Jimmy Smith, of course, is best know for his funky, soul-jazz and hard bop dates for Blue Note Records in the 50's and 60's (Check out his 1959 date with Kenny Burrell, Home Cookin'). He defected to Verve in the mid-60's and his product often suffered from over-packaging, as often was the case with his contemporary, Wes Montgomery. The problem with many of the Verve albums are their tendency to sweeten the proceedings with orchestral and big band backing, as well as short running times with tracks aimed at pop-airplay. This album, Dynamic Duo, has a big band; however, the music doesn't suffer. In fact, the groove is so heavy, so intense, it's easily the best thing Smith did since "Back at Chicken Shack," and Montgomery turns in his finest performance since "Full House." There's plenty of soul, grease, blues and lot's of room for sweaty improvisation on this masterful album beautifully recorded by master engineer Rudy Van Gelder. You won't be dissappointed--the groove goes down, and the track "Night Train" is a masterpiece.
