92. Hank Mobley / A Slice of the Top (1966)

I just picked up this 1966 session by Hank Mobley and it's an odd one. Mobley is featured in the midst of several other interesting young players: McCoy Tyner does piano, Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums --  a good rhythm section of highly individualistic voices, plus Lee Morgan, Kiane Zawadi, Howard Johnson, and James Spaulding. The record is odd for choice of instrumentation, containing euphonium and tuba in addition to tenor, flute, and alto sax. Arrangements by Duke Pearson try to give order to this motley bunch but I can't help feeling that that the whole thing is a little awkward. It's a quartet (or quintet), that looks to be struggling to accommodate the extra pieces in a way that is relevant. At times the octet plods along like two people walking in the same pair of pants, instead of swinging in a tight but dangerously crowded arrangement, as demonstrated by similarly orchestrated groups of Charles Mingus or Thelonious Monk. I'll have to keep listening and I get the keen feeling that this one will grow on me. Look out!

80. Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery / The Dynamic Duo (1966)

The arrangements by Oliver Nelson are assertive but don't sound as if they're intruding on the small group which is at the core of this session. Nelson's robust charts quickly give way to the main attraction, a reactive meeting of the Smith and Montgomery schools. If you liked the big band on Smith's The Cat then you'll appreciate this album's similar vibe. There's intense, crispy drumming from Grady Tate, occasionally complemented by Ray Barretto. Montgomery on rhythm is as impressive as he is on lead, like the high-octane percussive comping in "Down by the Riverside." There's a huge contrast between the two leaders. Montgomery's smooth, melodic lines are the ideal foil for Smith's fiery, organ revival. They play off each other well. Things appear to cool off with "Night Train," but a relaxed tempo only stokes the flames! The second side is more standards, first the dark chart of "13," followed by a lighthearted "Baby it's Cold Outside." If I listen to this too soon after Bags Meets Wes, I invariably wish Smith and Montgomery could have called Bags to join them. What if...