DER US-AMERIKANISCHE JAZZ-PIANIST, SÄNGER UND KOMPONIST LES MCCANN IST GESTORBEN

01.01.2024 Der am 23. September 1935 in Lexington (Kentucky) geborene US-amerikanische Jazz-Pianist, Sänger und Komponist Les McCann (Bild) ist am 29. Dezember 2023 in Los Angeles gestorben. Er gehörte zu den Pionieren des Soul Jazz. 1969 trat Les McCann zusammen mit dem Saxophonisten Eddie Harris am Montreux Jazz Festival auf und hatte danach mit dem Song "Compared to What", der auf dem Album "Swiss Movement" erschien, einen Charterfolg (u. a. gecovert von Al Jarreau). Das Lied ist eine politische Kritik am Vietnam-Krieg. "Compared To What" wurde ursprünglich von Roberta Flack, als deren Entdecker McCann gilt, aufgenommen, und es ist das erste Stück auf ihrem Debütalbum. In den 1970er-Jahren veröffentlichte Les McCann zahlreiche Platten als Sänger, mit deutlichen Soul- und Funk-Einflüssen. (*) Les McCann arbeitete u.a. mit Leroy Vinnegar, Ron Jefferson, Stanley Turrentine, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Wilson Pickett, The Staple Singers, Santana, Ike & Tina Turner und Klaus Doldinger zusammen.

Bild oben: Les McCann - Foto: Clemens Pfeiffer, 1190 Wien - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les-McCann.jpg

Les McCann - Foto: Brian McMillen / brianmcmillen@hotmail.com - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_McCann.jpg?uselang=de

Bild: Les McCann - Foto: Brian McMillen / brianmcmillen@hotmail.com - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_McCann.jpg?uselang=de

'Compared to What' performer Les McCann, a wellspring for hip-hop samples, dies at 88

McCann was an architect of the soul-jazz sound, helped jazz connect with the counterculture's protest music and provided a wellspring of material for sample-crazed hip-hop stars, including Notorious B.I.G., Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, Warren G., Slick Rick, Dr. Dre and A Tribe Called Quest.

"He brought something from the Black church to jazz," said Abrahams, a prolific producer of gospel albums.

Dennis Romero and Valeriya Antonshchuk and Rudy Chinchilla

https://news.yahoo.com/compared-performer-les-mccann-wellspring-060304171.html

L.A. jazz pianist and ‘Compared to What’ singer Les McCann dies at 88

Jazz pianist and singer Les McCann, best known for his raucous live single “Compared to What” from the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival and later sampled heavily by hip-hop artists, died Friday at a Los Angeles-area hospital, according to his longtime manager and producer Alan Abrahams. (…)

“He was one of the most influential pianists and singers of all time,” said Abrahams, who called McCann an architect of soul jazz. “When he played live, all over the world, people would be enthralled, because he never played it safe. He always took it to the edge and succeeded at it and took the audience with him. For younger people, they’re not making any more Les McCanns.”

Matt Pearce

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-01-01/les-mccann-compared-to-what-jazz-pianist-obituary

Les McCann, Pianist, Singer and Soul Jazz Pioneer, Dies at 88

He released more than 50 albums but had his greatest commercial success with “Compared to What,” a recording that came together at the last minute in 1969.

Andrey Henkin

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/arts/music/les-mccann-dead.html

His music was frequently sampled by hip-hop acts like Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, and Nas

McCann’s initial fame arrived early on for his work as a pianist and singer in his own jazz trio. His breakout moment as a live performer also catapulted what remains to this day to be his biggest hit: the moving protest song “Compared to What.” He debuted the song at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Though it was his first-ever festival appearance, McCann played things fast and loose, suggesting tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey join his trio for an unscheduled performance. Luckily, it was recorded and filmed for broadcast, and despite neither having ever played with McCann before that moment, their onstage rapport resulted in a set so contagious and jovial that “Compared to What” reached No. 35 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Nina Corcoran

https://pitchfork.com/news/les-mccann-soul-jazz-pianist-and-singer-dies-at-88/

Les McCann, Jazz Pioneer Sampled by Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre, Dead at 88

Les McCann, a trailblazing pianist and singer known for fusing strains of jazz, funk, and R&B and pioneering soul jazz, died on Friday at the age of 88.

Julyssa Lopez, Tomás Mier

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/les-mccann-jazz-pioneer-sampled-by-notorious-b-i-g-snoop-dogg-dr-dre-dead-obituary-1234938892/

Jazzmusiker Les McCann ist gestorben

Les McCann galt als Wegbereiter eines Stils, der Jazz mit Funk, Soul und Gospel kombinierte. Der US-Pianist, Sänger und Komponist starb mit 88 Jahren in Los Angeles.

https://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2024-01/jazzmusiker-les-mccann-gestorben-los-angeles

Audios / Videos:

Eddie Harris & Les McCann - Compared To What (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1969)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdDZXKe9QPA

LES McCANN & EDDIE HARRIS - Swiss Movement LP 1969 Full Album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm2t3F8Xoqo

Les McCann - Get Yourself Together (Live at Montreux) (1972)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igXwRnE8TmU

Les McCann Trio (Live video - 1961)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lxeV6WbkPI

Les McCann - NAMM Oral History Program

https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/les-mccann

The Pace Report: "Compared to Les: The Liberating Soul Jazz of Les McCann" The Les McCann Interview, 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIhxcp4auK0

Diverse

https://www.lesmccannunlimited.com/videos

Mehr:

https://www.lesmccannunlimited.com/

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLesMcCann/

https://www.instagram.com/OfficialLesMcCann

https://web.archive.org/web/20070203093424/http://www.cyberstars.com/jazz/les-mccann/

https://web.archive.org/web/20090505060416/http://www.lesmccann-officialwebsite.com/disco.html

https://www.discogs.com/de/artist/44126-Les-McCann

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-mccann-mn0000245760#biography

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564895/

https://web.archive.org/web/20160406112746/http://www.cyberstars.com/jazz/les-mccann/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_McCann

(*) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_McCann

#LesMcCann #CHcultura @CHculturaCH ∆cultura cultura+

Les McCann, Herbie Lewis und Ron Jefferson, 1962 - Foto: F.N. Broers / Anefo - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Les_McCann_Trio_(1962).jpg