Swiss Movement

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Swiss Movement is a live album recorded on June 21, 1969 at The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.^[1] The Les McCann trio, Eddie Harris, and Benny Bailey came together to record one of the better live jazz albums of the era. Even though the band played at a very high level, both Eddie Harris and Benny Bailey say that they were unprepared because they had not had rehearsals. "I didn't know any of the tunes, and there was no rehearsal. They had to call out the changes for me." said Benny Bailey. Eddie Harris was also unprepared and said this: "I told Les just to play his normal stuff with the Trio, and I would look over his shoulder to check the chords- because I used to be a piano player."

One of the album's biggest songs was "Compared to What" which spoke out against the Vietnam War, other songs like "You Got it in Your Soulness" and "Cold Duck Time" featured explosive solos from McCann, Bailey, and Harris.

The hit song "Compared to What" quickly grew in popularity, especially among the young African Americans integrating college campuses thanks to the civil rights movement. The song's themes are relevant today with their focus on an unwanted war, racism and poverty. Elders in the civil rights movement and African American community, however, were often offended by elements of the song and seldom fans of the piece.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

1. "Compared to What" - (Gene McDaniels)
2. "Cold Duck Time" - (Eddie Harris)
3. "Kathleen's Theme" - (Les McCann)
4. "You Got It in Your Soulness" - (Les McCann)
5. "The Generation Gap" - (Les McCann)
6. "Kaftan" - (Leroy Vinnegar) - Bonus track on the 1996 reissue

Personnel

• Les McCann: Piano, Vocals on "Compared to What"
• Eddie Harris: Tenor Sax
• Benny Bailey: Trumpet
• Leroy Vinnegar: Bass
• Donald Dean: Drums

References

1. ^ "BBC - Music - Review of Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Swiss Movement". www.bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/w68c. Retrieved 2009-10-22.