Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery – Jimmy & Wes (LP Vinyl)
Product Details
Two titans who redefined their instruments, Smith and Montgomery each built devoted followings through relentless touring and a gift for making jazz feel physical and immediate. Smith had essentially invented the vocabulary of jazz organ as a lead instrument in the late 1950s, while Montgomery's octave-chord technique influenced virtually every guitarist who followed. That Creed Taylor brought them together only once makes this session all the more worth revisiting.
Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. 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 & 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 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Tracklist
Side A
Side B
UPC: 602478261749
Label: Verve
Release Date: 11.14.25
Format: LP Vinyl