The Nineteenth Whole – Smilin'
Sello:
Eastbound Records – EB 9003
Formato:
Vinyl, LP, Album
País:
US
Publicado:
1972
Género:
Jazz
Estilo:
Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk
Lista de TítulosOcultar Créditos
A1 You Caught Me Smilin' Again
Written-By – Sylvester Stewart 7:00
A2 Slippin' Into Darkness
Written-By – M. Dickinson*, C. Miller*, H. Brown*, H. Scott*, L. Oskar*, L. Jordan*, S. Allen* 9:40
B1 Monkey Hips 'N' Rice
Written-By – Wooten* 6:55
B2 Lookin' Through The Windows
Written-By – Clifton Davis 6:15
B3 Dark Clouds Rising
Written-By – E. Riggins* 5:05
Compañías, etc.
Distributed By – Janus Records
Produced For – Eastbound Records, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Eastbound Records, Inc.
Published By – Bilba Music
Published By – Bridgeport Music, Inc.
Published By – Daly City Music
Published By – Jobete Music Co., Inc.
Published By – United Artists (2)
Créditos
Art Direction – David Krieger
Congas, Tambourine – Buddy Caldwell
Coordinator – Mia Krinsky
Design – Curry/Koller
Drums – "Mad" Harold Cardwell*
Electric Bass [Fender] – Gordon Edwards
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – Billy Johnson
Guitar [All Solos] – Cornell Dupree
Mastered By – Howard Craft
Organ, Vocals – Emmanuel Riggins
Photography By – Joel Brodsky
Photography By [Liner Photo] – Al Johnson (2)
Producer – Bob Porter
Supervised By [Production] – Bob Scerbo
Vibraphone, Vocals – Billy Wooten
In
a career spanning six decades Billy Wooten recorded and performed with
an impressive range of artists, including Grant Green, Smokey Robinson,
Donny Hathaway, Gladys Knight, The Soulful Strings, The Four Mints, and
Richard Evans among others. But it was Wooten's own music, recorded both
as a solo artist and with groups he co-founded, that would bring his
name international attention.
A
native of New York City, Wooten fell in love with Indianapolis while
gigging across the U.S. as a young jazz musician in the 1960s. Wooten
became a popular favorite at Indianapolis clubs like The Hub-Bub Lounge
and The 19th Hole and eventually decided to make Indy his permanent
base. Wooten was a fixture on the Indianapolis jazz circuit for decades,
performing dozens upon dozens of gigs annually in Indy throughout the
'70s, '80s, and '90s.
While
Wooten was certainly a tremendous live performer, it was his work as a
recording artist that most effectively established his reputation in the
jazz world. Wooten's first and possibly greatest national exposure came
from his performance on a pair of important Blue Note Records' releases
by the iconic jazz guitarist Grant Green. Wooten's vibes are featured
prominently on Green's Visions and Shades of Green, both LPs that were recorded and issued in 1971.
After
ending his tenure in Green's band Wooten returned to Indy to begin an
extended residency at The 19th Hole nightclub. In 1972 a pair of LPs
were birthed from Wooten's gig at the club, The Nineteenth Whole's Smilin' recorded
by prominent jazz producer Bob Porter for the nationally distributed
Eastbound Records, and the locally recorded and released Wooden Glass
album Recorded Live.
While Wooden Glass' Recorded Live received
little attention at the time of its release, the LP has gone on to
become a highly sought after collectible for fans of soul-jazz and funk.
Original copies of the Wooden Glass album are in high demand with
collectors, and its been bootlegged and reissued several times through
the years. Tracks from the LP have also appeared on high profile rare
groove comps and have been sampled by hip-hop artists like Madlib and
Mos Def.
Wooden Glass isn't
the only locally issued LP in Wooten's catalog that has become an
internationally coveted collector's item. Wooten's 1979 solo release In This World is
highly prized for the heavy Latin groove cut "Chicango" and his 1980 LP
with the Naptown Afro-Jazz Quintet also attracts significant interest
from high end record connoisseurs. The Naptown Afro-Jazz Quintet remains
one of the most unique groups in Indianapolis music, pairing Wooten's
vibes with the drumming of the great Indianapolis-based Nigerian
percussionist Julius Adeniyi.
Like
many Indy jazz greats Wooten's work seemed to be taken for granted
locally. But Wooten has achieved the status of a legend in Europe and
Japan. In 2003 Wooten was invited to London to recreate his classic
Indianapolis recordings with the mod UK new school funk group
Speedometer. And Wooten's music is a big commodity in Japan where record
store shelves are filled with Japan-only releases bearing titles like
Billy Wooten Live at The Madame Walker Theatre, and Billy Wooten an
Evening on the Canal.
I'm
sad to say that I seriously doubt Wooten's death will garner much notice
locally. But I have no doubt that his legacy will continue to be
celebrated and cherished by music fans around the world.
- By Kyle Long @DJKyleLong
