Baby Face Willette

[makpjazz57]

Can all of you chime in with your favorite Baby Face Willette recording(s) and reasons why they are your favorites? I know his discography is short, but I believe he's also on at least one Grant Green recording, so that counts, too. Looking for recommendation(s) of what you perceive to be his best playing.

Thanks in advance,

Marla

[Soul Stream]

Face To Face is widely considered his best work. However, all his LPs are musts for me. The Argos are great as well and show him off in another light.

One album that doesn't get much credit is Here 'Tis his first recording ever. As a sideman with Lou Donaldson. It's perhaps my hidden favorite.

[Soulstation1]

grant green plays on 4 bn cds with bfw

stop n listen - bfw

face 2 face - bfw

here tis - lou d

grant's first stand - gg

all 4 cds are good

ss1

[makpjazz57]

Face To Face is widely considered his best work.  However, all his LPs are musts for me.  The Argos are great as well and show him off in another light.

One album that doesn't get much credit is Here 'Tis his first recording ever.  As a sideman with Lou Donaldson.  It's perhaps my hidden favorite.

Thanks! I'll start my buying this evening and I'm guessing I'll have to go to places like musicstack.com to see if I can find LPs for those recordings never issued on CD.

Marla

[Soulstation1]

all bfw bn cds have been released in some way

here tis is a import

grant's first stand is an easy find

face 2 face and stop and listen are somewhat hard to find

Edited February 23, 2005 by Soulstation1

[makpjazz57]

grant green plays on 4 bn cds with bfw

stop n listen - bfw

face 2 face - bfw

here tis - lou d

grant's first stand - gg

all 4 cds are good

ss1

Any source recommendations - most of the places I've looked - amazon.com, cduniverse, etc. - verrrry expensive. I'll pay it if I have to, but would sure love to be able to purchase more than one or two. At $30 each, maybe only 1.

Thanks,

Marla

[Tony Pusey]

I got Behind the 8 Ball and Mo Rock from Hiroshi at Early records last year.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Any source recommendations - most of the places I've looked - amazon.com, cduniverse, etc. - verrrry expensive.  I'll pay it if I have to, but would sure love to be able to purchase more than one or two.  At $30 each, maybe only 1.

Thanks,

Marla

Marla, after I post this, it may not last long, but Dusty Groove has a Japanese CD copy of Face To Face for only $18.99. This is a steal at this price.

FWIW, they also have the two Argo dates on LP, but I really didn't think they were anywhere near as good as his Blue Notes. In fact, I dumped both of 'em.

Later,

Kevin

Edited February 23, 2005 by Kevin Bresnahan

[makpjazz57]

Kevin,

Happy New Year!

Many thanks...I had been meaning to check out Dusty Groove, so "Now's the Time."!

Marla

[Mark J]

Face to Face is the one to get (if you only want one). I remember I picked up this as a BN Connoisseur in the late 90s at Tower. I didn't know who Baby Face was, but I am a jazz organ fan and I thought the Reid Miles cover was great. That was a good buy for me! The whole album cooks - jazz, soul, funk, it has it all. And Fred Jackson too!

[makpjazz57]

Face to Face is the one to get (if you only want one). I remember I picked up this as a BN Connoisseur in the late 90s at Tower. I didn't know who Baby Face was, but I am a jazz organ fan and I thought the Reid Miles cover was great. That was a good buy for me! The whole album cooks - jazz, soul, funk, it has it all. And Fred Jackson too! 

Thanks for the "thumbs up" suggestion. I'm looking forward to getting recordings he did on his own, as well as recordings he did with guitarist Grant Green, a favorite of mine.

Regards,

Marla

[Guest ariceffron]

WE WILL NEVER SEE A BABYFACE REISSUE AGAIN CAUSE BLUE NOTE THINKS BABY FACE MUSIC IS A THREAT TO SOCIETY AS WE KNOW IT

[JSngry]

Please elaborate.

[AfricaBrass]

Please elaborate.

If we use the LaRoca sensitivity test, we find:

Baby Face Willette =

Baby - All terrorists were once babies. Yes, it's true.

Face - Once again, those enemies of all that is good have faces. Those thugs may cover them up sometimes, but they still have them.

Will - That's what terrorists want us to have to write because they are going to get us. We need to live in fear.

e - There are two "e"s in his last name. "E" stands for enemy. It's just as plain as day.

tt - The two "t"s in his last name are symbols of the graves these enemies of all that is good and holy want to put us in.

There's no way we'll ever get a Baby Face Willette reissue in the good ol' apple pie eatin' US of A.

[JSngry]

God help us if our enemies ever get their hands on MO' ROCK!

[AfricaBrass]

God help us if our enemies ever get their hands on MO' ROCK!

God help us, period.

[JSngry]

The blues had a baby and they named it Baby Face.

[andybleaden]

Please elaborate.

Don't encourage the poor chap please.

He will be teaching 'real science' in US schools next and none of that evolution 'nonsense'

As it stands my favourite BFW track is Mo Rock .....got that groove already!!!

[Big Wheel]

Listening to the Connoisseur of Face to Face now. It's really a shame the organ bass was not recorded/transferred louder--this is the first time I've listened to it with headphones, and I can finally sort of hear Baby Face's bass lines, which are really very interesting in some cases. Definitely changes the way I thought about some of the tunes!

[Soul Stream]

Listening to the Connoisseur of Face to Face now. It's really a shame the organ bass was not recorded/transferred louder--this is the first time I've listened to it with headphones, and I can finally sort of hear Baby Face's bass lines, which are really very interesting in some cases. Definitely changes the way I thought about some of the tunes!

The JRVG has much, much better bass. One of the reasons I'm so fond of the RVG masterings as far as organ recordings go...he knows how to handle the organ bass properly. Something McMaster doesn't do.

[montg]

The JRVG has much, much better bass

I recently picked up the JRVG of Face to Face from Dustygroove and the bass lines are clearly audible on my system--and they sound great, as does the entire band! I don't have the Conn, so I can't A/B although I've found other Conns (Stick up! and Shorter's Schizophrenia, for instance, to be a little light on the bass). I'm really lovin' this CD, by the way..I can't articulate exactly what makes Baby Face seem unique, but his approach is really distinctive to me.

[connoisseur series500]

FWIW, they also have the two Argo dates on LP, but I really didn't think they were anywhere near as good as his Blue Notes. In fact, I dumped both of 'em.

I did the same.

Wonder if I should have kept them...

[Chuck Nessa]

Listening to the Connoisseur of Face to Face now. It's really a shame the organ bass was not recorded/transferred louder--this is the first time I've listened to it with headphones, and I can finally sort of hear Baby Face's bass lines, which are really very interesting in some cases. Definitely changes the way I thought about some of the tunes!

The JRVG has much, much better bass. One of the reasons I'm so fond of the RVG masterings as far as organ recordings go...he knows how to handle the organ bass properly. Something McMaster doesn't do.

My BN/NY pressing is WAY better than the Conn. Kept the Conn for the bonus tune.

[Bill Fenohr]

During his short stint as a record reviewer for Down Beat, Kenny Dorham reviewed Behind The 8 Ball. As i remember he gave the record no stars and the gist of his review was that the record was a waste of good vinyl. I will try and dig the review out and post it.

[Soul Stream]

During his short stint as a record reviewer for Down Beat, Kenny Dorham reviewed Behind The 8 Ball. As i remember he gave the record no stars and the gist of his review was that the record was a waste of good vinyl. I will try and dig the review out and post it.

Wow, I'd LOVE to see that review. Funny to think KD would bash a fellow Blue Noter so badly. (Especially since I love that album!)