Milt Jackson was 38 when, in December 1961, he co-led this superb hard bop date with the distinctive guitarist
Wes Montgomery. A jazzman who was as opinionated as he was gifted,
Jackson wouldn't hesitate to tell you exactly what he thought of a musician, so when he praised
Montgomery, you knew his praise was genuine. Not surprisingly, the boppers prove to be quite compatible on
Bags Meets Wes!, which finds them co-leading an all star-quintet that also includes pianist
Wynton Kelly, bassist
Sam Jones, and drummer
Philly Joe Jones (who shouldn't be confused with swing drummer
Jo Jones). Although
Jackson and
Montgomery prove what lyrical ballad players they could be on the standard "Stairway to the Stars," ballads aren't a high priority on this album. Instead, the improvisers put more of their energy into the blues -- and the 12-bar format serves them well on "Sam Sack," "Blue Roz," and "S.K.J." Equally strong are hard-swinging versions of
Montgomery's "Jingles" and
Benny Golson's "Stablemates." Originally released on LP by Riverside in the early '60s,
Bags Meets Wes! has been reissued several times over the years. When Fantasy reissued it on CD for the Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series, the label added alternate takes of "Jingles," "Stairway to the Stars," and "Delilah" -- all of which are only slightly inferior to the master takes.
Bags Meets Wes! has also been reissued as a 24-karat gold audiophile CD by DCC Compact Classics. [This reissue is Riverside's own CD edition, complete with the added alternate takes.] ~ Alex Henderson