Full House - Live At Tsubo, 1962 (Remastered 2026) Wes Montgomery

• 1 Full House (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 09:09
• 2 I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 03:25
• 3 Blue 'N' Boogie (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 09:36
• 4 Cariba (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 09:41
• 5 Come Rain Or Come Shine (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 06:55
• 6 S.O.S. (Remastered 2026 / Live At Tsubo, Berkeley, CA / June 25, 1962) 05:01
• Total Runtime 43:47

Info for Full House - Live At Tsubo, 1962 (Remastered 2026)

Pianist Wynton Kelly (1931–1971) once said that his trio with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb never played as well as they did with Wes Montgomery. Considering that this phenomenal trio had performed on stage or in the studio with every jazz great, this is more than just a nice compliment. Full House, a live recording from 1962, gives an idea of why Kelly felt this way.

The calibre of musicians Wes was working with at the time is evident from the fact that the Wynton Kelly Trio formed the rhythm section of the Miles Davis Sextet — and thus ranked among the very best in jazz. Tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin also complemented the group. Griffin, who passed away in July 2008, was one of the most influential and style-defining saxophonists of those years, alongside John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

Full House is thus a summit meeting of several leaders and therefore a very special document of jazz in the early 1960s. Even if it does not yet possess the power of the recordings made three years later on Smokin' At The Half Note, the group shines here with all the brilliance of its stars. Full House is undoubtedly one of the guitarist's absolute landmark albums.

The album was recorded on 25 June 1962 at Tsubo's jazz club in Monterey. Wes, who was in San Francisco at the time, had the opportunity to make this recording on a Monday because Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy had the day off from the Miles Davis Sextet, with whom they were performing at the Black Hawk in San Francisco. Johnny Griffin was also in the Bay Area at the time, so nothing stood in the way of this live album. In the long series of recordings Wes made for the Riverside label, Full House is perhaps the happiest coincidence, or can be mentioned in the same breath as The Incredible Jazzguitar and Bags Meets Wes.

For Tsubo's, Full House is the highlight of its short existence. The jazz club, which opened in September 1961, had to close again in October 1962. From 1965 to 1967, a club called Jabberwock resided here, which became the birthplace of ‘Country Joe And The Fish’. Eventually, the building was demolished and replaced by an office complex.

“Full House captures Wes at the top of his game,” writes Milkowski in his liner notes, “as he electrifies the audience of students, jazz fans and hipsters with his inventive and inherently melodic improvisations, propelled by the superbly swinging rhythm section.” Both Montgomery and Griffin, he adds, offer powerhouse performances, with “a take-no-prisoners approach on the individual solos.” Downbeat described the album as capturing ““Montgomery at the blazing top of his form.”

"That fact is made abundantly clear on Full House where Montgomery's repertoire included ballads ("Come Rain or Come Shine," "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face), bebop ("Blue 'N Boogie"), had bop ("Full House"), and Latin jazz ("Cariba"). The title song would go on to become a centerpiece to Montgomery's live performances. Montgomery seems never to have played anything lacking his inate mirth and happiness. In that he had an amiable Midas Touch that made his performances uplifting and immediately identifiable. Montgomery had a tangible simpatico with Kelly, both being superb blues and ballads players. When unison playing, the two are of one mind, that of swing and propulsion. Griffin's presence adds a woody organicness that is both fecund and free. Occurring about a third of the way through Montgomery's 10-year recording career, Full House was a glimpse of what was to come and be lost all too soon." (C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJAzz)

Wes Montgomery, guitar
Wynton Kelly, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Jimmy Cobb, drums
Johnny Griffin, tenor saxophone

Digitally remastered

Wes Montgomery
was born in 1923 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wes was first introduced to guitar when his older brother, Monk Montgomery, bought him a four stringed guitar. He would eventually relocate to Akron, Ohio to attend high school. He started his music career in the mid 40’s, playing with the bandleader Lionel Hampton. During his time with Hampton, he would frequently fly back to Indianapolis to be with his family. He also held a day job as a welder, and would play gigs at night. Wes Montgomery eventually signed to Riverside Records where he would turn in some of his most seminal recordings. His style was one of the most unique guitar styles at the time. He would pluck the strings with his thumb, giving his tone a warm, muted quality, and he would extensively use octaves to give a deep sense of atmosphere. A few notable musicians that Wes played with are: Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Johnny Griffin, Tommy Flanagan, Percy Heath, Eddie Higgins, and Charles Mingus.

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