Les McCann
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Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in
soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including sa ...
and his 1969 recording of the protest song " Compared to What". His music has been widely sampled in
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
.


Early life

Leslie Coleman McCann was born in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
, on September 23, 1935. He grew up in a musical family with four brothers and one sister, most of whom sang in church choirs. His father was a fan of jazz music and his mother was known to hum opera tunes around the house. As a youth, McCann played the tuba and drums and performed in his school's marching band. As a pianist, he was largely self-taught. He explained that he received piano lessons for only a few weeks as a six-year-old before his teacher died. McCann attended
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...
, which was highly influential to his musical career. At the age of 17, he joined the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
in
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.


Career

During his service in the Navy, McCann won a singing contest, which led to an appearance on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''. After leaving the Navy, McCann moved to California and played in his own trio. He declined an offer to work in
Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...
's band so that he could dedicate himself to his own music. The trio's first job was at the Purple Onion club in 1959 accompanying
Gene McDaniels Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer, producer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart wit ...
. The main part of McCann's career began in the early 1960s, when he recorded as a pianist with his trio for Pacific Jazz. In 1969, Atlantic released '' Swiss Movement'', an album recorded with saxophonist
Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...
and trumpeter
Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Conserva ...
earlier at that year's
Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...
. The album contained the song " Compared to What"; both reached the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' pop charts. The song, which criticized the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, was written by Eugene McDaniels years earlier and recorded and released as a ballad by McCann in 1966 on his album, ''Les McCann Plays the Hits''.
Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...
's version appeared as the opening track on her debut album '' First Take'' (1969). After the success of ''Swiss Movement'', McCann, primarily a piano player, emphasized his vocals. He became an innovator in
soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including sa ...
, merging jazz with
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
, soul and world rhythms. His music was influential for its use of
electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...
,
clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...
and synthesizer. In 1971, McCann and Harris were part of a group of soul, R&B and rock performers–including
Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...
,
the Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American Gospel music, gospel, soul music, soul, and Rhythm and blues, R&B singing group. Pops Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group w ...
,
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and
Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...
–who flew to
Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
,
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
, to perform a 14-hour concert for more than 100,000 Ghanaians. The March 6 concert was recorded for the documentary film '' Soul to Soul''. In 2004, the movie was released on DVD with an accompanying soundtrack album. McCann had a stroke in the mid-1990s, but he returned to music in 2002, when ''Pump it Up'' was released, and continued to release music until 2018. He also exhibited his work as a painter and photographer.


Death

McCann died from pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital on December 29, 2023, at age 88.


Legacy

McCann's recordings have been widely
sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...
in hip hop music, mostly in the 1990s and 2000s, by nearly 300 acts. These include
A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...
,
Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...
,
De La Soul De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...
, the Notorious B.I.G.,
Sean Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Ve ...
,
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
,
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
,
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...
,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...
,
the Pharcyde The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles in 1989. The original four members of the group are Imani (rapper), Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson ...
, Eric B. & Rakim,
Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...
,
Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...
and
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...
.


Discography

Source:


As leader

* '' Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960) * '' Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Shout'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960; Sunset, 1970) * '' Les McCann Ltd. in San Francisco'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * '' Pretty Lady'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * '' Les McCann Sings'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * '' Somethin' Special'' with Richard "Groove" Holmes (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * '' Les McCann Ltd. in New York'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * '' On Time'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * '' The Gospel Truth'' (Pacific Jazz, 1963) * '' Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Shampoo'' (Pacific Jazz, 1963) * '' McCanna'' (Pacific Jazz, 1963) * '' Jazz Waltz'' with the Jazz Crusaders (Pacific Jazz, 1963) * '' Spanish Onions'' (Pacific Jazz, 1964) * '' McCann/Wilson'' with Gerald Wilson (Pacific Jazz, 1964) * '' Soul Hits'' (Pacific Jazz, 1964) * '' Beaux J. Pooboo'' (Limelight, 1965) * '' But Not Really'' (Limelight, 1965) * '' Les McCann Plays the Hits'' (Limelight, 1966) * '' A Bag of Gold'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * '' Live at Shelly's Manne-Hole'' (Limelight, 1966) * '' Live at Bohemian Caverns–Washington, D.C.'' (Limelight, 1967) * '' Bucket o' Grease'' (Limelight, 1967) * '' From the Top of the Barrel'' (Pacific Jazz, 1967) * ''More or Les McCann'' (World Pacific, 1969) * '' Much Les'' (Atlantic, 1969) * '' Swiss Movement'' with Eddie Harris (Atlantic, 1969) * '' New from the Big City'' (World Pacific, 1970) * '' Comment'' (Atlantic, 1970) * ''
Second Movement ''Second Movement'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris and pianist/vocalist Les McCann recorded in 1971 and released on the Atlantic Records, Atlantic label.
'' with Eddie Harris (Atlantic, 1971) * '' Invitation to Openness'' (Atlantic, 1972) * '' Talk to the People'' (Atlantic, 1972) * '' Live at Montreux'' (Atlantic, 1973) * ''
Layers Layer or layered may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Layers'' (Kungs album) * ''Layers'' (Les McCann album) * ''Layers'' (Royce da 5′9″ album) *“Layers”, the title track of Royce da 5′9″’s sixth studio album * Layer, a ...
'' (Atlantic, 1973) * '' Another Beginning'' (Atlantic, 1974) * ''Doldinger Jubilee '75'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''Hustle to Survive'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''River High, River Low'' (Atlantic, 1976) * ''Music Lets Me Be'' (ABC/Impulse!, 1977) * ''Change, Change, Change '' (ABC/Impulse!, 1977) * ''The Man'' (A&M, 1978) * ''Tall, Dark & Handsome'' (A&M, 1979) * ''The Longer You Wait'' (Jam, 1983) * ''Music Box'' (Jam, 1984) * ''Road Warriors'' with
Houston Person Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing music, swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He re ...
(Greene Street, 1984) * ''Butterfly'' (Stone, 1988) * ''Les Is More'' (Night, 1990) * ''On the Soul Side'' (MusicMasters, 1994) * ''Listen Up!'' (MusicMasters, 1996) * ''Pacifique'' with Joja Wendt (MusicMasters, 1998) * ''How's Your Mother?'' (32 Jazz, 1998) * ''Pump It Up'' (ESC, 2002) *''Vibrations: Funkin' Around Something Old Something New (Jazz Legend Project)'' (Leafage Jazz/Pony Canyon, 2003) * ''The Shout'' (American Jazz Classics, 2011) * ''28 Juillet'' (Fremeaux, 2018)


As sideman

*
Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone ...
, '' It's About Time'' (Pacific Jazz, 1960) * Richard "Groove" Holmes, ''
Groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * Richard "Groove" Holmes, '' Tell It Like It Tis'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) *
Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...
, ''
Stormy Monday "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast bl ...
'' (Capitol, 1962) *
Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...
, '' That's Where It's At'' (Blue Note, 1962) * Clifford Scott, ''Out Front'' (Pacific Jazz, 1963) * Stanley Turrentine, '' Straight Ahead'' (Blue Note, 1985) *
Cash McCall ''Cash McCall'' is a 1960 American romantic drama film in Technicolor from Warner Bros., produced by Henry Blanke, directed by Joseph Pevney, and starring James Garner and Natalie Wood. The film's screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Marion Ha ...
, ''Cash Up Front'' (Stone, 1988) *
Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...
, ''Deep Pocket'' (Kokopelli, 1994) *
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...
, ''Soul Insider'' (ESC Records, 2000)


References


External links


Official website

Biography

Les McCann Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2015) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCann, Les 1935 births 2023 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists African-American jazz musicians African-American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Atlantic Records artists CTI Records artists Hard bop pianists Jazz musicians from Kentucky Jazz-funk pianists Los Angeles City College alumni Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky Post-bop pianists Singers from Kentucky Soul-jazz pianists Deaths from pneumonia in California