 After that he worked briefly with the Anthony Ortega Quartet in Los Angeles, and then with his brothers in the Montgomery-Johnson Quintet in Indianapolis (with Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson, sax, and Robert "Sonny" Johnson, drums).In 1955 he moved to Seattle to form The Mastersounds from 1957 to 1960.In 1964–65 Montgomery played on two albums by The Jazz Crusaders, and members of that band would go on to produce and play on his first two solo albums.