Baby Face Willette
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.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
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Face To Face (Rudy Van Gelder Edition) (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 30 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stop And Listen (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 22 May 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
His Early Hits (Remastered)
Miscellaneous - Released by Master Tape Records on 15 Oct 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stop & Listen + Face to Face (feat. Grant Green) [Bonus Track Version]
Jazz - Released by The Jazz Corner on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Face to Face
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 22 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swingin' at Sugar Ray's
Jazz - Released by Diamond Days on 5 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Recordings
Grant Green, Baby Face Willette
Jazz - Released by Jazz Musts on 27 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Face To Face
Alternative & Indie - Released by Hallmark on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stop and Listen (Baby Face Willette)
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Essential Jazz Masters
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Oct 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Organ Giant
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Jasmine Records on 4 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baby Face Willette: Face to Face
Jazz - Released by Blue Velvet on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Face to Face (2018 Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by AVID Jazz on 6 Jul 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Jazz Legends - Hammond Organ, Vol. 7
Jazz - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Jazz Legends More Blue Notes: Baby Face Willette, Vol. 10
Baby Face Willette, Fred Jackson, Grant Green, Ben Dixon
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 15 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blue Notes III, Vol. 4
Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Eddie Mcfadden, Baby Face Willette, Donald Bailey, Ben Dixon
Jazz - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 23 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo