Les McCann Death: When did Les McCann pass away?

Les McCann was an American jazz pianist and vocalist known for his innovations in soul jazz and his 1969 recording of the protest song “Compared to What.”

His recordings, primarily from the 1990s and 2000s, have been sampled by nearly 300 hip-hop acts, including A Tribe Called Quest, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, B.I.G., Sean Combs, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Mary J. Blige, Pharcyde, Eric B. & Rakim, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr, and Raekwon.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Les McCann grew up in a musical family with three sisters, most of whom sang in church choirs. He was largely self-taught as a pianist and attended Los Angeles City College. At 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and won a singing contest, leading to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. After leaving the Navy, McCann moved to California and played in his trio. The trio’s first job was at the Purple Onion Club in 1959.

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 with the song “Compared to What,” which reached the Billboard pop charts. McCann became an innovator in soul jazz, merging jazz with funk, soul, and world rhythms. In 1971, he and Eddie Harris performed a 14-hour concert in Accra, Ghana, which was recorded for the documentary film Soul to Soul.

McCann had a stroke in the mid-1990s, but returned to music in 2002 and continued to release music until 2018. He also exhibited his work as a painter and photographer.

Les McCann Death: When did Les McCann pass away?

McCann passed away in Los Angeles after being admitted with pneumonia at a hospital. His longtime manager, Alan Abrahams, confirmed his death. McCann died on 29 December 2023. He had been living in a skilled nursing facility in the Van Nuys neighborhood for four years.

Source: DKlassgh.net