The union between Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith finally occurred 1966 with the release of Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo. The pair appears to challenge each other on the opening track, a boisterous rendition of “Down By the Riverside” propelled by Oliver Nelson’s orchestra. After Smith somersaults through a dizzying cascade of organ runs, Montgomery responds by pulling out every trick he knows, jumping and sliding across the guitar neck like an Olympian roused from retirement. Following this apparent proving session (and a somewhat superfluous run through “Night Train”), the album settles into the rich, quiet groove of “James and Wes.” It is in this sleek mode that the pair finds its chemistry. The late-night mood culminates with “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which heralds Christmas from a corner bar stool. The album centerpiece, however, is “13 (Death March),” in which Nelson’s orchestra aids rather than overpowers, and a trifecta of bassists — Paul Chambers, Richard Davis and Ron Carter — provides the subterranean hum over which Smith and Montgomery sing to high heaven.