Search - Les McCann, Eddie Harris :: Swiss Movement: Montreux 30th Anniversary Edition

The album that turned me on to jazz

Michael J Edelman | Huntington Woods, MI USA | 10/08/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was a 14 year old rock and roller when this album came out, and it changed me forever. The opening track showed me that jazz can have as much or more energy than rock, and when I first heard the dissonant harmonies of Harris' solo on "Kathleen's Theme", I started to understand the harmonic possibilities of jazz. The newly remastered edition is a wonderful treat for those of us who have been listening to the original LP and CD versions of this for 30 years. Even if you have the original, buy this one."

Very cool

Mark R. Van Wagenen | Elgin, Illinois USA | 11/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a good thing there are still a few radio stations in the country, such as WXRT in Chicago, that dig up great nuggets like "Compared to What", the leadoff track on this great CD. I'd never heard the number before, but liked it so much when I heard it in my car I ordered the CD as soon as I got home that day. If you like cool '60s-era jazz, the kind of music your folks might have listened to if they were hip; this is your album. This impromptu collaboration of the Les McCann Trio and horn players Eddie Harris and Benny Bailey, taken from a live performance at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1969, holds up well. OK, the sardonic lyrics in "Compared to What" are dated, but the music still packs a wallop. McCann's piano playing compares favorably to Ramsey Lewis', and that's saying something. Throw in Eddie Harris' tenor sax, Benny Bailey's trumpet, Leroy Vinnegar's bass and the uptempo beat of most of the tracks, and you have a nice, tight package here that will not disappoint. This is not "new age" jazz; this is straight-ahead music that you can move to. Very highly recommended."

Stellar performance

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 11/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my very first Les McCann CD. I'd heard of him before but hadn't heard anything by him and didn't really bother to search anything out. Then I got "Mint Jam", the 2001 live album by Yellowjackets and the breathtaking opening song, "Les Is Mo", is a tribute to the great man. I knew then that I had to search him out but I still didn't do anything for years. Silly me.



Then, earlier this year, I heard this album in a friend's house and I immediately knew where my Les McCann collection would begin. "[O]ne of the most stimulating and serendipitous live jazz performances ever captured on record," says Mike Hennessey on the CD cover and he's not exaggerating. Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, back in June 1969, McCann is joined here by the tenor sax giant Eddie Harris. He's another one I have to start looking for. Apart from his appearance on the 1994 John Scofield album "Hand Jive", coincidentslly an album which itself opens with a nod to McCann in "I'll Take Les", I'm ashamed to say I have nothing by him either. I obviously still have a long way to go.



Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun & Joel Dorn, Benny Bailey plays trumpet, Leroy Vinnegar plays bass and Donald Dean is on the drums. The opening song, "Compared To What" is a real swinger with a vocal performance that just makes the heart smile. Good music never grows old and though this album was recorded almost 40 years ago, it still sounds fresh and is much more engaging than a lot of the stuff that is passed off as music today. You hear the applause and cheering of the audience lucky enough to have been there that day and you just can't help but smile. Each of the six songs on this album is simply brilliant.



Granted, I've come to this one very late but I intend to spread the word. If you love stomping jazz piano that you can literally dance to or even if you just love jazz, you must have this CD."