Layers

Les McCann | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables Records
• ASIN: B00006J9O2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,111 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sometimes I Cry

2. Let's Gather

3. Anticipation

4. Dunbar High School Marching Band

5. Soaring-Part 1

6. The Harlem Buck Street Dance

7. Interlude

8. Before I Rest

9. Let's Play

10. It Never Stopped in My Home Town

11. Soaring-Part 2

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Layers Of Brilliance!, October 1, 2003

By 

Andre' S Grindle "Funk Meister" (Bangor,ME.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Layers (Audio CD)

You know I wouldn't be at all surprised if Stevie Wonder was
listening to Les McCann's "Layers" album HEAVILY when he recorded his mid 70's triumphs because the electric piano
sounds and textured melodies on this album bare the stamp of no one else-the overall record ranking in artistic influence right up there with Wonder's,Gaye's and Isaac Haye's recent work.But for historical note Les McCan did it first and very uniquely.First of all McCann literally "layered" moogs,clavinet's

,the electric piano and varrious synthesizers to create this
unique mastersrtoke of electronic funk-paving the way not only for the synthesizer onslaught to come but to every artist to come.Nevertheless there is a very abscract feel to the suite even if it's very accessible-the melodies drip and drip like
a leaky faucet until they sink into the memory.Listing any
particular highlites are pointless-every track is excellent o it's on and are trancendant as a whole;remarkable!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BREAKTHROUGH SOUL JAZZ FUSION SYNTHETHIC CD, August 26, 1999

By 

L. S. Slaughter "silvanus" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Layers (Audio CD)

LAYERS was radical when it came out in 1974. Here was a black jazz figure who had gone totally synthethic (except for drums) alongside Herbie Hancock. The result doesn't hold up as well as the funk-driven "Headhunters" or its followup "Thrust", but McCann still offers an interesting experiment: the synth here is, indeed, soulful. My only complaint is that its tone suffers from a sameness throughout, but some of the tunes are wistful and aching ("Sometimes I Cry", "Soaring") and "Harlem..." gets some funk going. The percussion section is interesting, and chances are parts of this will be sampled heavily by the Cannibal Generation that followed. Atlantic would do better to release "Invitation to Openness" on CD, which was LAYERS' predecessor in 1972 on which McCann did some incredible far-eastern electric piano tinkling and the compositions were abstract and haunting ("Beaux J. Poo Boo").

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A deeply personal side of McCann - an overlooked gem., September 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Layers (Audio CD)

When "Layers" first appeared in the early 70's, it was something of an oddity to the jazz world. Not only did McCann set aside the traditional piano for a synthesizer, but he also performed and recorded all the parts. The multiple tracks were then mixed together to create "layers" of sound. Hence, the name for the album.

"Layers" is a concept album in the truest sense. The "songs" tend to drift seamlessly from one to another. The music is constantly shifting and transforming as McCann explores different ideas and emotions. From the searching and questioning "Sometimes I Cry" to the swaggering "The Dunbar High School Marching Band" to the cautious innocent optimism of "Soaring", everything works.

In casual listening, "Layers" might be dismissed as simply McCann experimenting with electronic music. However, alone, in the dark, late at night, the listener begins to understand that "Layers" is a actually a private and intimate conversation. McCann is not only revealing himself, but through his utter transparency, the listener shares in the experience, understanding the same fears, disappointments, joy and hope. This is deeply personal music. You may never meet Les McCann, but you will certainly "know" him after listening to this album.