Smokin' At The Half Note

Recorded June 1965 at the Half Note, New York City; and September 22, 1965 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Recorded by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio in 1965, Smokin' at the Half Note showcases Montgomery with the Miles Davis rhythm section of 1959- 1961, featuring Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. Montgomery had performed numerous times with Kelly, the four musicians had all recorded the guitarist's 1962 album Full House together, and in the summer of 1965 they toured the United States. Although it was presented as a live album, only two of the original LP's five tracks were actually recorded at the Half Note: "No Blues"" and "If You Could See Me Now." At the behest of producer Creed Taylor, the other three tracks were remade three months later at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. The album's versions of "Unit 7" and "Four on Six" established these pieces as jazz standards.