BLP 4128

Freddie Roach - Mo' Greens Please

Released - June 1963

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, January 21, 1963
Freddie Roach, organ; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Clarence Johnston, drums.

tk.1 Blues In The Front Room
tk.8 I Know
tk.11 Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby
tk.21 Party Time
tk.23 Baby Don't You Cry

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 11, 1963
Conrad Lester, tenor sax; Freddie Roach, organ; Eddie Wright, guitar; Clarence Johnston, drums.

tk.7 Googa Mooga
tk.10 Two Different Worlds
tk.17 Mo' Greens Please
tk.27 Nada Bossa
tk.30 Unchained Melody

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Googa Mooga	Freddie Roach	11 March 1963
Baby Don't You Cry	Freddie Roach	21 January 1963
Party Time	Freddie Roach	21 January 1963
Nada Bossa	Freddie Roach	11 March 1963
Mo' Greens Please	Freddie Roach	11 March 1963
Side Two
Blues in the Front Room	Freddie Roach	21 January 1963
I Know	Freddie Roach	21 January 1963
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby	Louis Jordan, Billy Austin	21 January 1963
Unchained Melody	Alex North, Hy Zaret	11 March 1963
Two Different Worlds	Freddie Roach	21 January 1963

Liner Notes

MY FIRST awareness of the organ took place in a church where the sounds sometimes resembling a crying woman, trumpets, whispering-flutes, thunder, jingling-bells, calliope, or 76 trombones found its way into my mind and heart. I would close my eyes, listening, as the organ interpreted each word from the pulpit, framed them with sound and provided a sonorous carpet to my ears.

Others around were also affected by the music. In front of me a woman rocked to and fro, humming softly. To my right another clapped her hands silently. At my side a man unashamedly cried, the tears falling soundlessly on hands tightly clasped in his lap.

The wonder of the organ as it raised the choir, blending so well until it too, became a choir, coaxing, pleading, begging, commanding. Everybody sing! Everybody join in! The pulpit called. People were rising, singing. I stood; and suddenly I was singing. The music coming from that organ seemed to come through me. I opened my mouth and the organ tore the harmonics from my throat.

Then, it was quiet...we stood, heads bowed.

Deah Lawd keep us
What we'ah absen
From one n'nutter

And I could feel the organ vibrating in my chest as he played the closing march.

Onward Christian Soldiers
Marchin' on to war...

Everyone was walking around, shaking hands, smiling, and feeling good inside. They filed through the large oak doors. Music, voices mingled on the streets. Laughter! Tibial Church was out. And that moment has always remained vivid in my mind. That music was as much a part of me then at 13, as jazz is now.

Strange, how alike they both are... how each is dependent on spontaneous improvisation (like a congregation singing, using their own harmony), the beat, the feeling, remain the same. But, then, not really strange, if we consider Spirituals, the son born of slave-songs and Rock & Roll, a product of Spirituals; then Jazz would be the black-sheep of the music family. But a member anyway. And, blood is thicker than water.

Many people are affected by the organ. They are drawn to it as a moth to light. Perhaps it is because of church influence that today the organ is so popular. Certainly people (soul people) heard the organ for the first time in church. Some don't mind telling you, with a real 'naughty-boy' attitude that this is where it belongs.

At one time this probably true for physical reasons. The old pipe-organ was quite an affair. Hundreds of pipes, wires, gadgets weighing tons, made it quite clear that once up, this organ would be going nowhere. In Europe, organs were set up and buildings built around them. And today, in some of our older, larger theaters, we can still make out the covered, but familiar outline of the organ console. While atone time it supplied all the sound for epics such as "The Great Train Robbery", it is now bathes in the light of "To Kill A Mocking Bird", looking for all the world like a funeral bier.

Today's organs are small compact units, ready to be assembled and moved in minutes. And, today's people have changed. They have accepted the organ as another instrument. Many have in them in their homes. They delight in tasting and listening to those 'Happy Hammond Harmonics'.

In Mo' Greens Please we tried to provide some culinary art in the tradition of Grits & Gravy, Hot Biscuits or that other treasure, Hog Maws. The chefs Kenny Burrell, Eddie Wright, Conrad Lester, Clarence Johnston keep the pots going at all times, (Eddie Wright and Connie Lester are new to the Blue Note kitchen, but are members of my working unit.).

This is our second album for Blue Note. The first, Down To Earth (BLP4113) was more for listening, and I want to thank everyone for the nice reception it it got. On this album we decided to do some of the tunes we do for dancing in the clubs, sprinkling tempos and moods from Twist to Bossa Nova, Cha Cha to Huliy Gully, The Bird to the Old Slow Drag. It was a whole-lot-of-fun and we hope you enjoy this album as much as we enjoyed making it.

By the way, in looking over the titles and their continuity, this little story came to me:

Great Googo Mooga 
Baby, Don't You Cry — Don't you know it's
Party Time 
Nada Bossa - Nava - try some. 
Mo' Greens Please - like 
Blues In The Front Room — OK 
I Know - now 
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - You Ain't Well 
Unchained Melody — Then of course  we're in 
Two Different Worlds 

Gracing the cover is a young lady who is probably responsible for at least 25 of my 150 pounds. She is Nellie Williams of the Urban Club Rest, East Orange, and Patron Saint of all New Jersey's unemployed musicians. Her credit book contains the names of many, like myself, who are grateful to her for her understanding and just plain good cooking.

- FREDDIE ROACH

Cover Photo bu RONNIE BRATHWAITE
Cover Design by REID MILES
Recording by RUDY VAN GELDER