![]() Likewise for the ascending phrase in bars 3-4 over Fm7-Bb7, he's playing in F Dorian. ![]() What he plays briefly reveals that he is thinking of the Am7-D7 chords as A Dorian. ![]() He then takes a breath before his single-note lines begin on the and-of-2 in bar 2. Hopefully, this won't be confusing to anyone.Īs Buddy Montgomery's vibes solo arrives at its conclusion and Chorus 1 of brother Wes' 6 chorus solo begins, Wes hits a most traditional C/D voicing with the top note of D-natural on the 10th fret on beat 1. So, on this transcription I chose to indicate the 2nd 16 bars with a double-bar at the end of bar 16 each time. ![]() Though "Stella by Starlight" does fall into the traditional 32-bar song form that might seem to want to divide itself into an - song form, or even an - song form, but because the 2nd 16-bars does not begin as the first letter began, it becomes a bit more difficult to label. Perhaps that's the reason for selecting this key, even though Wes never states the melody! Another version that I also love in this alternate key is by McCoy Tyner and appears on his album, " SUPERTRIOS"(Milestone) with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. Where the guitar is concerned, the melody sits in a warmer register as the first two notes can now be played on our G-string. This immediately striking to me because the first version in this other key that comes mind is by Grant Green and organist Larry Young and appears on the wonderful album, " I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND"(Blue Note) which also features: Hank Mobley(tenor sax) and Elvin Jones(drums). One interesting side note is that Wes and Buddy chose to play "Stella by Starlight" in the rather untraditional key of Eb major, instead of the more familiar Bb major. His snare drum as recorded, probably direct to 2-track, is a bit loud, but you certainly hear every interaction with what Wes was playing. The recording quality is not too bad, Wes is panned to the right side, Buddy and Monk seem to be in the center, and it's possible that Paul Humphrey is either in stereo or in the center as well. In addition to Wes and Buddy, brother Monk Montgomery was on acoustic bass, and the great Paul Humphrey was on drums. This performance was recorded live in Vancouver, Canada at a club called The Cellar on April 16th, 1961. I even had the great honor of writing the liner notes for the reissue package of " GROOVE BROTHERS"(Milestone), which seemed to leave off "Stella by Starlight." That LP is so old, it was actually pressed on blue vinyl, if you can believe that!!! As the years have come and gone, and the CD Era began, those same tracks have been reissued and repackaged several times. Upon arrival, after reading through the tracks and the varied credits, I realized that this performance had come from the same recording that I had first known on the LP, " THE MONTGOMERY BROTHERS IN CANADA"(Fantasy). After following-up with a quick visit to I found the CD, another reissue, and ordered it immediately. When I heard the sound of vibes and what seemed to be a quartet setting, I knew that this had to have been something he had done with his brother, Buddy Montgomery. Having felt as though I have been pretty familiar with most of Wes' recorded output, every so often, I wonder why he never seemed to record a version of Victor Young's wonderful " Stella by Starlight." And then, suddenly, the other night I happened to be listening to the MusicChoice® Jazz channel on my cable TV system, when looked to see what recording this could be I realized that I was caught unaware of the release of the reissue, " DANGEROUS"(Milestone). In some cases, for a great artist like Wes Montgomery such reissues are usually most welcome amongst his hardcore fans. In the world of reissues, it is remarkable how record labels keep unearthing old unreleased material. "Stella by Starlight"(Victor Young-Ned Washington)
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