{"id":7521,"date":"2015-03-31T05:30:36","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T09:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=7521"},"modified":"2015-10-19T13:19:52","modified_gmt":"2015-10-19T13:19:52","slug":"back-to-school-with-les-mccann-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/31\/back-to-school-with-les-mccann-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School with Les McCann (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Continued from Part One<\/a>…<\/em><\/p>\n

Among the most celebrated releases in Les McCann<\/strong>‘s extensive catalog, Swiss Movement<\/em> is his 1969 live collaboration with saxophonist Eddie Harris<\/strong>. The album was controversial on its release thanks to its inclusion of \u201cCompared to What,\u201d a tune with lyrics that remain as provocative today as they were thirty-five years ago. In fact, a special \u201cradio edit\u201d LP of Swiss Movement<\/em> clumsily bleeped out the offending lyrics.<\/p>\n

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The song’s lyrics might have hurt its chances for chart success, but McCann never worried himself about such matters. \u201cIt’s art. It sells, or it doesn’t sell. The word ‘abortion’ was not permitted to be played on the radio. And the station [that did initially play it] was fined $25,000 for playing the song.\u201d Controversy or no, the single \u201cCompared to What\u201d ended up a million seller, as did Swiss Movement<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll tell you a shocking story,\u201d McCann offers. \u201cSix years before that record was made, when I first heard the song from Gene McDaniels<\/strong> (who wrote it) \u2013 he was a dear friend of mine, and he was in my band \u2013 I recorded it. But I knew that [recording] wasn’t it<\/em>, but I wanted to keep that song. Whether I recorded it right or wrong, I know that at some point it’s going to come to me. So six or seven years later, it came to me. Onstage, at that very moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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So \u201cCompared to What\u201d wasn’t even on the set list for McCann’s Montreux Jazz Festival performance? \u201cThe band never made it to rehearsal!\u201d McCann laughs. \u201cEverything<\/em> was spontaneous! Even the melodies for a couple of the songs: I’m telling a couple of the guys \u2013 trumpet players \u2013 and they’re scared to death! ‘Cause they didn’t know any of the songs. ‘Just do who you are,’ I told ’em. And I trusted ’em.\u201d<\/p>\n