LES MCCANN – Layers (Reissue) – LP – Red Smoke Vinyl [MAR 28]

LP – Limited Edition Red Smoke Vinyl (2025 Reissue).

Starting in the late 60s, jazz music started to take an interesting, and very soulful turn. Influenced by the funk of the day from James Brown to Sly & The Family Stone the art form, generally not considered a funky musical genre, started to stretch out and fit into the times. It was a fertile era, and to reciprocate, funk, soul and groovy rock fans started to discover accomplished, open-minded jazz artists like Les McCann, whose tunes made sense to their ears, even if bebop hadnt grabbed them. This incredible album long a favourite of forward-thinking hip-hop producers and DJs washes over listeners from the first chords of the incredible album opener, Sometimes I Cry, led by McCanns array of analogue synthesizers and backed by an excellent rhythm section (Donald Dean on drums; Ralph McDonald on percussion and Jimmy Rowser on bass). Truth be told, highlights are hard to pick out, but fans never go long without returning to the fuzzed-out funk of The Harlem Buck Strut Dance, Lets Play (Til Mom Calls) and It Never Stopped In My Hometown. These keyboard-drenched grooves sat alongside record stacks brimming with Stevie Wonder, Funkadelic, Marvin Gayes 70s soul and, of course, Miles Davis space funk experiments of the era (like Bitches Brew).

Tracklist:

Songs From Boston A1. Sometimes I Cry [5:24A2. Let’s Gather [1:08]A3. Anticipation [0:48]A4. The Dunbar High School Marching Band [6:06]A5. Soaring (At Dawn) Part I [5:53]

Songs From My Childhood B1. The Harlem Buck Strut Dance [5:55]B2. Interlude [0:33]B3. Before I Rest [4:44]B4. Let’s Play (‘Til Mom Calls) [3:20]B5. It Never Stopped In My Home Town [1:54]B6. Soaring (At Sunset) Part II [8:03]