Search - Freddie Roach :: Good Movie

The Lost Genius of The Blue Note Era

Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 05/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've mentioned the "obscure" Freddie Roach in many of my reviews, but at the time, almost all of his albums were impossible to get, unless you got them imported from Japan. How tragic, because, just a quick listen to the samples available to this one (one of his best !) let's you know that Freddie was (sadly he's gone) the forgotten genius of the B-3. - - Along with Big John Patton, he forged a sound divergent from the Jimmy Smith school. Jimmy Smith viewed him as a "disciple" who covered up the cliches better than the rest. Coming from Jimmy that was actually praise. - - Listen to WHEN MALINDY SINGS (a Freddie Roach original) to hear the genius of this man and his ability to groove... and his mastery of the Minor Blues. While most post Jazz organists liked to play hot, Freddie went for a cool stretched out sound... earthy, visceral, yet with many brilliantly explorative angles. Its almost like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with an organ. - - Listen to the depth of his basslines and his unique groove... Freddie Roach was well ahead of his time. The music anticipates the innovations of Larry Young by years to come. (Along with Freddie and Big John Patton was Billy Gardner who recorded some incredible albums with George Braith. Sadly most if not all of Braith's solo CDs are out of Print. Billy makes a brief appearence on a live Lou Donaldson CD which I believe is called Fried Buzzard.)"

Good move, good record

newkfan | Aberdeen, Scotland | 05/31/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Freddie Roach is arguably the most interesting of the Blue Note organists, save for the great Larry Young, and a more 'pianistic' and subtle player than the venerable Jimmy Smith. This is probably his best record, helped along by Hank Mobley and Blue Mitchell on some tracks. Like most Hammond players, Roach can get a bit syrupy on ballads but this doesn't stop the record from being a minor classic. When you've got this, start lobbying Blue Note to release another of his records, Brown Sugar."

'Good Move!' by Freddie Roach

vfe192 | 04/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Freddie Roach has to be one of the most unknown but totally fantastic hammond organists out there! His albums from BlueNote are all totally worth the money..... that is if you can find them!'Good Move!' is a classic and features Freddies funky, swinging and groove based style of playing. His bass lines are probably my favorite part of the whole deal, moody and deep, they stand out as nothing special when compared to someone like Jimmy Smith or "Groove" Holmes basswork but they are unique & original and that's always a bonus when it comes to hammond players.I personally enjoy the groovy shuffle of tracks like 'Googa Mooga' (from 'Brown Sugar' I think) and 'Wine, Wine, Wine' which is featured on this set.Freddie had a more subtle and friendlier approach to the organ and was never one to use a thousand notes when some funky shuffle handywork could produce the same desired effect! His phrasing has some real gems hidden amongst the more straight down the line moves he has going down.I strongly recommend hunting down his other BlueNote works but the Prestige stuff appears to suffer from lack of rehearsal (Lion and Woolf paid their stars rehearsal time before recording) and are not as interesting as 'Good Move', 'Brown Sugar' and 'Mo Greens'.Freddie Roach in one word: SLINKY!!"