Les McCann & The Mitchell-Ruff Trio - 20 Special Fingers Album

Tracklist

1	–Les McCann	Doin' That Thing Written-By – Leroy Vinnegar	8:31
2	–Les McCann	Roberta Written-By – Les McCann	8:57
3	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	Gypsy In My Soul Written-By – Clay Boland, Moe Jaffe	5:25
4	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	I'll Remember April Written-By – Don Raye, Gene DePaul, Patricia Johnston	8:21
5	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	So In Love Written-By – Cole Porter	9:21
6	–Les McCann	Benjamin Written-By – Les McCann	5:47
7	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	Con Alma Written-By – Dizzy Gillespie	5:22
8	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	The Catbird Seat Written-By – Dwike Mitchell	7:34
9	–Les McCann	Love For Sale Written-By – Cole Porter	6:39
10	Much Les
11	–The Mitchell-Ruff Trio	Street Of Dreams Written-By – Sam Lewis, Victor Young	3:22
12	The Catbird Seat
13	–Les McCann	With These Hands Written-By – Abner Silverand, Benny Davis	5:35
14	–Les McCann	Burnin' Coal Written-By – Les McCann	6:40

Credits

• Bass – Leroy Vinnegar (tracks: CD1-01 - CD1-06), Willie Ruff (tracks: CD2-01 - CD2-06)
• Conductor, Arranged By [Strings] – William Fischer (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06)
• Congas – Victor Pantoja (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-03, CD1-05)
• Drums – Charlie Smith (tracks: CD2-01 - CD2-06), Donald Dean (tracks: CD1-01 - CD1-06)
• Engineer [Recording] – Adrian Barber (tracks: CD1-01 - CD1-06)
• Piano – Dwike Mitchell (tracks: CD2-01 - CD2-06), Les McCann (tracks: CD1-01 - CD1-06)
• Producer – Joel Dorn (tracks: CD1-01 - CD1-06)
• Strings – Emanuel Green (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Harvey Shapiro (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Kermit Moore (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Noel DaCosta (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Richard Elias (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Ron Carter (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Selwart Clarke (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Theodore Israel (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Warren Laffredo (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06), Winston Collymore (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06)
• Timbales – Willie Bobo (tracks: CD1-01, CD1-02, CD1-04, CD1-06)

Notes

The release consists of two albums in a single double jewel box.

CD1: Much Les
CD2: The Catbird Seat

Short intro

Les McCann - Much Les CD1-01 Les McCann Doin' That Thing 8:31 CD1-02 Les McCann With These Hands 5:35 CD1-03 Les McCann Burnin' Coal 6:40 CD1-04 Les McCann Benjamin 5:47 CD1-05 Les McCann Love For Sale 6:39 CD1-06 Les McCann Roberta 8:57 The Mitchell-Ruff Trio -. The Catbird Seat CD2-01 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The The Catbird Seat 7:34 CD2-02 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The Street Of Dreams 3:22 CD2-03 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The So In Love 9:21 CD2-04 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The Con Alma 5:22 CD2-05 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The Gypsy In My Soul 5:25. CD2-06 Mitchell-Ruff Trio, The I&. The other album, the Mitchell-Ruff Trio is more subdued with a lot of interplay between Dwike Mitchell on piano, Willie Ruff on bass, and Charlie Smith on drums. They play tight, but again much more subdued than the other album. Charlie's brush work is a great accompaniment to Dwike piano solos. Apparently Dwike was an inspiration to Les McCann in the early days, and that is probably why his band was included in this compilation. I'm giving this CD five stars mostly because of the first album. The second album will require more listening time to fully appreciate. Read more. A reissue of two separate Atlantic recordings on one CD, the first is early period Les McCann in a half-and-half mix of straight soul-jazz tracks rivaling Ramsey Lewis, alternating with string and vocal infused ballads. The Dwike Mitchell-Willie Ruff trio sides sans Ruff's French Horn are all straight piano-bass-drums, mostly lighter cocktail-like fare, a bit of bop, and low-key ballads. 20 Fingers is the self-titled second and final studio album of American music group 20 Fingers. It has been released on October 24, 1995, under Zoo EntertainmentSOS Records, six months after the release of their debut album On the Attack and More. In 1995, the group released their self-titled second studio album, called 20 Fingers worldwide. The album has unlike the first studio album, where only two vocalists, Gillette on eleven tracks and Roula on one track, the peculiarity of featuring different. Recorded in 1969, Much Les was McCann's first effort for Atlantic and it offers a well-rounded sampler of the pianist's many talents. McCann's trio includes bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Donald Dean, plus the added percussion of Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja on a few cuts. Much should be said too in regards to William Fischer's excellent arrangements. Obscure and unheard of in recent times, Fischer's previous achievements had been his arranging work for Nat Adderley's two superlative A&MCTI sessions, You, Baby and Calling Out Loud. Release group by Les McCann, The Mitchell-Ruff Trio. Album Compilation. The twenty fingers in the title for this double reissue CD come from two exciting piano trios of the 1960s. Both Les McCann and Dwike Mitchell offer blues-based, gospel influenced piano storytelling on their Atlantic albums Much Les and The Catbird Seat, respectively. McCann was at the peak of his career then, still using an acoustic piano and always infusing a groove into his work. Mitchell and Ruff started out at about the same time as McCann: the mid-50s. Bassist Willie Ruff and pianist Dwike Mitchell left Lionel Hamptons band early on to perform mainstream jazz as a duo Ruff also plays. 20 Special Fingers is an unusual two-disc combination of Les McCann's 1968 Atlantic debut, Much Les already available on CD as a Rhino two-fer with the Mitchell-Ruff Trio's 1961 Atlantic debut, The Catbird Seat. Joel Dorn, producer of the McCann set and owner of the label that issued this set, explains this oddity by recalling in the disc's notes a favorite McCann performance of Yours Is My Heart Alone from 1964 that was evidently inspired by Dwike Mitchell's earlier performance of the tune. The Mitchell-Ruff Trio's set, on the other hand, seems stark and intellectual by comparison. But it's an utter delight. Les Mccann Trio Live in Hollywood, New York and San Francisco. Les McCann. 2016 Bonus Track Version. Les McCann, Stanley Turrentine, Blue Mitchell. Les McCann Sings, Pretty Lady: The Ballad Style of Les McCann. Ruff immediately phoned the television station, and in the ensuing conversation Mitchell convinced Ruff to abandon his symphony plans and instead join the Hampton orchestra. In 1955 the two men left the orchestra to form the Mitchell-Ruff jazz duo. The duo placed an emphasis on introducing American jazz music in parts of the world unfamiliar with the idiom. Among these, were visits to the Soviet Union in 1959 and to China in 1981. 20 Special Fingers Les McCann and The Mitchell-Ruff Trio 32 Records, 1999. Breaking the Silence The Mitchell-Ruff Duo CD Baby, B000056HCD, 2000