Les Mccann

Following the surprising commercial success of "Compared to What" in 1969, pianist Les McCann never managed to get another hit as hard as he tried. These two sessions originally released for Atlantic found McCann struggling with that goal instead of concentrating on his talent as a jazz musician. Unfortunately, the lackluster material found McCann merely falling back on the most predictable aspects of mid-'70s soul and R&B. McCann sings on a majority of the tracks, while the synthesizer noodling and string arrangements have not dated well. Only the Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager-penned "Will We Ever Find Our Fathers," featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, is of note.

Les McCann - Les McCann Ltd. In New York (1961) {Pacific Jazz CDP 7 92929 2 rel 1989}
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© 1960-61, 1989 Pacific Jazz / Capitol Records | CDP 7 92929 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Piano

A killer live set by Les McCann – and one that actually him playing with some horns! The record was cut early in McCann's career, with his Ltd trio that had Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums – plus some great guest work by Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Stanley Turrentine on tenor, and Frank Haines on tenor. We can't stress how much these players add a groove to Les' group – as we always enjoy his piano playing, but find most of his trio sets a bit sleepy. Instead, this one grooves like a rare Blue Note – and the tracks are long with plenty of great solo interplay.

Joe Pass & Les McCann - Something Special. The 1962 Sessions (2014) [2CD] {American Jazz Classics}
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© 2014 American Jazz Classics / Pacific Jazz | 99102
Jazz / Bop / Guitar

This edition contains all 1962 collaborations by Joe Pass and pianist Les McCann, who would continue working together the following year. Their 1962 output consists of their participation on Richard “Groove” Holmes LP "Somethin' Special" (Pacific Jazz PJ-ST51) and on McCann's own album "On Time" (Pacific Jazz PJ56). Both records appear here in their entirety, as well as two tracks from the second LP that were not included on the original album. As a bonus, the complete LP "Back in Town!" (Pacific Jazz PJ54/World Pacific Jazz ST20150). Issued under the name of singer/guitarist Bumble Bee Slim (born Amos Easton), it consisted of two sessions, one featuring Pass, and the other featuring McCann.

This groundbreaking jazz synthesizer record is really unlike any other Les McCann ever made. Aside from a three-man percussion section and electric bassist Jimmy Rowser, Layers is entirely electronic, one of the first jazz albums with such an emphasis. According to the liner notes, McCann's ambition was to be the entire orchestra he heard in his head, and to that end the record explores the sonic possibilities of the new ARP synthesizer in great detail, though McCann also overdubs himself on electric piano in spots. The variety of tones on the ARP gives McCann a lot to play with, and he mimics woodwinds, horns, strings, slapped bass, and even the intonations of human speech. McCann's kaleidoscopic array of tonal colors and contrasts gives the album a rich, full sound, as does the recording process - Layers was the first album ever to be recorded in 32-track format…

Still trying to recover from the effects of a devastating 1995 stroke, Les McCann relaxed and put out a playful jazz/funk album with a cast of dozens that in some ways harkens back to some of his Atlantic sides from the 1970s. Unlike his other post-stroke albums, he doesn't play any keyboards here, leaving them in the hands of Ricky Peterson, with an emphasis on the Hammond B3. Rather, McCann is content just to sing and rap – again, a throwback and fallback to records made a quarter-century before. At 66, McCann sounds considerably different – older and a little shakier on the ballads, but still sly and willing. The grooves are OK in a minimally updated '70s funk manner, but the material, coming from a variety of sources, is rather ordinary as a whole.

Label M has reissued the classic 1972 Les McCann album Invitation to Openness on CD with the majority of the tunes receiving the benefit of advanced technology. On this recording, the 26-minute "The Lovers" is more illustrative, freer in its essence and translation of the predominant free love theme of the '60s and '70s. Every nuance of McCann's stream of consciousness comes through loud and clear, as do the excellent solos by Yusef Lateef on a wide array of reeds, flutes, and percussion. David Spinozza's electric guitar chops and Alphonse Mouzon's drum and percussion feelings on McCann's completely improvised composition are an auditory delight for fusion fans. McCann adds a couple of piano melody lines and a couple of basslines, but other than that this composition is freely improvised by the musicians.