Hello and welcome!
Over the last few days I've had an unrelenting earworm of the song “Compared to What” rattling around in my brain. Most frequently it’s been the Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble recording from the 2024 album, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit.
I went deep down the rabbit hole this week learning more about this iconic protest song that seems just as fitting today as when it was originally composed by Eugene McDaniels back in the 60s.
Lyrically, the track critiques societal contradictions, and explores themes like greed, cruelty and poverty in the first few verses. The latter verses take on the hypocrisies surrounding (the Vietnam) War, organized religion and reproductive rights.
The president, he's got his war / Folks don't know just what it's for
Nobody gives us rhyme or reason / Have one doubt, they call it treason
Because of its relatable and unfortunately timeless lyrics, the song has been covered and recorded nearly 300 times. Beginning in 1969 by Roberta Flack on the album First Take. As I was researching this article several sources credit Flack as the first performer of the song, but her version—featuring the legendary Ron Carter on bass—released three years after the track appeared on the B-side of Les McCann Plays the Hits.
The recording that made the song famous came from the live performance of aforementioned Les McCann and saxophonist Eddie Harris at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival and featured on the album Swiss Movement. From there the covers come rolling in from artists from all genres.
Ray Charles included a funky disco-adjacent rendition on his 1980 album, Brother Ray Is At It Again! and John Legend & The Roots, covered the song on their collaboration Wake Up! thirty years later in 2010.
Al Jarreau, the only vocalist in history to win Grammy Awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B), recorded a single version of the song in 1996—and sticking with the theme of fun facts—Sweetwater, the psychedelic folk group originally scheduled as the opening act of Woodstock, featured a funk-filled “Compared to What” on their sophomore release, Just For You (1970).
Also in 1970, Geraldine “Jerry” Jones arrived at the Hotel Kingston for the Miss Jamaica International Model Pageant. She ended up staying several months and recorded the landmark reggae/soul album, At The Hotel Kingston, for Clement Dodd’s Studio One, alongside the iconic Ernest Ranglin on guitar.
Meshell Ndegeocello is credited as composer alongside Gene McDaniels on Earth, Wind and Fire singer Phillip Bailey’s performance of the track on his 2002 album Soul on Jazz, featuring baritone saxophone G.O.A.T, Ronnie Cuber. Ndegeocello also recorded the song for the 2007 film Talk to Me accompanied by Terence Blanchard.
Blanchard was joined by PJ Morton and The E-Collective on the 2015 album Breathless for a rocking and groovy rendition and Terri Lyne Carrington remixed the track in 2024 with the help of frequent collaborator Kassa Overall.
Don’t miss: Terri Lyne Carrington - Trip the Night Fantastic (coming July 31, 2026)
Closing us out today are some albums that pay homage to Les McCann and Eddie Harris including the 1996 Tribute to The Legendary Eddie Harris by Ronnie Laws, Dutch soul jazz band Tettero’s interpretation of the classic on their 2019 live album, and most recently on The Electrifying Seamus Blake (released July 3, 2026) by German saxophonist Seamus Blake.
Check out this almost 2-hour playlist1 of different versions of “Compared to What”, including many of the recording mentioned above, plus the distinctly Steppenwolf-sounding cover from the band’s front man John Kay (released in 2018), Brian Auger’s Oblivion Orchestra, and more.
…and speaking of playlists… check out the newly updated, organized, and revamped Playlist HQ with sharable links so you can listen along and discover something different.
Shady Pines Radio: Friday’s 10am-Noon PT | Freeform Portland: Alt Mondays Noon-2pm PT
Recently Archived Episodes
7/10 - Shady Pines Radio | PNW Summer Music Festival Special, Part 1
6/29 - Freeform Portland Radio | New Music Monday, Best of 2026 (so far)
6/26 - Shady Pines Radio | Pride Month Special
6/19 - Shady Pines Radio | Juneteenth Celebration
…see more
The 13th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival takes place September 4-6, and it’s become one of my favorite local music festivals. Take a look at this year’s lineup below:
Thanks for reading Chaotic Good Jazz!
A surprisingly varied playlist to only include one song.
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