Les McCann and Eddie Harris -
Compared to What?
I was planning to skip this week. With riots rolling across America just as the country tries to get the economy started again, it felt like the wrong time to send out anther "uplifting" video. I was not really aware in 1965 during the Watts Riots, but I lived through the Rodney King riots of 1992, and now, 28 years later, here we are with the same issues and lack of answers.
Then my friend Courtney Lemmon reminded me of "Compared To What", a song written in 1966 by Gene McDaniels that we recorded back in 2004
https://youtu.be/TeV4Tr6vnQ0
So I checked YouTube and, LO AND BEHOLD, there is a video from the original date in 1969 with Les McCann and Eddie Harris. McCann and Harris had performed earlier at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival and agreed to play together on June 21, 1969, with Benny Bailey (trumpet), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), and Donald Dean (drums). It is the title track from the amazing "Swiss Movement" album. The song has been recorded by over 270 artists.
It's time to listen and pay attention - again.
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