Les McCann, a prolific and important musician and recording artist who helped establish the soul-jazz genre and was a favoured source of sampling for Dr Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, and hundreds of other hip-hop artists, has died. He was 88.
Les died Friday in Los Angeles, a week after being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to Alan Abrahams, his longtime manager and producer.
McCann, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, was a vocalist and self-taught pianist whose career began in the 1950s when he won a singing contest while serving in the United States Navy and appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the top variety show of the time. With fans including Quincy Jones and Miles Davis, he toured the world and recorded scores of recordings, beginning in 1960 with “Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth.”
Les McCann, Innovative Jazz Musician Best Known For ‘Compared To What,’ Dies At 88
He was well known for his funky protest song “Compared to What,” on which he first collaborated with his future musical collaborator, saxophonist Eddie Harris. “Compared to What,” written by Eugene McDaniels and recorded live at the 1968 Monteaux Jazz Festival, mixed jazzy melodies and McCann’s gospel-style singing. The song attacked war, greed, and injustice in lines like “Nobody gives us rhyme or reason/Have one doubt, they call it treason.”
Les McCann, Innovative Jazz Musician Best Known For ‘Compared To What,’ Dies At 88
Among those who covered “Compared to What” was Roberta Flack, a McCann protégé whose career he aided by arranging an audition with Atlantic Records. McCann was a forerunner in fusing jazz, soul, and funk. He recorded with Flack and toured with Wilson Pickett, Santana, and the Staples Singers.
“Talk to the People” (1972), “Layers” (1973), and “Another Beginning” (1974) were among his other albums. Last month, Resonance Records released “Never A Dull Moment! – Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967).”
Les is a renowned American jazz pianist and vocalist.
He gained prominence in the 1960s for his soulful and expressive style of playing. McCann’s influential album “Swiss Movement” with saxophonist Eddie Harris is one of his most acclaimed works, featuring the hit song “Compared to What.
Les McCann, Innovative Jazz Musician Best Known For ‘Compared To What,’ Dies At 88
” Throughout his career, Les has been celebrated for his improvisational skills and ability to blend jazz with elements of R&B and gospel music, establishing himself as a significant figure in the jazz world.
SOURCE – (AP)
