Search - Artist/Band: Les McCann

• Name: Les McCann
• Birthday: 09/23/1935
• Birth Place: Lexington, KY
• Decades Active: 1960,1970,1980,1990,2000
• Genre: Jazz
• Styles: Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz, Post-Bop, Jazz-Funk
• Moods: Earthy, Ethereal, Hypnotic, Organic, Energetic, Joyous, Playful, Reverent, Rollicking, Sophisticated

Title	Release
Only the Best of Les McCann	06/30/2009
Jazz Legend Project W	03/08/2004
Pump It Up	09/17/2002
Another Beginning/Hustle to Survive W	09/12/2000
Talk to the People/River High, River Low W	06/22/1999
20 Special Fingers: Much Les & Catbird Seat W	04/27/1999
Talkin' Verve W	06/23/1998
Pacifique	02/10/1998
The Best of Les McCann W	1996
Listen Up	1995
On the Soul Side	01/1994
Les McCann Anthology: Relationships W	1993
Butterfly W	1988
The Longer You Wait W	1983
River High, River Low W	1976
Hustle to Survive W	1975
Another Beginning W	1974
Layers W	11/1972
Talk to the People W	05/1972
Invitation to Openness W	1971
Comment W	07/1970
Much Les W	06/1969
But Not Really W	12/1964

Les McCann reached the peak of his career at the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival, recording "Compared to What" and "Cold Duck Time" for Atlantic (Swiss Movement) with Eddie Harris and Benny Bailey. Although he has done some worthwhile work since then, much of it has been anti-climactic.

McCann first gained some fame in 1956 when he won a talent contest in the Navy as a singer that resulted in an appearance on television on The Ed Sullivan Show. After being discharged, he formed a trio in Los Angeles. McCann turned down an invitation to join the Cannonball Adderley Quintet so he could work on his own music. He signed a contract with Pacific Jazz and in 1960 gained some fame with his albums Les McCann Plays the Truth and The Shout. His soulful, funk style on piano was influential and McCann's singing was largely secondary until the mid-'60s. He recorded many albums for Pacific Jazz during 1960-1964, mostly with his trio but also featuring Ben Webster, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Pass, the Jazz Crusaders, and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. McCann switched to Limelight during 1965-1967 and then signed with Atlantic in 1968. After the success of Swiss Movement, McCann emphasized his singing at the expense of his playing and he began to utilize electric keyboards, notably on 1972's Layers. His recordings became less interesting to traditional jazz fans from that point on, and after his Atlantic contract ran out in 1976, McCann appeared on records much less often. However, he stayed popular and a 1994 reunion tour with Eddie Harris was quite successful. A mid-'90s stroke put him out of action for a time and weakened his keyboard playing (his band began carrying an additional keyboardist) but Les McCann returned to a more active schedule during 1996 and was still a powerful singer. His comeback was solidified by 2002's Pump It Up, a guest-heavy celebration of funk and jazz released on ESC Records. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide