LES MCCANN — Les McCann & Eddie Harris : Swiss Movement (review)

LES MCCANN — Les McCann & Eddie Harris : Swiss Movement album cover Live album · 1969 · Soul Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
I’ve read one reviewer’s work that described ’Swiss Movement’ as the one jazz record that may be the best way to win over new jazz fans. There is a lot of truth to that. This wasn’t the first jazz record that I owned, but it’s the first one that I recorded to 8-track so I could blast it out of my car stereo along with my Santana and Chicago tapes. Although this is an acoustic group, this music really rocks and its fun to turn it up loud.

Its well known that this album is basically an unrehearsed jam session in which saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey join Les McCann’s trio for a one time performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Taking chances and working without a net can often bring out the best in a musician and these guys are bristling with adrenaline as they romp through these tunes.

The album starts off smoking hot with Les McCann’s ‘Compared to What’ which features great angry sarcastic political lyrics that make you want to shout along with every verse. Benny Bailey, who usually plays dry intellectual be-bop, cuts loose on this one with some hilarious old school shout-blues wails on his trumpet. This is followed by the smooth groove of Harris’ Cold Duck Time’. These two tunes back to back make for an incredible one-two punch.

Although its hard to follow the high energy of those two openers, later in the set tunes like ‘You Got in Your Soulness’ and ‘Generation Gap’ almost bring back that initial euphoria. This isn’t the most subtle or challenging jazz album out there, but it is one great party record with excellent playing from every member

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