This episode's theme is plain and simple,
this is music that's worth a good listening.
We begin with a live date from Les McCann
and Eddie Harris that demonstrates that
what a compelling adventure can be had with
a quintet of talented players and a live
audience.
The classic hard bop sound of the mid-sixties
is presented by Lee Morgan and then McCoy
Tyner, two gentlemen that know how to swing
hard while delivering memorable melodies
and improvisation. The master of kiddin'
on the square, Mose Allison, lays one on
us about growing old gracefully but without
surrendering any of the flair of live, even
if riding a bus or raising hell in Arizona.
We swing a great standard courtesy of
Brian Setzer, simmer down to a captivating
rendition of Skylark by the Clayton Brothers,
and then ponder the lyrics of another standard
through the baritone of Ken Nordine.
The mighty burner revs up his venerable
B-3 and applies a Third Degree Burn followed
by a campfire favorite jazzed up the Zoot
himself. Closing out we say bye and bye
from the swinging magic of Les McCann Ltd,
of which the only thing that could be considered
limited is the name of the group, as music
the could fill a cathedral while hardly
breaking a sweat.
There is much intellectual depth afforded
by jazz, but as this hour shows, it's rarely
at the expense of some good listening pleasure.
This is creative art put forth by artists
who are having a good time telling you some
happy, sad, clever, and at times deadly
serious stories, but at all times are providing
some top notch entertainment along the way.
You can hear the past, present, and future
running through this music, as it is a selfless
and timeless conversation about the human
condition; a reality in which we all share.
|