McCann's Layered Sound, Soul and Swing
Funkier than most jazz records, soulful without preaching, Layers catches McCann at ease.
Layers sits somewhere between soul-jazz and funk, with McCann's piano anchoring everything from uptempo grooves to slower, introspective passages. The record has weight — it swings, but it also breathes, and there's a looseness to the arrangements that keeps things from feeling overcooked. McCann was already established by this point, comfortable enough to trust what he did best: making the piano talk like it had something to say beyond technical display.
The album's real strength is its refusal to stay in one place. Some tracks move fast and clean, others sink into a groove that feels lived-in rather than rehearsed. "Sometimes I Cry" became the most durable track here — its melody and rhythm were so strong that decades later, hip-hop producers sampled it, most memorably in Slick Rick's work and later in Massive Attack's "Teardrop," where they used the drum beat. That kind of staying power isn't accident. The song had something real in it.
Layers isn't McCann's most celebrated record, and it's not the place to start if you're new to him, but it's solid and it sounds good. If you already know his work and want to hear him in a relaxed, funky groove with real musicians who knew how to lock into a pocket, it's worth your time.
Who's playing
Jimmy Rowserbass
Les McCannpiano, synthesizer
Donald Deanbell, drums, percussion
Buck Clarkebongos, congas, percussion
