Les McCann (1935-2023)

Les McCann, a self-taught soul-jazz pianist and singer whose essence and feel were deeply rooted in the black church of his youth and the bars in black neighborhoods where jukeboxes were stocked with early soul-pop and blues singers such as Al Hibbler, Arthur Prysock, Ray Charles. Brook Benton, Clyde McPhatter and Floyd Dixon, died on December 29. He was 88.

The freedom of McCann's playing and his earthy and original collaborations with saxophonist Eddie Harris led to seminal works that deeply influenced the direction of soul-jazz electric fusion that came to dominate black FM radio in the pre-disco years of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Starting in the late 1960s, McCann's music also became attuned to the Civil Rights movement, providing a sophisticated soundtrack and the musical equivalent of black ministers' speeches. It was impossible not to feel McCann's vibe and the heart he put into his playing.

McCann emerged at the start of the 1960s, in the wake of funk-gospel jazz pianists such as Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons. McCann also was a contemporary of leading soul-jazz players such as Ramsey Lewis, Billy Taylor and Ray Bryant. Over time, McCann came to be the best-known and most celebrated exponent of the style.

His first recording with his Les McCann Ltd. trio was on an album by tenor saxophonist Teddy Edwards—It's About Time, for the Pacific Jazz label. McCann's first stand-alone trio session came shortly after for the same label. Among the four tracks taped was They Can't Take That Away From Me, which isolated his powerful, percussive attack.

As a sideman, McCann at times ran into trouble. Jazz group and recording-session leaders looking for steady and simple chord accompaniment from McCann's piano often found themselves on edge. His jagged and dominating style could pose a distraction and come off as somewhat competitive. Ultimately, any disunity was their loss, as McCann went on to record and perform mostly as a leader and became a highly revered and successful one at that.

Let's listen to 10 of my favorite clips by McCann, which are from his early years but will provide you with a foundation and road forward if you choose to explore his discography:

Here's Beve's Comjumulations from Teddy Edwards's 1959 album It's About Time, with McCann's trio known formally as Les McCann Ltd.—with Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Ron Jefferson (d)...



Here's They Can't Take That Away From Me, with just the Ltd. trio...



Here's The Truth, from the album of the same name recorded in 1960 with the same trio...



Here's Jeepers Creepers, from late 1960 recorded live at San Francisco's Jazz Workshop, with Herbie Lewis (b) and Ron Jefferson (d). The piece illustrates McCann's fondness for unusual pacing that gave songs a singular feel...



Here's I'll Take Romance, from McCann's 1961 album Pretty Lady, with the same personnel as above Again, playing this jazz standard his way...



Here's Wonder Why from Les McCann Sings, recorded in 1961 and backed by a big band under the direction of Gerald Wilson. The band: Jimmy Zito, John Audino, Ray Triscari and Charlie Meeks (tp); Bob Edmondson and John “Streamline" Ewing (tb); Ken Shroyer (b-tb); Buddy Collette and Charles Lloyd (fl,as); Teddy Edwards and Harold Land (ts); Jack Nimitz (bar); Les McCann (p,vcl); Herbie Lewis (b); Ron Jefferson (d) and Gerald Wilson (arr,dir)...



Here's The Shampoo, from the album of the same name, recorded at the end of 1961. The gospel-jazz song became a signature number for McCann...



Here's Back at the Chicken Shack, a groovy blues off of his Soul Hits album, recorded in 1963, backed by Joe Pass (g), Paul Chambers (b) and Paul Humphrey (d)...



Here's the famed performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969 that was released on vinyl as Swiss Movement, one of McCann's best-known albums. The band: Benny Bailey (tp), Eddie Harris (ts), Les McCann (p,vcl), Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Donald Dean (d). It includes Harris's Cold Duck and Gene McDaniels' Compared to What. Both were Billboard R&B chart hits, and the album reached No. 1 on Billboard's jazz album chart, No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 29 on the pop LP chart. Note that Ella Fitzgerald was in the audience and would perform the following night. Here's the concert...



And here's Sometimes I Cry, from McCann's 1972 album Layers, one of my favorites. McCann was among the first jazz artists to fully exploit the Fender Rhodes electric piano and other electronic keyboards within his soulful approach. The mood and construction are sublime and remain a soul game-changer. The band: Les McCann (p,el-p,clavinet,synt,d,tymp), Jimmy Rowser (b-1,el-b-2,perc,bells), Ralph MacDonald (perc,cga,bells,d), Donald Dean (d,perc,bells) and Buck Clarke (cga,d,bgo,perc,bells,blocks). The rest of the album's tracks follow individually...



Bonus: Here's McCann playing and singing Marvin Gaye's What's Going On on his 1972 album Talk to the People. The band: Les McCann (p,vcl), acc by Keith Loving (g), Jimmy Rowser (b), Donald Dean and Buck Clarke (d), and The Persuasions added—Billy Barnes, Joel Dorn, Sister Charlotte, Eugene McDaniels and Susan McDaniels...