Wild Bill Moore (ts) Johnny “Hammond” Smith (org) Joe Benhamin (b) Ben Riley (drs) Ray Barretto (cng)      

Recorded New York City; July 5, 1961

SIDE 1

1. Sister Caroline (6:16) (Nat Adderley)

2. Bottom Groove (5:32) (Bill Moore)

3. My Little Girl (5:29) (Bill Moore)

SIDE 2

1. Down With It (5:30) (Bill Moore)

2. Sea Breezes (7:10) (Bill Moore)

3. Caravan (5:30) (Ellington-Mills-Tizol)

　　　The Bottom Groove atmosphere of this entire album comes to a large extent from the instrumentation that Moore has put to use here. Actually the only change from the lineup on his previous Jazzland album – WILD BILL’S BEAT (JLP 38; Stereo 938S) – is that organ has replaced piano. Since that pianist was the earthy and very excellent Junior Mance, there has to be a very special bow to the rock-bottom, down-home, mood creating and sustaining efforts here of Johnny “Hammond” Smith, clearly a very blues-drenched swinger.

　　　There’s a special sound and feeling that the conga drum can give to a record. And we’re not talking now about “Latin” or “Afro” (except on a number like Caravan, a ‘natural’ for that approach). For what Ray Barretto, and very few others, can provide is a straight-life, deep-down jazz feeling on conga. Here he meshes with bassist Joe Benjamin and the fiery young drummer, Ben Riley, to really lift Wild Bill into that way-down-there groove he’s looking for.

　　　There are some jazz musicians – and this is intended as a compliment – who give you a feeling that they are playing the blues just about all the time, whether they actually are or not. That’s their groove, and a good groove it is too, and the excitement and movement of the blues is always around them. That’s the way it is with Wild Bill Moore. (As a casein point, dig the Nat Adderley tune, Sister Caroline, which isn’t strictly a blues at all, but surely is played close to the earth.)