Baby Humming Urban Stereo

One minute The Action were the ultimate mod cult band, belting out exuberant Anglicised approximations of Tamla/soul material in clubs across the country, the next they’d shed singer Reggie King and mutated into questing countercultural adventurers Mighty Baby…

It's ironic that on Ramsey Lewis' Urban Knights II (GRP), the one holdover from the first Knights project is only featured half the time. Needless to say, that's the more riveting, jazzier half of this Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves. Lewis' slowly simmering, coolly rhythmic piano jaunts add flair to middle of the road silky pieces like "The Promise," but are best enjoyed on the two playful solo interludes which create an organic contrast to the slicker fare they complement. The pianist also adds an avant-garde edge to the heavily soundscaped "Brazilian Rain."

One minute The Action were the ultimate mod cult band, belting out exuberant Anglicised approximations of Tamla/soul material in clubs across the country, the next they’d shed singer Reggie King and mutated into questing countercultural adventurers Mighty Baby.
Under the leadership of guitarist Martin Stone, they would become increasingly insular as four of the five band members converted to Islam and they moved slowly towards a more improvised sound. By the end of 1971, fasting for Ramadan had left them almost too weak to perform onstage, at which juncture they came to the reluctant conclusion that rock’n’roll and the Muslim faith were incompatible…

With their debut LP The Future Is Our Way Out the Chicago-based 5 piece share a body of work that spans genres and eras, merging the lavish romanticism of mid-century pop with the frenetic energy and spiky intensity of early-millennium indie, all centered on singer Wes Leavins’ hypnotically crooning vocal work. One listen and you'll fall in love with their charming, swooning and shimmering sound that gives nods to The Smiths, Roy Orbison and The Smoking Popes.

Behind the 8 Ball (1965). Behind the 8-Ball was Baby Face Willette's second album for Argo and - unfortunately - the last one he would record as a leader, for reasons that aren't well-documented. Compared to his past releases, Behind the 8-Ball is short on original compositions (only two of eight tracks), but the emphasis here is more on Willette's deep roots in gospel and R&B, two circuits he worked extensively during his pre-Blute Note dues-paying days. This perhaps accounts for the brevity of the album - only two cuts top the five-minute mark - but it also provides a chance to hear Willette at his most soulful, playing the music he grew up with…

With their debut LP The Future Is Our Way Out the Chicago-based 5 piece share a body of work that spans genres and eras, merging the lavish romanticism of mid-century pop with the frenetic energy and spiky intensity of early-millennium indie, all centered on singer Wes Leavins’ hypnotically crooning vocal work. One listen and you'll fall in love with their charming, swooning and shimmering sound that gives nods to The Smiths, Roy Orbison and The Smoking Popes.

Probably the greatest set in Baby Face Willette's all-too-slim discography, Stop and Listen matches the organist with the hugely sympathetic team of guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon (the same trio lineup who recorded Green's debut LP, Grant's First Stand). With no saxophonist this second time around, it's just Willette and Green in the solo spotlight, and they play marvelously off of one another. As a soloist, Willette has a nimble, airy touch, and though he owes no debt to the modal style of Larry Young, he has a greater melodic imagination than many of his instrument's straight blues players…