monkboughtlunch Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 Found some newspaper mentions of the Baby Face Willette Trio from October 1964, the month before the Argo studio album Behind the 8-Ball was recorded. I wonder if any live 1960s Willette trio recordings exist in private hands? Has anyone asked Willette's family? Is Ben White (guitar) still alive? The Indianopolis News Oct. 14, 1964 The Indianopolis Star Oct. 10, 1964 The La Crosse Tribune Oct. 19, 1964 Behind The 8-Ball (Argo 749), recorded Nov. 30, 1964, Tel-Mar Studios, IL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 My recollection was that this article https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/baby-face-willette had indications that there was contact with family? I don't think anyone knows of private recordings but who knows for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 (edited) I love it that the drummer's last name was Bass. Edited January 26 by jlhoots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 2 hours ago, Dan Gould said: My recollection was that this article https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/baby-face-willette had indications that there was contact with family? I don't think anyone knows of private recordings but who knows for sure. That is quite a piece - very interesting. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 Even if there are some private recordings, I GUARANTEE you Zev Feldman would pass on them LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, bertrand said: Even if there are some private recordings, I GUARANTEE you Zev Feldman would pass on them LOL. What if they featured Grant Green or LD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 5 hours ago, bertrand said: Even if there are some private recordings, I GUARANTEE you Zev Feldman would pass on them LOL. Does he not like organ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 6 minutes ago, Brad said: Does he not like organ? He’s mostly allergic to names that won’t sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 9 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said: He’s mostly allergic to names that won’t sell. Bingo. But I meant recordings from the Argo area. If Grant Green is on it, that's different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 11 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said: He’s mostly allergic to names that won’t sell. Maybe because I’m an organ enthusiast I have a hard time believing that anything by Baby Face won’t sell, especially because he recorded so few sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 (edited) 3 hours ago, Brad said: Maybe because I’m an organ enthusiast I have a hard time believing that anything by Baby Face won’t sell, especially because he recorded so few sessions. Willette doesn’t have enough general name recognition, even among jazz fans — would be his argument (not mine). But if Grant Green was on the date, sure! — Zev would go for that quick, I’d bet. That said, Zev has helped get a few obscure-ish things out… Larry Young in Paris (helped that Woody Shaw was on a bunch of it) — and Roy Brooks at the Left Bank (also with Woody Shaw). Probably some others I’m forgetting. Edited January 26 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkboughtlunch Posted January 26 Author Report Share Posted January 26 I've been yearning to hear the unissued 1965 Cadet session for decades. It wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Willette received an acetate of this Cadet session as a courtesy from the record label. If so, do Willette's heirs still have the acetate? Alternatively, is it possible producer Esmond Edwards' (RIP) family has an acetate of the session? In 2008, the Universal Studios fire torched a lot tapes in the Argo/Cadet vault. I have no idea if the Willette Cadet session perished in the fire -- or if it was lost, stolen or trashed years before that. But maybe the unissued session survives in some form. ================================ Baby Face Willette (org) + others unknown c. late 1965 14267 When lights are low (unissued) Cadet 14268 After hours - 14269 Soul elevation - 14270 Get to steppin' - 14271 I got a woman (incomplete) - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 I think the odds are worse than slim and none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkboughtlunch Posted January 26 Author Report Share Posted January 26 (edited) On 1/25/2024 at 2:54 PM, bertrand said: Even if there are some private recordings, I GUARANTEE you Zev Feldman would pass on them LOL. I wonder if Mr. Feldman would entertain a download only series for lower sales volume artists. That way there wouldn't be a physical media production investment risk on his part. 12 minutes ago, Dan Gould said: I think the odds are worse than slim and none. Well, we know the master numbers from the 1965 session. If someone here knows an employee at Verve/Universal Records, they could have them look up the take numbers in their internal database and see if the session is catalogued or is associated with a bar code in Iron Mountain. If the Cadet session burned up in the 2008 fire, does anyone here have a relationship with the Willette and Esmond Edwards estates? Might be worth asking them if they have an acetate of it. And wouldn't it be amazing if Willette's heirs have some private live recordings and don't realize they might be significant? Edited January 26 by monkboughtlunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 The B3 population has a solid information infrastructure and Baby Face is at the very least a cult figure of some repute therein. In other words, there's a market, not a void. Wouldn't it be great if there was a tape of Mickey Fields sitting in with Baby Face?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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