Baby Face Willette - Mo-Roc

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:15
Size: 87.6 MB
Styles: Bop, Soul-jazz
Year: 1964/2004
Art: Front

[4:46] 1. Mo-Roc
[5:15] 2. Bantu Penda
[5:25] 3. Dad's Theme
[4:08] 4. But Not For Me
[3:55] 5. Misty
[4:16] 6. Unseen And Unknown
[5:17] 7. Zip Five
[5:08] 8. Sight In Darkness

After recording a handful of sessions for Blue Note in the early '60s (including two albums as a leader), organist Baby Face Willette abruptly left the label and soon resurfaced on Argo. Mo-Roc (titled Mo' Rock on the front cover only) is the first of Willette's two 1964 albums for Argo, and it's further proof that if Willette hadn't been so underexposed, he certainly wouldn't be quite so underrated. Mo-Roc is recorded in a trio format with guitarist Ben White and drummer Eugene Bass, who may not be up to the caliber of Blue Note players like Grant Green and Ben Dixon, but are competent and swinging nonetheless. Willette shines brightest on the hard-driving up-tempo cuts, swinging like a madman and displaying more melodic imagination on his instrument than straight blues players. Highlights in this vein include the charging title cut -- dedicated to Chicago's Moroccan Village neighborhood, where Willette played frequently -- and "Zip Five," where the busy melody lines produce some explosive displays of chops from both Willette and White. Not all of the compositions make much of an impression -- some are basically just swinging, mid-tempo grooves -- but it's hard to miss the mysterious, atmospheric "Unseen and Unknown," Willette's tribute to an African witch doctor, which is punctuated by comically manic screams and dissonant, horror-film chords. Overall, Mo' Rock isn't quite up to the level of Willette's Blue Note sessions, but it's still a very respectable outing, and given the unfortunate skimpiness of his discography, his fans should find it rewarding enough to seek out the Japanese CD reissue. ~Steve Huey

Mo-Roc

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Lou Donaldson & Grant Green - Cool Blues

Styles: Saxophone And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:01
Size: 162,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:38)  1. A Foggy Day
(9:26)  2. Here 'Tis
(6:53)  3. Cool Blues
(7:32)  4. Watusi Jump
(8:36)  5. Walk Wid Me
(8:33)  6. Misty
(6:08)  7. Please
(5:48)  8. Man With a Horn
(5:11)  9. Prisoner of Love
(6:12) 10. Stardust

Lou Donaldson has long been an excellent bop altoist influenced by Charlie Parker, but with a more blues-based style of his own. His distinctive tone has been heard in a variety of small-group settings, and he has recorded dozens of worthy and spirited (if somewhat predictable) sets throughout the years. Donaldson started playing clarinet when he was 15, soon switching to the alto. He attended college and performed in a Navy band while in the military. Donaldson first gained attention when he moved to New York and in 1952 started recording for Blue Note as a leader. At the age of 25, his style was fully formed, and although it would continue growing in depth through the years, Donaldson had already found his sound. In 1954, he participated in a notable gig with Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, and Tommy Potter that was extensively documented by Blue Note and that directly predated the Jazz Messengers. However, Donaldson was never a member of the Messengers, and although he recorded as a sideman in the '50s and occasionally afterwards with Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, and Jimmy Smith, among others, he has been a bandleader from the mid-'50s up until the present.

Donaldson's early Blue Note recordings were pure bop. In 1958, he began often utilizing a conga player, and starting in 1961, his bands often had an organist rather than a pianist. His bluesy style was easily transferable to soul-jazz, and he sounded most original in that context. His association with Blue Note (1952-1963) was succeeded by some excellent (if now-scarce) sets for Cadet and Argo (1963-1966). The altoist returned to Blue Note in 1967 and soon became caught up in the increasingly commercial leanings of the label. For a time, he utilized an electronic Varitone sax, which completely watered down his sound. The success of "Alligator Boogaloo" in 1967 led to a series of less interesting funk recordings that were instantly dated and not worthy of his talent. However, after a few years off records, Lou Donaldson's artistic return in 1981 and subsequent soul-jazz and hard bop dates for Muse, Timeless, and Milestone have found the altoist back in prime form, interacting with organists and pianists alike and showing that his style is quite timeless. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-donaldson-mn0000808198/biography

Personnel: Lou Donaldson - alto sax,  Grant Green - guitar,  Baby Face Willette - organ on tracks 1-5,  Dave Bailey - drums on tracks 1-5,  Brother Jack McDuff - organ on tracks 6-10,  Joe Dukes - drums on tracks 6-10.

Cool Blues

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Baby Face Willette - Face To Face

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:04
Size: 128,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:35)  1. Swingin' At Sugar Ray's
(7:24)  2. Goin' Down
(7:21)  3. Whatever Lola Wants
(6:17)  4. Face To Face
(6:42)  5. Something Strange
(7:07)  6. High 'N Low
(6:52)  7. Face To Face (alternate take) (bonus track)
(6:42)  8. Something Strange (alternate take) (bonus track)

While it's true that Baby Face Willette's Stop and Listen is widely regarded as his finest recording, this, his Blue Note debut from January of 1961, should not by any means be overlooked. After all, before this session he had the same lot as most Blue Note artists at the time; they played as sidemen on other's recordings before being allowed to headline their own dates. Willette performed on dates by Grant Green (Grant's First Stand) and Lou Donaldson (Here 'Tis). Face to Face boasts a mighty meat and potatoes soul-jazz lineup: Green on guitar, Fred Jackson on tenor, and drummer Ben Dixon. Comprised of six cuts, five of them are Willette originals. 

The evidence of the rough and rowdy side of Willette's playing is evident from the opener, "Swinging at Sugar Ray's." His approach to the B-3 is far more percussive than Jimmy Smith's, each note is a distinct punch; not only in his solos, but in his chord and head approaches. His solo is a nasty, knotty blues sprint that encompasses gospel licks and R&B fills, too. The other notable thing about the cut is Green's guitar break that shows a side of him we seldom got to hear early on, where he's bending strings, playing in the high register, and using intense single-note runs. 

It's nearly a breathless way to open a record. Things slow down on the blues "Goin' Down" that features a nice emotive solo by Jackson. The mambo-infused "Whatever Lola Wants" by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross comes next and includes some beautiful stop-and-and start moves in the melody, as well as beautiful call and response between Jackson and Willette, while Dixon's drums shift around the outside before the whole thing breaks down into a groover. The poppin' funky title track has one of those beautiful hard bop heads that's instantly memorable. Sure, it's not terribly sophisticated but it's full of soul and a relaxed yet quick group of changes before Jackson begins to blow. "Somethin' Strange" is pure blues, Chicago style, before moving into tough funky soul. 

The set closes with "High 'N' Low," a relaxed show-closing groove joint; it's all blues with fine contributions from Green, Jackson, and Willette. The two alternates are not necessarily revelatory, but they do keep the solid vibes happening for another 13 minutes or so. Certainly it's true that these compositions don't show a ton of imagination conceptually, but that doesn't mean anything. The group interplay here is the thing, it works seamlessly. The other notable is the looseness with which Green was playing on the date, and the true introduction of Willette's trademark approach to the B-3. That's all here. These tunes have their own little trademark knots and notches all over them. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/face-to-face-mw0000595874

Personnel: Baby Face Willette (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Fred Jackson (tenor saxophone); Ben Dixon (drums).

Face To Face

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Baby Face Willette - Stop and Listen

Styles: Soul Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:29
Size: 99,8 MB
Art: Front

(8:14)  1. Willow Weep for Me
(7:43)  2. Chances Are Few
(5:13)  3. Jumpin' Jupiter
(4:40)  4. Stop and Listen
(7:19)  5. At Last
(5:25)  6. Soul Walk
(4:51)  7. Work Song

Probably the greatest set in Baby Face Willette's all-too-slim discography, Stop and Listen matches the organist with the hugely sympathetic team of guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon (the same trio lineup who recorded Green's debut LP, Grant's First Stand). With no saxophonist this second time around, it's just Willette and Green in the solo spotlight, and they play marvelously off of one another. As a soloist, Willette has a nimble, airy touch, and though he owes no debt to the modal style of Larry Young, he has a greater melodic imagination than many of his instrument's straight blues players. What's more, his playing is far less in-the-pocket than his inspiration, Jimmy Smith's; Willette can really make a groove percolate, whether he's soloing or adding keen rhythmic interest with his left hand (witness the throbbing slow blues of "Chances Are Few" or the marching beat of "Soul Walk"). 

Green is in prime form as well, in particular contributing some unbearably lovely solos to the standard "At Last." Nearly every selection is memorable, with other highlights coming from Willette's manic original "Jumpin' Jupiter," a breezy treatment of "Willow Weep for Me," and Nat Adderley's jauntily swinging "Worksong." There's nary a bit of sleepy meandering on this set of grooves; each musician is plugged in and ready to wail. With Blue Note's extraordinary stable of talent, it's a shame that Willette never led another session for the label, which makes Stop and Listen that much more essential for soul-jazz fans. ~ Steve Huey   http://www.allmusic.com/album/stop-and-listen-mw0000118136.

Personnel: Baby Face Willette (organ); Grant Green (guitar); Ben Dixon (drums).

Stop and Listen

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