A "must have" import!
Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 02/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Once I'd stopped asking loads of questions like "Why Now?" and "Who did this?" and I'd started listening to the music herein, I knew that this is a 'must have' pairing for anybody remotely interested in the genre of Hammond led organ albums. The first question was asked because it's 43 years since these two albums were recorded, and they've only been available intermitently in various forms in the intervening years,and it takes a Spanish based company to provide the answer to the second. The two albums are presented in the reverse order to which they were recorded with "Mo-Rock" coming from two sessions in March and April 1964 and "Behind the 8 ball" from a single session in November of the same year. Willette and guitarist Ben White are the common factor with two different drummers Eugene Bass on the first and Jerold Donavon on the second which also has Gene Barge on alto sax on Track 3. The music is, as both sets of original sleeve notes point out, "funky" and they really are good examples of what Willette could produce. "Mo Rock" contains two standards, "Misty" and "But not for me" but it's the original material that is the strength. I particularly like "Unseen and Unknown" and "Zip Five" but it's a strong set. "Behind the 8 ball" is even stronger , with two 'standards' but a real mixture of original material with the stand outs for me "Song of the Universe" (a fairly lengthy workout at 7'08) and "Amen" which has the added sound of the alto sax.I can't tell you how delighted I am to have this pairing available at last on a disk that doesn't come in at Japanese import prices, and I thoroughly recommend it to anybody - even if you don't know any other of his albums. Also look out for another couple of releases from this company, including a rather good Grant Green album. In the meantime, the usual advice, "Buy it before they delete it!""
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1