js Appearing in 1962, the album “On Time” comes fairly early in Les McCann’s career. Les and his crack rhythm section of drummer Ron Jefferson and bassist Leroy Vinnegar had already recorded a couple of successful albums that had established them as leaders in the new combination of jazz, gospel and blues that was being called ‘soul jazz’. This trio didn’t really need any help, but I suppose in an attempt to push things a little further, ace guitarist Joe Pass was asked to join the band and make it a quartet for the recording of “On Time”. Joe is usually known for his ability to navigate fast moving be-bop changes and similar technically demanding fare, but on this McCann opus, he settles into the band’s blues groove and makes an already exciting group just a bit better. So successful was Pass’ merger with the band that he would go on to record with them again after this album.

“On Time’ opens with the hard driving up tempo of the album’s title cut which establishes this bands musical forte, which has more to do with the funky soul of gospel and blues than jazz per se. Les does not play fleet bop lines, but instead plays those riffs that are well known to the church pianist. From here the album continues with mostly mid-tempo blues. “This for Doug” offers a little change up in that it is that rare blues tune in waltz time. Side two continues the party in fine form, the standard “It Could Happen to You” opens as a slow tempo ballad before the band picks up the beat half way through. The album closes with a surprise when they turn Miles’ well known relaxed cool classic “So What”, into a fast paced be-bop barn burner. If you like this sort of early 60s blues-jazz hybrid, “On Time” will not disappoint. This quartet has talent to burn as they put out an album that smokes from start to finish.

Miler72 I don't know a whole lot about Les McCann, apparently he's associated as a soul/R&B-influenced jazz musician, but 1972's Invitation to Openness is very much a straight-up fusion album, and a wonderful album. It's very much in the post-In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew type of fusion, and perhaps reminders of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi Band-era albums. There's only a few faces I'm familiar with helping out on this album, including Alphonse Mouzon (who played on Weather Report's debut), Yusef Lateef, Bernard Purdie, and David Spinozza (who I was previously familiar with on Julian Priester's Love Love album). The others I am not as so familiar with.

The 26 minute "The Loves" is nothing else than the best of fusion. It starts off mellow so I get reminded of In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis, but then they really got going. I really dig the harp being used, played in a rather trippy manner. "Beaux J. Poo Poo" does show a bit of the soul influenced that McCann is known for, but it's still very much fusion, and is also another winner. "Poo Pye McGoochie (And His Friends)" starts off with a nice dreamy electric piano, before the music takes off. Here McCann also includes a nice synth melody he repeats several times throughout, where in between is improvisation. This is simply fusion of the first order and any fusion fan needs this album!

js Les McCann kicked off his career in the early 60s with a RnB/gospel rooted jazz style that became known as soul jazz.. When the 70s hit, McCann like many others veered off into the world of electronics and fusion. In 1971 his “Invitation to Openess” successfully fused world beat, psychedelia and RnB creating a representative masterpiece for that time period. In 1972 McCann took the trip with the synthesizer even further and recorded “Layers”, a strange album that features him playing layers of analog keyboards and synthesizers backed by a superb lounge/funk rhythm section. To the serious jazz fan this album probably seems like fluff, but to the collector of proto acid jazz and exotica, this album is a mother lode.

This is acid jazz before there was such a term. A lot of these cuts could be played along side anything that came out since the mid-90s and they would fit right in. If you are a fan of early analog synthesizer music, you will find a lot to enjoy on here. McCann layers the Arp Odyssey and coaxes great sounds out of it, sometimes favoring very natural flutes and wah wah trumpets. A lot of the cuts on here are fairly mellow in that exotica/lounge sort of way, but some others, such as “The Dunbar High School Marching Band” feature energetic funky rhythms and fierce dissonant keyboard solos from McCann. This album is one-of-a-kind, and is highly recommended for people who seek that sort of thing.

js The first heyday for psychedelic jazz fusion went down in the late 60s to early 70s, but this style has been making a steady comeback since the mid-90s due to cult like interest from both the acid jazz crowd and the NYC Knitting Factory scene. The first wave of psychedelic jazzers were the logical outcome of several prevailing music trends. First you had the post bop and avant-garde saxophonists from Coltrane to Pharoh Sanders who were engaging in longer and longer modal jams that had taken on all manner of exotic influences, secondly the psychedelic rockers like Cream and Hendrix who could mimic the lengthy flights of a jazz band and third, and possibly even more important, the technically challenged rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground and Amon Duul who bypassed their lack of technical virtuosity with free flowing jams in which every member contributed equally. It is those jazz records in which the musicians opted for the more communal approach of the third option that have become most interesting in the modern era. Albums such as Miles’ “Bitches Brew” and “On the Corner”, as well as Les McCann’s “Invitation to Openess”, are all representative of that style where the group effort outweighs individual solos.

Les McCann’s “Invitaion” is a classic in this world of jazzy psychedelia, all the right instruments are here; several Fender Rhodes, wah wah guitars, Moog synthesizer, electric harps, multiple drummers and percussionists, echoplexes for everyone and bell trees galore. Despite the high number of instruments, everyone is careful to find their right spot in the rich tapestry. If you like jams such as “Ife” and “Great Expectations” you will probably enjoy this almost kitsch blend of Indian exotica and funky blaxploitation soundtrack.

“The Lovers” opens side one and sets the mood with Yusef Lateef’s Indian oboe melody riding on top of a sea of grooving percussion and wah wah guitars. Flashy solos are kept on hold for the whole side as the musicians smoothly navigate various moods and energy levels, often interjecting a new riff at just the right time to keep things moving. Side two continues in similar fashion with Lateef taking a flute ride on the first cut and McCann playing some bold analog synth melodies on the last cut.

In a lot of ways McCann was an odd participant in this short lived trend in jazz. Les had previously made his mark as the meat and potatoes RnB jazz guy, avoiding the excesses of bop and the avant-garde in favor of something that regular folks could relate to. His foray into psychedelia was short lived, but he left us with one of the finest records in this short lived genre. Its possible that his background in RnB and his unpretentious keyboard vamps have a lot to do with this album’s well-grounded focus and lack of excess.

Chicapah One of the great joys of my teen and early manhood years that’s likely gone forever was that of regularly patronizing the business establishment known as the local record store. Music was of supreme importance to my well-being, especially in the 70s, so having a place I could visit on a weekly basis where the possibility of either picking up the latest release of a favorite band or discovering something new and exciting was an essential part of existence for me and I daresay millions of others. Having said that, there was an inherent risk involved for those who indulged in that hobby. Often there wouldn’t be anything that you just “had to have” and you’d take a chance on something you weren’t too sure about. You’d plop down funds siphoned from your limited entertainment budget only to get the disc home and find out you’d been bamboozled. It created an empty sensation in your gut. But, in fairness, depressing feelings of unmitigated disgust over your purchase were just as rare as the rapturous moments of eureka that came with finding an aural mother lode. Most of the time even the disappointing LPs had at least one ray of sunshine that made the investment worthwhile and Les McCann’s “Another Beginning” is one of a legion like that in my library of vinyl. In this case, however, that single gem shines so brightly that it obliterates the rest of the cuts altogether. More about that later.

Briefly, Les was a gifted individual who’d made a reputation for himself with the public at large via the deserved success of his collaboration with Eddie Harris, “Swiss Movement,” a set recorded at the 1969 Montreux jazz festival. To this day it’s one of the very best live concerts ever caught on tape (and the main reason I bought this album). McCann’s goal after that exposure seemed to be to combine his leanings in both soul and jazz to create a unique niche for himself. Easier said than done. His husky, rich baritone voice and his piano acumen were above reproach but writing songs with broad appeal that would widen his fan base exponentially became the mountain he couldn’t climb. He wasn’t alone by any means. Hundreds of similarly talented artists attempted to scale those imposing cliffs but very few reached the pinnacle. There are only so many Stevie Wonders and Marvin Gayes per generation as we all know. “Another Beginning” is an honest, professionally-produced expression of what Les had to offer at that point in his career but it only serves to highlight why so few in the 21st century have heard of him.

“Maybe You’ll Come Back” is a thoughtful, jazzy R&B number that benefits from full, lush orchestration. It also introduces the listener to McCann’s strongest musical possession, his resoundingly emotional and dependable voice. Even when the music is weak his singing helps the tunes get up off the floor. “The Song of Love” follows and despite its obvious pop mentality its casual, strolling beat keeps it from being trite and pedantic but still far from being high-quality material. Les wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album except one and what comes next is the transcendent jewel I mentioned earlier.

“When It’s Over” was penned by some folks by the name of Jon Mayer, Billy Barnes and Jill Lynn. I have no idea who they are but this tune of theirs is so good that McCann knew he’d be a fool to not put it on this album. It’s a slow-paced, bluesy jazz tune with gospel-style overtones and a timeless story to tell that continues to send me into a swoon every time I hear it. Yet even the most incredible of compositions are no more than chords and lyrics on paper if the musicians don’t perform it properly. Not a problem here. Les and his band slay it. I mean SLAY it. It starts off with basic acoustic and electric pianos, bass, drums and vocal that travel together effortlessly. They never betray the essential groove. There’s a fine art to playing this kind of feel only attained through experience and these guys have it in barge-sized loads. McCann holds the extra voices at bay till the halfway mark so when the chorale is added to the mix on the 2nd chorus it makes the hair on my neck stand in anticipation. On the 3rd go-round they push the faders labeled “singers” up on the board and the overwhelming effect is orgasmic. On the 4th time through the vocal tsunami is so thoroughly enveloping that I want to stand and shout “That’s Right! Sing it LOUD, my children!” The long fade out may bring you to tears because you won’t want it to stop even though it’s been well over ten minutes since it began. One of my favorite tracks of all time.

Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to go but down after that but the light funk texture of “Somebody’s Been Lying ‘Bout Me” keeps it from being a steep drop. The song’s structure is too convoluted for its own good but you can’t deny the enthusiasm and passion he puts into his vocal and the female backup singers inject some trippy fun into the proceedings. “Go On And Cry” continues the downhill slide. A Latin groove gives way to hard funk on the bridge but Les’ pedestrian Arp noodlings don’t do it any favors and it’s a case of McCann trying to be “hip” but coming up way short. “My Soul Lies Deep” is mainly a solo piano/vocal piece (airy strings appear midway through) but as heartfelt as it is it never goes anywhere special. “The Morning Song” is up-tempo R&B that lacks focus. The electrified chorus with the all-girl glee club chirping away is admirable but they can’t save this anemic tune. At least Les exits stage left on the up and up. “Someday We’ll Meet Again” is a cool, flowing instrumental wherein he lets the musicians in his studio ensemble contribute. Miroslaw Kudykowski in particular burns a hot bop guitar solo and McCann’s synth ride is full of vim and vigor (the tone he utilizes blends with the horns seamlessly). He then shows off his impressive piano chops to the finish as the whole thing floats away like a cloud.

Les McCann never garnered the popularity that he thought he might have a shot at but it wasn’t from lack of trying. For the most part his catalogue of work is average fare but every once in a while, to quote Tom Petty, “even the losers get lucky sometimes.” While Les was in no way, shape or form a loser he did get lucky in finding the one song that elevated this record from being one I probably would’ve traded in for cash at some point to one that I’d never dream of parting with. “When It’s Over” is that magnificent.