Les McCann Ltd - But Not Really (1964)

But Not Really is a solid, straight-ahead swinging soul-jazz session from Les McCann Ltd., his trio with bassist Victor Gaskin and drummer Paul Humphrey. Released in 1965, the eight-track date was recorded over two evenings. McCann wrote all but two of the tunes here, including the burning "We're on the Move Now" and the groove-drenched "Little Freak" (the latter is a tune Ramsey Lewis would kill to have composed at the time). While two chords in its vamp come from "The 'In' Crowd," a tune made famous by Lewis, it's the rest, beginning with a dark deft turn on the second voicing, that takes it deeper into the blues and makes it such a stunner. Another highlight is the spirited reading of Tadd Dameron's "Our Delight," with a fine solo by McCann and some very funky swing drumming by Humphrey. For fans of McCann's piano work, there are few recordings that showcase it better in the studio at least than But Not Really.