McCann died Friday in Los Angeles a week after being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to his longtime manager and producer, Alan Abrahams.
Les McCann, a prolific and influential musician and recording artist who helped found the soul-jazz genre and became a favorite source for sampling by
Among those covering “Compared to What” was Roberta Flack, a McCann protégé whose career he helped launch by setting up an audition with Atlantic Records. McCann was a pioneer in merging jazz with soul and funk. He would record with Flack and tour with such popular musicians as Wilson Pickett, Santana and the Staples Singers.
His other albums included “Talk to the People” (1972), “Layers” (1973) and “Another Beginning” (1974). Last month, Resonance Records issued “Never A Dull Moment! – Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967).”
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