Recorded live at Tsubo in Berkeley, California on June 25, 1962, ‘Full House’ was originally released on the Riverside label, since when it has been reissued a few time, some with additional tracks, but here it has been remastered and made available with just the original six tracks. Joining the guitarist on this album are Johnny Griffin (sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums). This was his sixth album as bandleader, while he also recorded with his brothers Mont and Buddy as The Montgomery Brothers. He had a peculiar way of playing, using the side of his thumb instead of a pick and often used octaves, so his guitar playing was quite distinctive.
This remastered edition keeps that guitar sound very much front and centre in a performance which is full of restraint, very different to much of what was happening in the scene around him at the time. Guitarists were starting to stretch their wings and show what could be done with the instrument, but this is a throwback to a gentler time and although he is the leader, there is a singular lack of pace and a concentration on musicality. The sound is wonderful, but in some ways this approach has not aged at all well, with the result being that this is an album for the connoisseur as opposed to mass appeal.
Rating: 6/10
Links:
https://craftrecordings.com/