The American jazz pianist, singer and composer has died at the age of 88.
The American jazz pianist, singer and composer Les McCann died last Friday, December 29th at the age of 88. The news of his death delivered his long-time manager, Alan Abrahams, last weekend. McCann died in a Los Angeles hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. He had previously spent his final days in a nursing home in the Los Angeles area.
McCann’s influence on the hip hop world
Les McCann was one of the most important representatives of so-called soul jazz, whose influence reached far beyond the genre. His musical relevance across generations was also demonstrated by the fact that he was heard by artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest and many other hip-hop greats were increasingly used as a source for samples. His best-known piece is “Compared to What,” a protest song against the Vietnam War.
He was born in Kentucky in 1935 and grew up in a musical family. McCann taught himself to play the piano at the age of six. After his military service in the Navy in San Francisco, he settled in Los Angeles, where his career began in the late 1950s. Eventually he went on tour with greats like Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Santana. By the time of his death, Les McCann had released more than 50 albums.