Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, June 21, 1969.
The Downbeat magazine review of this album calls it "cliche-ridden, r&b-influenced jazz." Does that mean I'm not supposed to dig it? Too bad, because it certainly delivers and is an enjoyable way to spend 40 minutes. McCann is on top of his game as both performer and composer. The liner notes below explain the impromptu nature of this show and, maybe because of that spontaneity, it sounds like the band is having a great time grooving on the stage. The duo released a successful studio follow-up in 1971, appropriately titled Second Movement, which also topped the Billboard jazz album charts.
Reviews/ratings:
- CashBox: "one of the most exciting jazz albums of the year"
- Downbeat: ★★
- Billboard: ★★★★
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #29
- Billboard Jazz: #1
- Billboard R&B: #2
- Record World Jazz: #1
Tracks: What was side one (tracks 1-3) is preferable to side two, but it's all good.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Probably through versions of the song by Roberta Flack and The Roots with John Legend, I was previously familiar with Compared To What (#85 pop, #35 R&B). But the album as a whole came to my attention as I was putting together a list of the Billboard Jazz Album charts and noticed this album was in the top ten from December 20, 1969 until November 21, 1970. That remarkable run includes thirteen consecutive weeks at #1. It had an almost identical run on the Record World Jazz LPs chart. That info, along with spreadsheets of other album charts, is available at our popular sister site: albumcharts.wordpress.com
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