Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery - Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery — Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo

Part of the Verve Vault Jazz Series

180-gram vinyl pressed at Optimal in Germany

Released in 1966 on Verve Records, Jimmy & Wes (The Dynamic Duo), captures the only full-length studio collaboration between organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery.

Produced by Creed Taylor and arranged by Oliver Nelson, Jimmy & Wes brought together two of jazz's most distinctive voices in an expansive big band setting. Recorded over three days in September 1966 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio, the sessions featured a brass-and reed-heavy ensemble and a top-tier rhythm section with drummer Grady Tate and bassist Richard Davis.

Montgomery's melodic guitar lines and Smith's fiery organ grooves find a vibrant setting in Nelson's tight, punchy arrangements — rich in harmonic color and rhythmic drive. The result is a rare meeting of two jazz giants, captured during a period of broad popular success, with the added presence of one of the era's most accomplished arrangers. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

 

Side A

1. Down By The Riverside

2. Night Train

Side B

1. James And Wes

2. 13 (Death March)

3. Baby, It's Cold Outside

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