Black Gold Weekly
Les McCann – Layers

Les McCann – Layers

Les McCann is an inspired and inspiring pianist, documented on countless albums with his own combos since the 1960s. For all true artists, the entirely new paths never before explored are the most exciting. On Layers one can hear impressively what the electronic possibilities, still quite new in 1972, must have triggered in Mr. McCann.

A complete album, recorded almost entirely with synthesizers and electric keyboards, through overdubs and the world’s first ever 32-track studio technique. The tracks are bursting with new sound aesthetics, tonal finesse, flowing into each other like a suite and showing a pianist adding a new sonic component to his imagination.

Jazz it definitely is, even if for the purists it’s probably too much fusion, avant-garde and because perhaps a touch more attention is paid to sonic textures than improvisational virtuosity. On the surface – maybe. For me, as a big fan of electronics in all facets, a great meeting of my favourite musical styles.

Or, as Mr. McCann puts it in the liner notes to this truly amazing album: ‚It was like magic — magic from my childhood — magic for now — and magic for all the time.‘ Layers should definitely be heard once in a lifetime. Well, go ahead.

 

Stefan Mohr

Stefan Mohr

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