大師的小故事~
During my two year stint with Jimmy Smith, he told me a bunch of stories. One that stuck with me was the one that he told me about this recording session.
Prior to it, he and Wes Montgomery had never met. While they were waiting on Wes to arrive at the studio, Jimmy stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. While he was puffing away, this Cadillac pulls into the driveway(Wes didn't like to fly. He would drive everywhere, if he could). Although they had never met, Jimmy recognized Wes immediately. He told me that when Wes got out of the car, the first thing he noticed was how impeccably dressed he was. Wes was always clean. He took his guitar out of the back seat, closed the car door, and starts walking towards Jimmy. The whole time their eyes are locked on each other. When Wes got within about ten feet of Jimmy, he asked, "Are you Jimmy Smith?" Jimmy answered, "Yeah". Wes shot back with, "Don't start no shit! I heard about how you like to mess with guitar players. I'm ready for you". According to Jimmy, that comment broke the ice. He really loved Wes, and Wes loved him. He likened their musical chemistry to a beautiful marriage. You can hear that love in every note on that recording. Those of us who knew Jimmy are well aware of how ornery he could be. But mention the name Wes Montgomery, and he would almost always tear up.
