"Compared to What," Eddie Harris & Les McCann

Song: "Compared to What"
Album: Swiss Movement
Artist: Eddie Harris & Les McCann

Hot Jazz, sharp tongue; what not to love.

To me, when you strip Jazz down to the elemental, it is the musical embodiment of the triumph of the human spirit over oppression. I think that the roots of Jazz come from the human need for expression, even in an environment where you could get killed for saying the wrong thing (or for nothing at all).

It's with a sense of liberation in this song that Les McCann presents some lyrics to match the fierceness of the music. The song was actually written by Eugene McDaniels. This one song takes on the issues of greed, animal cruelty, war, patriotism, cowardice, religion, poverty and abortion. When a song can do all that, it's nearing the pinnacle of possibility for this short art form. Here's the stanza on greed:

I love the lie and lie the love
Hanging on, with push and shove
Possession is the motivation
that is hanging up the God-damn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut (everybody now!)
Tryin' to make it real� compared to what? C'mon baby!

My favorite version of the song is the one linked above from the 1969 album Swiss Movement, recored live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. I think this is a clip from that performance:



This music is timeless. Fast forward 20 years and here's what you get: