Les McCann
Butterfly

Released:

1988 on Stone # STN-1906-2 (CD)

Co-release of:

Butterfly - Stone, 1988 (LP)
with two extra tracks (*)

Note:

This album has the distinction of being Les McCann's first compact disc, while the companion release is his last original U.S. LP issue. While technically not a reissue, the CD is included in this section because it contains additional tracks absent from the LP. [It took me quite a long time to find this extremely rare CD, which I used to refer to as "Elusive Butterfly".]

Track List:

1. A Thousand Days (Nathan East/Ralph Johnson) - 4:56
2. Everytime I See A Butterfly (Tiny Barge) - 3:25
3. You Had To Know (Donny Hathaway/Leroy Hutson) - 5:57
4. My Funny Valentine (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) - 5:02
5. *You Don't Know Me (Cindy Walker/Eddy Arnold) - 5:13
6. Sail (On My Dreams) (Eugene McDaniels/Ted Brancato) - 4:55
7. Once In A While (Les McCann/Jon Hendricks) - 4:08
8. *I Remember (Les McCann/Sterling Dean Hardin) - 6:04
9. Weave That Magic Spell (Les McCann/Eugene McDaniels) - 4:10
10. Prince Of Peace (Les McCann/Jon Hendricks) - 4:36

Total - 48:31

Recorded:

at Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA
at Sound Chamber, Pasadena, CA
at Group IV, Hollywood, CA

Musicians:

Les McCann (vocals, acoustic piano, Rhodes & Kurzweil electric piano)
Neil Stubenhaus (bass)
Vinnie Colaiuta (drums)
Mike Landau (guitar: Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 & 8)
Nathan East (bass: Tracks 1 & 5), (rhythm arrangement: Track 1)
Richard Egizi (horn arrangement: Track 1), (arranger & conductor: Track 5)
Allan Pasqua (guest pianist: Track 2)
Sol Gubin (drums: Track 4)
Dean Parks (guitar: Track 4)
Dick "Slyde" Hyde (trombone: Track 4)
Alfred T. Egizi (arranger & conductor: Track 4)
Tom Scott (arranger, conductor of strings, horns: Tracks 2, 3, 8 & 10)
Tom Scott (alto sax: Tracks 4, 5 & 10), (saxophones: Tracks 6 & 9), (lyricon: Track 7)

Orchestra:

Les McCann (acoustic piano)
Israel Baker, Don Palmer, Pavel Farkas, Joseph Goodman, Mari Botnick, Stanley Plummer, Charles Everett, Arnold Belnick, Assa Druri, Gail Cruz, Norman Hughes, Vladimir Polimatidi, Ezra Kliger (violin)
David Schwartz, Pamela Goldsmith, Virginia Majewski, Milton Thomas, Ray Tischer, David Campbell (viola)
Ray Kelley, Anne Karam, John Acosta (cello)
Buell Neidlinger (bass)
Larry Hall, Malcolm McNab (trumpet)
Dick "Slyde" Hyde, Bill Reichenbach (trombone)
Vince De Rosa, Richard Parissi (French horn)
Tom Scott (flute, alto sax)
Gary Herbig (flute, oboe, tenor sax)
Ron Jannelli (flute, bassoon, tenor sax)

Credits:

Richard Egizi for Blues Classics, Inc. (producer)
Tony Sepe (orchestra contractor)
Hank Cicalo, Randy Farrar, Allen Sides (recording engineers)
Don Sullivan, Arturo Garcia (assistant engineers)
Rik Pekkonen at Oceanway Recording (mixdown engineer)
Steve Holroyd (assistant mixdown engineer)
Bernie Grundman (mastering)
Thomas Warkentin (album design, art direction)
Ted Cavagnaro (photography)