02/01/2024
Less McCann
💁Born in 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky, LES MCCANN (left) was a self-taught musician 🎶(aside from the four piano lessons he received as a youth from a nice old lady who lived in the neighborhood). While stationed in California in the Navy, he took every opportunity to visit the jazz clubs of San Francisco, where he was introduced to the music of Miles Davis. Following his discharge from the Army, McCann moved to Los Angeles and formed a trio, Les McCann Ltd., which became a Sunset Strip favorite in the late '50s.
👉Settling in California in 1959, he began accompanying singer Eugene McDaniels, although he soon formed his own trio, with which he played frequently in New York clubs in the early 1960s. Always fueled by his renegade spirit, Les McCann was recommended by Miles Davis to play with Cannonball Adderley, and turned him down to back up pop vocalist Gene McDaniels (100 Pounds of Clay). In 1960, McCann was signed to the Los Angeles-based Pacific Jazz label, owned by producer Nick Venet, who recognized Les' signature soul groove, which gave rise to an entire roots jazz movement. McCann became the label's best-selling artist, debuting with Plays the Truth (1960).
👉After playing in the West Coast jazz scene, he achieved some success when he began to sing, especially with the song "Compared to What". He frequently traveled to Europe and began to experiment with synthesizers and electric sounds, in addition to promoting musicians such as Roberta Flack or Monty Alexander and participating in major concerts with R&B and rock figures, such as the Accra concert (1971) collected in the film "Soul to Soul." In the mid-1990s, and after a tour with Eddie Harris, a heart attack permanently separated him from the music scene. He has recently left us but his music will always remain.
