Lou Rawls, The Les McCann Trio - Stormy Monday

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:18
Size: 100,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:45)  1. (They Call It) Stormy Monday
(4:30)  2. God Bless the Child
(3:11)  3. See See Rider
(5:57)  4. Willow Weep for Me
(4:00)  5. I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
(3:28)  6. In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)
(2:46)  7. 'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do
(3:12)  8. Lost and Lookin'
(3:55)  9. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
(3:08) 10. Sweet Lover
(2:58) 11. Blues Is a Woman
(2:23) 12. A Little Les of Lou's Blues

Lou Rawls has had a long and commercially successful career mostly singing soul, R&B, and pop music. Originally a gospel singer, Rawls' first album as a leader features him performing soulful standards backed by the Les McCann Trio. Few of the songs have been under-recorded through the years, but they sound fresh and lively when sung by Rawls; highlights include "Stormy Monday," "In the Evening," and "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water." Pianist McCann gets a generous amount of solo space, and the reissue has three bonus tracks. This is still Rawls' definitive recording in the jazz idiom, cut before he went on to more lucrative areas. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/stormy-monday-mw0000203592

Personnel: Lou Rawls - vocals; Les McCann - piano; Leroy Vinnegar - bass; Ron Jefferson - drums

Stormy Monday

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Les McCann Ltd. - "On Time"

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:25
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. On Time
(4:50)  2. Yours Is My Heart Alone
(5:39)  3. This for Doug
(5:14)  4. Fondue
(3:04)  5. Bernie's Tune
(4:37)  6. Maichen
(5:02)  7. It Could Happen to You
(5:00)  8. You're Driving Me Crazy
(3:04)  9. So What
(3:32) 10. Direct South
(4:31) 11. Drifftin' Blues
(2:31) 12. Midnight Special

Les McCann's On Time was the eighth album of this talented and popular jazz pianists leader career. Always a consummately swinging and distinctively soulful communicator, he displays the full extent of his honest preaching, warmth and creativity in a range embracing the impressionistic on the introduction to On Time, and an expansive chordal approach on It Could Happen to You. In the pieces here, including four excellent originals by the groups members, he is engagingly melodic over the opening of Fondue, a fine vehicle for improvisation, while Jeffersons This for Doug is a lovely piece; and Maichen, by bassist Leroy Vinnegar, has a pretty, infectious melody, warmly embraced by McCann and the featured guest, Joe Pass, whose lucid solos are among the highlights of the album, particularly his theme statement on Yours Is My Heart Alone. Ron Jefferson and Vinnegar are ideal accompanists. 

The last three tracks feature the veteran blues singer and guitarist Bumble Bee Slim (a.k.a. Amos Easton), one of the best loved bluesmen during the 30s. Accompanied by the Les McCann Ltd., these were part of an album titled Back in Town!, recorded by Slim in 1962, after a long period out of the studios, and they make a nice addition to this collection. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/les-mccann-albums/5821-les-mccann-ltd-on-time-bonus-tracks.html

Personnel:  Les McCann (p), Joe Pass (g), Leroy Vinnegar (b), Ron Jefferson (d), Bumble Bee Slim (added vcl).

"On Time"

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Les McCann - Les McCann Ltd. In San Francisco

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:45
Size: 144,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Oh, Them Golden Gates
(8:31)  2. Red Sails In The Sunset
(7:05)  3. Big Jim
(5:01)  4. I Am In Love
(6:22)  5. Jeepers Creepers
(6:20)  6. Gone On And Get That Church
(1:26)  7. We'll See Yaw'll After While, Ya Heah
(6:17)  8. Frankie And Johnnie
(7:50)  9. Medley: But Beautiful/It Could Happen To You
(4:26) 10. Taking A Chance On Love
(4:14) 11. Love Letters

Les McCann Ltd. in San Francisco: Recorded Live at the Jazz Workshop was recorded in December of 1960 and released in 1961 on the Pacific Jazz label. Backing his piano were bassist Herbie Flowers and drummer Ron Jefferson. The original LP of this date featured seven selections only about half of the entire gig. This Fresh Sound reissue contains four more tracks, bringing the total to 11. The LP included four McCann compositions, and while the additional tracks are all standards, they do include a very fine arrangement of "Frankie and Johnnie" and a medley of Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen's "But Beautiful" and "It Could Happen to You," as well as "Taking a Chance on Love" and "Love Letters." What's remarkable about these last four standards is just how seamlessly McCann and company weave them into their early hard bop cum soul-jazz style, with blues, gospel, and pop all brought out in equal measure. The performance is wonderful. That said, given that this is a Fresh Sound release, don't expect a pristine remastering job. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/les-mccann-ltd-in-san-francisco-recorded-live-at-the-jazz-workshop-complete-recordings-mw0002325957

Personnel:  Les McCann - piano;  Herbie Lewis - bass;  Ron Jefferson - drums

Les McCann Ltd. In San Francisco

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Ron Jefferson, Tricky Lofton & Carmell Jones - Love Lifted Me & Brass Bag

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:24
Size: 182,3 MB
Art: Front

( 5:52)  1. Ivy League Blues (Newborn)
( 4:42)  2. Love Lifted Me (Trad.)
(10:26)  3. For Carl Perkins (Vinnegar)
( 5:31)  4. Little One (Jefferson)
( 5:57)  5. Flamingo (Grouya-Anderson)
( 6:53)  6. Georges Dilemma (Powell)
( 5:27)  7. Moten Swing (Moten-Moten)
( 5:21)  8. Mood Indigo (Ellington-Bigard-Mills)
( 4:13)  9. Angel Eyes (Dennis-Brent)
( 5:22) 10. Celery Stacks at Midnight (Bradley-Harris)
( 3:48) 11. Brass Bag (Wilson)
( 6:51) 12. Ow! (Gillespie)
( 3:17) 13. Bluer Than That (Wilson)
( 5:39) 14. Canadian Sunset (Heywood-Gimbel)

Ron Jefferson, the sensitive jazz drummer, was something of a paradox: a jazzman who, for several years, labored just below the level of general public recognition in the East, only to find, as a founding member of pianist Les McCanns successful trio, an enthusiastic audience and wholehearted recognition of his talents on the West Coast jazz scene. And with his album Love Lifted Me he also shone as the fine leader of a persuasively swinging and remarkably consistent quintet in which Bobby Hutcherson plays with a joie de vivre that harks back to a young Milt Jackson. Aside from the driving lines of Wilbur Browns tenor, the most provocative soloist is Tricky Lofton, whose blithe, lusty trombone is a refreshing updating of the earthy style of an earlier jazz day. Tricky is also co-leader, with trumpeter Carmell Jones, of the second album here, Brass Bag, on half of which he features with some fullbodied, four-trombone ensemble support, and in the other half shares solos with Lou Blackburn. Jones adds his consistent and lyrical solo voice, and Frank Strazzeris piano contributions are bright and lively, while Gerald Wilsons deft arrangements make effective use of the trombone choirs rich, dark ensemble sound. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/ron-jefferson-lawrence-tricky-lofton-albums/5829-love-lifted-me-brass-bag-2-lps-on-1-cd.html

Personnel:  Carmell Jones (tp), Lawrence 'Tricky' Lofton, Bob Edmondson, Wayne Henderson, Frank Strong, Lou Blackburn (tb), Wilbur Brown (ts), Bobby Hutcherson (vib), Frank Strazzeri (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b), Ron Jefferson (d), Gerald Wilson (arr)

Love Lifted Me & Brass Bag

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Les McCann Ltd - Plays The Shout

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:07
Size: 96,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:55)  1. But Not For Me
(8:18)  2. A Foggy Day
(4:08)  3. The Shout
(2:03)  4. Set Call (Sonar)
(7:14)  5. C Jam Blues
(3:43)  6. Jubilation
(6:00)  7. Night In Tunisia
(2:43)  8. Set Call (Cute)

Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Shout (also referred to as The Shout) is a live album by pianist Les McCann recorded in 1960 and released on the Pacific Jazz label. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_McCann_Ltd._Plays_the_Shout

Personnel:  Les McCann (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Ron Jefferson (drums)

Plays The Shout

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Les McCann - Les McCann Ltd. Plays The Truth

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:21
Size: 177,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Vacushna
(4:31)  2. A Little 3.4 For God And Co.
(7:45)  3. I'll Remember April
(3:15)  4. Fish This Week But Next Week Chitlings
(6:03)  5. How High The Moon
(3:21)  6. This Can't Be Love
(5:43)  7. For Carl Perkins
(5:55)  8. The Truth
(2:49)  9. Little Girl From Casper
(2:44) 10. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(3:26) 11. Gone On And Get That Church
(3:51) 12. We'll See Yaw'll After While Ya Heah
(6:51) 13. The Truth
(4:56) 14. Oat Meal
(8:51) 15. One More Ham Hock Please

Born in Lexington, KY, in 1935, pianist Leslie Coleman McCann settled in Los Angeles in 1956. He emerged from obscurity after cutting 'The Truth' his first trio record, in February 1960, in which the walking bass of Leroy Vinnegar and direct swing of drummer Ron Jefferson were the perfect esthetic compliment to McCanns music. During the next few years he was the focus of widespread controversy as an exponent of a brand of piano jazz variously called Gospel, funk, soul, blues, back-to-the-roots, etc. While McCann acknowledged that almost all his relatives had sung in the church choir in Lexington, he said his music was a product of his early environment and no gimmick. The way we play just fitted together as soon as Leroy and Ron and I first got together. 

We just started playing together, and it all made sense.  This release also includes two rare tracks by the original trio, only issued on a Pacific Jazz single, plus a complete session recorded that same year, with bassist Herbie Lewiswho replaced Vinnegar that summerand featuring two newcomers, vibist Bobby Hutcherson and tenor Curtis Amy. This is all solid root material that lends itself to the unique McCann treatment. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/les-mccann-albums/5580-plays-the-truth-complete-sessions.html

Personnel:  Les McCann (p), Leroy Vinnegar, Herbie Lewis (b), Ron Jefferson (d), Bobby Hutcherson (vib), Curtis Amy (ts)

Les McCann Ltd. Plays The Truth

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