Legendary Musician Dead At 88

Musician Les McCann, who was a singer and jazz pianist, has reportedly died at the age of 88. McCann was a legend in American music, making many contributions to music that will never be forgotten.

The New York Times reports on his unfortunate passing…

Les McCann, a jazz pianist and vocalist who was an early progenitor of the bluesy, crowd-pleasing style that came to be known as soul jazz, and who, although he released more than 50 albums, was best known for a happenstance hit from 1969, died on Friday in Los Angeles. He was 88.

His death, at a hospital where he had been admitted with pneumonia, was confirmed on Monday by Alan Abrahams, his longtime manager and a producer of several of his albums. Mr. McCann had lived for the past four years at a skilled nursing facility in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Mr. McCann’s earthy, uplifting approach to music was a product of his upbringing in a churchgoing family. As he came to emphasize his singing more and play electric keyboards, his albums, released from 1960 to 2018, influenced funk and R&B artists and became a rich vein for hip-hop artists to mine.

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

Rest in peace, legend!