Baby Face Willette’s ‘Stop And Listen’ To Be Released Via Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series
The record features Grant Green on guitar and Ben Dixon on drums.
Baby Face Willette’s seminal jazz album Stop And Listen is set to be released via Blue Note Records’ Classic Vinyl series.
Willette debuted his swinging organ sound on three consecutive Blue Note sessions in January 1961: Lou Donaldson’s Here ‘Tis, Grant Green’s Grant’s First Stand, and Willette’s own debut album Face To Face.
Alfred Lion brought Willette back into Van Gelder Studio in May of that year for his second leader date, Stop And Listen. Featuring a trio with Green on guitar and Ben Dixon on drums, the organist delivered a soul jazz symposium with memorable versions of “Willow Weep For Me,” “At Last,” and “Worksong” alongside cool strutting Willette originals like “Soul Walk,” “Chances Are Few,” and the title track.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Nicknamed “Baby Face” on account of his fresh features and youthful visage, soul jazz organist Roosevelt Willette played his instrument with a sanctified fervor that reflected his roots in gospel music. Though his place of origin is disputed – some believe he hailed from jazz’s birthplace, New Orleans, while others claim he was a native of Little Rock, Arkansas – what can’t be disputed is his mastery of the Hammond organ. Releasing his debut album, Face To Face, in 1961, this son of a preacher rode in on the wave of aspiring jazz organists that proliferated in the wake of Jimmy Smith’s breakthrough in the late 50s. Smith’s success and the popularity of his recordings validated the organ as a bona fide jazz instrument and resulted in a raft of wannabe Hammond heroes looking to make it on the American jazz scene.
