11/24/2023 Record Day - Les McCann: Never a Dull Moment

 © Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

Both The Bit, a club that pianist Les McCann often performed at in the early 1960s and Dick Bock, the owner of Pacific Jazz records, were “a bit off the beaten path.” [horrible pun intended].

The club was not in Hollywood per se, nor was it quite on The Sunset Strip. It was between the two as you exited Hollywood to the west along Sunset Blvd. You had to know exactly where it was located [along a short curving pathway off of Sunset at the corner of Gardner], because when it first opened, there was no signage directing you to the club.

Les played The Bit quite often in the early 1960’s. His soulful, bluesy and funky style of playing really appealed to the younger Jazz audience who were becoming especially put off by the rapid changes going on in mainstream Jazz at that time.

As Ted Gioia described it:

“Jazz was like one of those newspaper chess problems: move from bop to free in ten moves. Change was the byword.”

As is often the case with change, some of it had a positive effect on Jazz, but there were also disastrous consequences as well.

In a way, the soul and funk movement was a step to the side for Jazz or, if you will, a look backward at its rhythm and blues roots.

Dick Bock at Pacific Jazz records became the West Coast equivalent of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff and their New York-based Blue Note Records in his attempt to add elements of the soulful gospel music of the sanctified southern Baptist Church to the hard bop then prevalent on the Jazz scene.

And no one was better at “signifyin’” and tesifyin’ than pianist Les McCann. His music was very straight-forward and very direct. You could clap your hands to it, snap your fingers or stomp your feet.

Many musicians criticized Les because of the emotional appeal of his music, the fact that it was commercially successful, and that it was often limited to Blues in B-flat and Blues in E-flat. To which Les responded: “My music makes people happy and the bread [money] I make from selling albums keeps me happy. What more do you want?”

- The Editorial Staff at JazzProfiles

"I think that Les McCann was able to reach beyond our insular jazz community and reach everyday people outside on the street or in a bar or wherever. It's one of the most difficult things to do — to maintain your integrity as a musician and also reach everyone. Very few musicians have been able to do that in the history of the music."

- Emmet Cohen, Jazz pianist

As noted in earlier features about  Cal Tjader: Catch The Groove - Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967, Ahmad Jamal - Live at The Penthouse 1966-68 [DDJD -006], and Wes Montgomery and The Wynton Kelly Trio Maximum Swing The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recording [Resonance HCD-2067]  “Black Friday” - November 24, 2023 - is a day to celebrate new releases, especially those involving the resurgent interest in vinyl editions with CDs of these albums generally following a few weeks later.

Since I’ve been the fortunate recipient of preview copies of new Jazz 

recordings by some of these accomplished Jazz legends to be released on the upcoming Record Store day. I thought it might be fun and helpful to share the information on the media releases which accompanied them to make you aware of what could be the cause of a lessening balance in your bank account come November 24th!

Here’s the press release for Les McCann: Never a Dull Moment - Live from Coast to Coast 1966-1967 [Resonance HCD-2066] from Ann Braithwaite/Braithwaite & Katz Communications:

NEVER A DULL MOMENT! - LIVE FROM COAST TO COAST (1966-1967), NEW LES McCANN TRIPLE LP, SET FOR RSD BLACK FRIDAY RELEASE

BY RESONANCE RECORDS

Deluxe Package Features Essays by A. Scott Galloway and Pat Thomas,

Remembrances from Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Bonnie Raitt, Monty Alexander, Roger Kellaway, Emmet Cohen, Nathan East and more!

Previously Unseen Photos - Massive booklet with many rare and previously unpublished photos by Lee Tanner, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Christian Rose and Les McCann himself

Tomorrow, September 23, is the 88th birthday of pianist/vocalist Les McCann, one of the most revered and influential figures in soul-jazz. The milestone is heralded by today's announcement that a new album, Never A Dull Moment!- Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967), is set for release this upcoming RSD Black Friday (November 24). The new album, a limited edition three-LP set, includes 1966 performances at Penthouse Club in Seattle and at New York's Village Vanguard the next year.

Between 1960 and 1966, McCann toured relentlessly and had played on more than two dozen full length records released by Pacific Jazz and Limelight. His performances at the Penthouse in Seattle in 1966 and at New York's Village Vanguard in 1967 were captured on tape, and soon these historic recordings, totaling almost 2 hours and 20 minutes, will be the focus of Resonance Records efforts for RSD Black Friday. Never A Dull Moment! is presented with sound restoration by George Klabin and Fran Gala and was mastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman. It was produced for release by Zev Feldman and George Klabin.

The Penthouse sides were recorded on January 27 and February 3, 1966 with bassist Stanley Gilbert and drummer Paul Humphrey, and on February 10, 1966 with Tony Bazley on drums. McCann's band for the tracks recorded at the Village Vanguard on July 16, 1967 featured Leroy Vinnegar (bass) and Frank Severino (drums). The Penthouse recordings were originally recorded for Jazz After Hours, as heard on KING-FM with host Jim Wilke with the enthusiastic participation of the club's impresario Charlie Puzzo.

It's noteworthy that the music from the Village Vanguard was captured by Resonance founder and co-president George Klabin more than 56 years ago. He used a portable Crown 2-track tape recorder and mixed the material as it was being performed. "We were just waiting for the right moment to give these historic recordings a proper release and the occasion of the master’s 88th birthday seemed like the way to fulfill that vision in time for RSD Black Friday," stated Klabin. There's also a bonus track "(Back Home Again In) Indiana," recorded at the Penthouse on August 15, 1963 with bassist Victor Gaskin and drummer Tony Bazley.

The package is enhanced by insightful liner notes, including Resonance co-president's Zev Feldman's introductory commentary, as well as extensive essays by Pat Thomas and A. Scott Galloway. Both journalists have been part of McCann's inner circle for years and had earlier contributed written pieces that appeared in Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980, first published by Fantagraphics in 2015. The Never A Dull Moment! package also includes rare images from noted photographers Lee Tanner, Christian Rose and Jean-Pierre Leloir, as well as first person testimony by a range of notables including Roberta Flack (whom Les McCann "discovered" at a Washington, DC venue and brought to the attention of Atlantic Records), Monty Alexander, Roger Kellaway, Bobby Lyle, contemporary jazz pianists Joe Alterman and Emmet Cohen, Bonnie Raitt, Nathan East, McCann's long standing manager Alan Abrahams, and the artist himself.

Les McCann wrote, "When my manager, Alan Abrahams, told me that there were some recently uncovered recordings that have never been released before from the '60s, I was really curious if they were any good. People were always sending me cassettes that they have come across over the years and the sound was usually shit. When I was informed that these live recordings were from the Penthouse in Seattle (a cool venue), and also from the Village Vanguard in New York (a really cool venue), I held my breath . . . then I heard them and I said 'Daaamn!' People who know me know that I never planned for the future, but when you deal from the heart, you have no fear and Never A Dull Moment! - Live from Coast to Coast 1966-1967 shows that beautifully."

Roberta Flack: "Les and I found each other in the musical world of the tumultuous '60s. Les heard deeply what I was saying and his recommendation of me to Atlantic Records was a pivotal moment in my career. He is a giant in my world of music — a limitless creator, inspiration and friend."

Quincy Jones: "Les McCann has been a musical force of nature since he burst on the scene in the early 60's. Whenever I heard him live or on record, he always did the unexpected and now the 'unexpected' has happened again. These recently recovered live recordings from 1966-1967 are Les in his favorite trio format. If you're a fan of jazz, your collection will be incomplete without this collection by one of the best."

Monty Alexander: "Les is one of those guys who was completely identifiable, but he also played a music that made people deliriously happy. And he was a big influence on me. Just like all the gospel piano players, like Ray Charles. He's so unique. And on a personal level, it's all because of Les that I made my first album."

Emmet Cohen: "I think that Les McCann was able to reach beyond our insular jazz community and reach everyday people outside on the street or in a bar or wherever. It's one of the most difficult things to do — to maintain your integrity as a musician and also reach everyone. Very few musicians have been able to do that in the history of the music." Never A Dull Moment! - Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967)