Four on Six is a jazz composition by guitarist Wes Montgomery, first recorded in 1960 for his album The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery on Riverside Records. The piece is a contrafact based on the chord changes of George Gershwin's Summertime, with Montgomery composing an original melody over the existing harmonic framework. Written as a 16-bar form in G minor, the composition opens with four bars anchored on G minor seventh before introducing a series of ii-V progressions that drive the harmony through related key centers. A distinguishing harmonic feature is Montgomery's use of tritone substitutions, most notably an E-flat minor seventh to A-flat seventh progression functioning as a tritone substitute for the dominant, adding chromatic sophistication to the underlying changes. The melody is constructed in three distinct phrases across the 16-bar form, built primarily from intervals of fifths and thirds that create a lean, angular quality. Each phrase adapts its motivic material to follow the shifting tonal centers implied by the ii-V progressions, producing a sense of sequential development while maintaining musical coherence. Typically performed with a straight-ahead swing feel, Four on Six has also been arranged in other styles including bossa nova and samba interpretations. The composition holds a significant place in the jazz repertoire, particularly among guitarists, as both a frequently performed piece and an instructive model for navigating chord changes with motivic clarity. It stands as one of Montgomery's most recognized and enduring original works.
