Recorded in Los Angeles in 1961, Les McCann Sings features McCann with his trio of Herbie Lewis (bass) and Ron Jefferson (drums), plus orchestra conducted by Gerald Wilson. There are some great things here, including a bracing ‘I Cried For You’ and a swinging ‘Bye, Bye Blackbird’. If some of the orchestral charts occasionally verge on the cloying, McCann sings everything with enormous heart, warmth and personality.

Recorded in the same year as Sings and featuring the same rhythm section of Lewis and Jefferson, the trio album Pretty Lady homes in on McCann’s balladeering style and features lovely versions of John Lewis’s ‘Django’ and the Rodgers and Hart evergreen, ‘Little Girl Blue’.

The 2CD reissue from BGO Records brings together a further three albums from the early 1960s, originally recorded for Pacific Jazz. The Gospel Truth finds McCann in mighty form, delivering a consistently beautiful 10-track set of traditional gospel songs and gospel-inspired originals. Ranging from the laidback blues groove of Jimmy Smith’s ‘Back At The Chicken Shack’ to Milt Jackon’s ‘Bag’s Groove’, Soul Hits presents interpretations of 10 soul jazz hits. McCann’s brilliant quartet features guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Paul Humphrey. The presence of percussionist Willie Correa (aka Willie Bobo) creates a distinctly latin flavour on McCanna, the highlight of which is a powerhouse version of ‘Falling In Love With Love’.