​In 1989 Len Lyons and Don Perlo wrote that “[Wes] Montgomery was the most innovative and influential guitarist to emerge since Charlie Christian. His solos displayed an intuitive gift for thematic development, a relaxed, natural delivery, and technical innovations such as playing solos in octaves and using his thumb instead of a pick to achieve a soft, warm tone.” On September 22, 1965 Montgomery was at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey with the Wynton Kelly Trio recording the studio takes for their Verve Records release “Smokin’ at the Half Note.”

Of the five tracks on “Smokin’ at the Half Note,” only two were actually recorded live at the Half Note, a New York City club. The remaining three tracks were made three months later in the studio. Among the tunes recorded that day was Unit 7, a composition by bassist Sam Jones that was originally recorded several years earlier by Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson. The Montgomery/Wynton Kelly performance is the one that “helped establish the tune as a jazz standard.”

The Wynton Kelly Trio is the Miles Davis rhythm section from the late 1950s and includes Kelly at the piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb playing drums. This 1965 outing was not the first time the trio had performed with Montgomery. They had previously recorded together for the Riverside label, had toured together and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. The live cuts from the record are Davis’ No Blues and Tadd Dameron’s If You Could See Me Now. The other two studio tracks are What’s New? and a Montgomery composition called Four on Six. Pat Metheny has said that “’Smokin’ at the Half Note’ is ”the absolute greatest jazz guitar album ever made. It is also the record that taught me how to play."

Here is a link to Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio playing Unit 7, 61 years ago today:

"UNIT 7"