[Ed. note: This post is based on an article originally published on September 23, 2015]
The year was 1969, and the Montreux Jazz Festival was about to witness a serendipitous moment in jazz history. The album, Swiss Movement, born from an impromptu collaboration between Les McCann and Eddie Harris, would soon captivate audiences worldwide, largely fueled by the explosive energy and poignant message of its opening track, “Compared to What.” For many, including myself, the first encounter with Swiss Movement was a pivotal moment, instantly etching itself into the soundtrack of youthful rebellion and cultural exploration.
I vividly remember being with friends, skipping school, in a borrowed apartment at 50 Franklin Street in Worcester. It was a week dedicated to ditching classes and embracing alternative cultural experiences. Arnold’s Music, a local record store, was just around the corner, and on Tuesday, the arrival day for new releases, we eagerly ventured out. Among the albums we snagged was Swiss Movement. From the moment the needle dropped, it dominated our week. We played it relentlessly, so much so that we actually had to buy a second copy before the week was over. Whether it succumbed to wear and tear or an accidental stomp remains a delightful mystery of the past.
Swiss Movement stands as a testament to the magic of spontaneous musical encounters in jazz. The album brought together Les McCann’s established trio – featuring bassist Leroy Vinegar and drummer Donald Dean – with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey. Interestingly, neither Harris nor Bailey had previously performed with McCann. However, McCann and Harris were both prominent Atlantic Records artists, and Harris was already scheduled to perform at Montreux with his own quartet. Eddie Harris, known for his exceptional skill and distinctive, almost vocal-like saxophone tone, had already achieved a gold record with his 1961 album, Exodus to Jazz, and his 1968 release, The Electrifying Eddie Harris, was enjoying chart success. When producer Joel Dorn suggested a secondary set with McCann, Harris’s pragmatic response was, “Why not? After all, it meant I could get some extra money.”
Benny Bailey, by 1969, was a seasoned expatriate, having lived in Europe for nearly fifteen years. His European journey began in 1948 with Dizzy Gillespie’s orchestra. He later famously left Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra during a European tour in 1953 – Hampton’s legendary band at the time included jazz luminaries like Clifford Brown and Art Farmer. By the late 1960s, Bailey was a member of the Swiss Radio Orchestra, residing in Lausanne. Sitting in with both local musicians and international stars was commonplace for him. Despite his vast experience and Quincy Jones’s high praise describing him as “a consummate player and stylist…and, above all, thrillingly himself,” Bailey was initially hesitant about joining the impromptu Montreux session. He explained, “Les’s [soul jazz] bag was one which Eddie had no problem with, but it really wasn’t my kind of music. Still, when they asked me if I’d play a set with them…I thought, ‘Why not’?”
Swiss Movement achieved phenomenal success, particularly for a jazz album, earning “Certified Gold” status. Upon its release in October 1969, it soared to the top of the jazz charts, reached number two on the R&B chart, and impressively climbed to number 29 on the Billboard album chart. This widespread acclaim was largely propelled by the infectious groove and biting social commentary of the album’s opening track, “Compared to What.” The song, penned by Gene McDaniels, had been a part of McCann’s nightclub repertoire since 1963 and was initially recorded on his 1966 album, Les McCann Plays the Hits, where it was more of a deep cut than a standout hit. It gained significant momentum with Roberta Flack’s 1969 debut album, First Take, where her rendition, driven by Ron Carter’s bass and infused with a boogaloo rhythm, brought it to a broader audience. McCann, who had discovered Roberta Flack performing in a Washington, D.C. nightclub and introduced her to Atlantic Records, was a devoted admirer. He lauded her voice: “Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more…she alone had the voice.”
Les McCann’s own vocal delivery, with its distinctive raspy quality, combined with his gospel-infused piano playing, Benny Bailey’s sassy plunger mute trumpet solo, and the soulful cry of Eddie Harris’s tenor saxophone, transformed the Montreux stage into a vibrant, almost rebellious church service. The lyrics of “Compared to What” resonated deeply with the socio-political climate of the time:
Church on Sunday, sleep and nod
Tryin’ to duck the wrath of God
Preacher’s fillin’ us with fright
They all tryin’ to teach us what they think is right
They really got to be some kind of nut (I can’t use it!)
Tryin’ to make it real — compared to what?
For many listeners, Swiss Movement provided a captivating auditory experience. However, the Montreux performance was also professionally filmed, and a recent viewing on YouTube transported me back to that week 46 years prior, when the album was in constant rotation. Reflecting on the 30th anniversary edition of Swiss Movement, Eddie Harris offered insight into the musicians’ close proximity on stage: “I told Les just to play his usual stuff…and I would look over his shoulder to check the chords…We had one microphone for Benny and me, and there was one television camera set right in front of us…but I couldn’t stand out in front [of the stage] because I had to watch Les and play at the same time…It turned out to be a magical concert.”
Les McCann attributed the “magic” to a couple of additional factors. He had undergone a significant weight loss of over 120 pounds in the eighteen months leading up to Montreux, and he had also “smoked some hash…for the first time in my life…When I got on the bandstand, there I was, the new slimmed-down McCann, trying to look cool, and I didn’t know where the hell I was. I was totally disoriented. The other guys said, ‘OK, play man!’ Somehow I got myself together and everything just took off.”
The cultural impact of Swiss Movement was significant enough to warrant a full-page feature in Ahmet Ertegun’s book, What’d I Say: The Atlantic Story. Interestingly, neither Nesuhi Ertegun, who headed Atlantic’s jazz division, nor Joel Dorn were present at Montreux that year. Dorn recounted, “Nesuhi and I produced Swiss Movement by remote control…The tapes came back and we couldn’t believe it…With this record, it really happened by itself, it was a gift from God. The album and the single, “Compared to What,” each sold in excess of a million, which for jazz music was very rare in those days. Gene McDaniels wrote the single’s lyrics, which were not casual, but were really riding the crest of the whole civil rights movement…The whole thing struck at middle class values– black or white at that point, it didn’t make a lot of difference. It really hit a chord.”
Indeed, Swiss Movement struck a chord that resonated far beyond the jazz community. It propelled the careers of McCann and Harris, boosted Atlantic Records, and significantly elevated the Montreux Jazz Festival, solidifying its status as a premier European music event. For Les McCann, whose 80th birthday coincided with the original article’s publication date (September 23), Swiss Movement remains a monumental achievement. “Swiss Movement was certainly a major landmark in my career,” he reflected. “And it was a one-off phenomenon, something that can never be repeated.” The enduring appeal of “Compared to What,” and the entire Swiss Movement album, lies in its unique blend of musical brilliance, spontaneous energy, and a message that continues to resonate across generations.
