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.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/face-to-face-mw0000595874
Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971) was a
hard bop and soul-jazz musician most known for playing Hammond organ.
It is unclear whether he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, or New
Orleans, Louisiana.
Artist Biography by Steve Huey
Highly underrated as a soul-jazz organist due in large part to a scanty
discography, Baby Face Willette remains a somewhat mysterious figure, a
quiet, reserved man who disappeared from the jazz scene after the first
half of the '60s. Born Roosevelt Willette on September 11, 1933 (there
is some dispute as to whether he was born in New Orleans or Little
Rock), his parents were heavily involved in the church, and thus his
music had deep roots in gospel. Studying with his pianist uncle Fred
Freeman, Willette played in several gospel groups as a teenage pianist
and soon branched out into R&B, which gave him the opportunity to
tour the country with numerous outfits. He settled in Chicago for a time
and began concentrating on jazz organ in 1958, but didn't make much
headway on the scene until he moved to New York and met Blue Note
mainstays like Lou Donaldson and Grant Green. He played on Donaldson's
Here 'Tis and Green's Grant's First Stand in January 1961, and the same
month recorded his own debut, Face to Face. A few months later, he
recorded the follow-up, Stop and Listen, which is generally regarded as
his best work. After that initial burst of activity, Willette went on to
form his own regular trio in 1963, and moved over to the Argo label,
where he recorded two sessions in 1964: Mo-Roc and Behind the 8 Ball. He
had a regular engagement at a South Side Chicago lounge from 1966-1971
(approximately), but largely vanished from the jazz scene afterwards and
died in obscurity.
///////
Si bien es cierto que Stop and Listen, de Baby Face Willette, está considerado como su mejor grabación, este, su debut con Blue Note en enero de 1961, no debería pasarse por alto. Después de todo, antes de esta sesión tenía la misma suerte que la mayoría de los artistas de Blue Note de la época; tocaban como sidemen en las grabaciones de otros antes de que se les permitiera encabezar sus propias fechas. Willette actuó en fechas por Grant Green (Grant's First Stand) y Lou Donaldson (Here 'Tis). Face to Face cuenta con una poderosa alineación de soul-jazz de carne y patatas: Green en guitarra, Fred Jackson en tenor y el baterista Ben Dixon. Consta de seis cortes, cinco de los cuales son originales de Willette. La evidencia del lado áspero y bullicioso del juego de Willette es evidente en el primer partido, "Swinging at Sugar Ray's". Su acercamiento al B-3 es mucho más percusivo que el de Jimmy Smith, cada nota es un golpe distinto; no sólo en sus solos, sino también en su acorde y en sus acercamientos de cabeza. Su solo es un desagradable y nudoso sprint de blues que incluye lamidas de gospel y R&B también llena. La otra cosa notable del corte es la rotura de la guitarra de Green que muestra un lado de él que rara vez oímos desde el principio, donde dobla las cuerdas, toca en el registro alto, y usa intensas corridas de una sola nota. Es una forma casi sin aliento de abrir un disco. Las cosas se ralentizan en el blues "Goin' Down" que cuenta con un emotivo solo de Jackson. La infusión de mambo "Whatever Lola Wants" de Richard Adler y Jerry Ross viene a continuación e incluye algunos hermosos movimientos de parada y arranque en la melodía, así como una hermosa llamada y respuesta entre Jackson y Willette, mientras que los tambores de Dixon se mueven por el exterior antes de que todo se rompa en un groover. El poppin' funky título pista tiene uno de esos hermosos hard bop heads que es instantáneamente memorable. Claro, no es terriblemente sofisticado, pero está lleno de alma y un relajado pero rápido grupo de cambios antes de que Jackson empiece a soplar. "Somethin' Strange" es blues puro, al estilo de Chicago, antes de pasar a un alma funky. El set se cierra con "High 'N' Low", una relajada unión de ranura de cierre de show; todo es blues con finas contribuciones de Green, Jackson y Willette. Los dos alternos no son necesariamente reveladores, pero mantienen las vibraciones sólidas durante otros 13 minutos más o menos. Ciertamente es cierto que estas composiciones no muestran una tonelada de imaginación conceptual, pero eso no significa nada. La interacción del grupo aquí es la cosa, funciona a la perfección. El otro aspecto notable es la soltura con la que Green estaba jugando en la fecha, y la verdadera introducción del enfoque de la marca Willette en el B-3. Eso es todo aquí. Estas melodías tienen sus propios nudos y muescas por todas partes. Altamente recomendado.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/face-to-face-mw0000595874
Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971) was a hard bop and soul-jazz musician most known for playing Hammond organ. It is unclear whether he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, or New Orleans, Louisiana.
Artist Biography by Steve Huey
Highly
underrated as a soul-jazz organist due in large part to a scanty
discography, Baby Face Willette remains a somewhat mysterious figure, a
quiet, reserved man who disappeared from the jazz scene after the first
half of the '60s. Born Roosevelt Willette on September 11, 1933 (there
is some dispute as to whether he was born in New Orleans or Little
Rock), his parents were heavily involved in the church, and thus his
music had deep roots in gospel. Studying with his pianist uncle Fred
Freeman, Willette played in several gospel groups as a teenage pianist
and soon branched out into R&B, which gave him the opportunity to
tour the country with numerous outfits. He settled in Chicago for a time
and began concentrating on jazz organ in 1958, but didn't make much
headway on the scene until he moved to New York and met Blue Note
mainstays like Lou Donaldson and Grant Green. He played on Donaldson's
Here 'Tis and Green's Grant's First Stand in January 1961, and the same
month recorded his own debut, Face to Face. A few months later, he
recorded the follow-up, Stop and Listen, which is generally regarded as
his best work. After that initial burst of activity, Willette went on to
form his own regular trio in 1963, and moved over to the Argo label,
where he recorded two sessions in 1964: Mo-Roc and Behind the 8 Ball. He
had a regular engagement at a South Side Chicago lounge from 1966-1971
(approximately), but largely vanished from the jazz scene afterwards and
died in obscurity.
Tracklist:
1. Swingin' at Sugar Ray's - 6:35
2. Goin' Down - 7:24
3. Whatever Lola Wants (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross) - 7:21
4. Face to Face - 6:17
5. Something Strange - 6:42
6. High 'N' Low - 7:07
Bonus track on CD reissue
7. Face to Face [Alternate take] - 6:52
8. Something Strange" [Alternate take] - 6:41
Personnel
Baby Face Willette – organ
Grant Green – guitar
Fred Jackson - tenor saxophone
Ben Dixon – drums
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