King and I", at a club called Dave's Fifth Avenue. The composers were so impressed by the jazz version of "The King & I" that they pre-released the score of "Flower Drum Song" to the quartet to allow simultaneous release with the sound track album.

Discography[link]

	Wes Montgomery "Tear It Down" (1965) noicon Sample from Wes Montgomery's "Tear It Down," from the album Bumpin'
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Riverside (1958–1964)[link]

Wes' recordings for Riverside/Milestone Records, including those made with The Montgomery Brothers are on the 12CD Box The Complete Riverside Recordings.^[6]

• 1958: Fingerpickin'
• 1958: Far Wes
• 1959: The Wes Montgomery Trio
• 1959: Yesterdays
• 1959: Pretty Blue
• 1960: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
• 1960: Cannonball Adderley and the Poll-Winners
• 1960: Movin' Along
• 1961: So Much Guitar
• 1961: Wes and Friends
• 1961: Bags Meets Wes! (with Milt Jackson)
• 1962: Full House
• 1963: Fusion!: Wes Montgomery with Strings (strings arranged by Jimmy Jones)
• 1963: Boss Guitar
• 1963: Portrait of Wes
• 1963: Guitar on the Go
• 1963: The Alternative Wes Montgomery (alternate takes for previously issued albums)
• 1964: Panorama (Produced by Orrin Keepnews)

Verve (1964–1966)[link]

• 1964: Movin' Wes
• 1965: Bumpin' (arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky)
• 1965: Smokin' at the Half Note
• 1965: Goin' Out of My Head (arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson)
• 1966: California Dreaming (arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky)
• 1966: Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes (with Jimmy Smith)
• 1966: Tequila (arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman)
• 1966: Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo (with Jimmy Smith)
• 1969: Willow Weep for Me (unused takes from the Smokin' at the Half Note session; overdubbed woodwinds and brass arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman)
• 1970: Eulogy

A&M (1967–1968)[link]

• 1967: A Day in the Life (arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky) (A&M Records/CTI Records)
• 1968: Down Here on the Ground (arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky) (A&M/CTI)
• 1968: Road Song (arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky) (A&M/CTI)

As sideman[link]

• 1960: Cannonball Adderley and the Poll Winners (leader: Cannonball Adderley)
• 1960: West Coast Blues! (leader: Harold Land)
• 1960: Work Song (leader: Nat Adderley)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Wes Montgomery site
• "Wes Montgomery Unedited" by Jim Ferguson, compiled from his Guitar Player Magazine article on Wes Montgomery (August 1993), his JazzTimes article "The Genius Of Wes Montgomery" (August 1995), and his essay in his liner notes to Wes Montgomery—The Complete Riverside Recordings (1992).
• Wes Montgomery discography
• GP2 – Guitar Player Magazine Interview – June 1973
• Wes Montgomery guitar tabs
• Wes Montgomery Park (Indianapolis)
• Biography and tribute by grandson Anthony Montgomery
• Find-A-Grave profile for Wes Montgomery