In a memorial for Les McCann I've been revisiting my Les McCann library (and doing a little streaming oh, the horror). "Compared To What" was getting played on KFML in Denver when I was a lad. I bought my first two jazz LP's; McCann's Swiss Movement and Gil Scott-Heron's Small Talk at 125th and Lenox because of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" during the same record store trip, probably '71 (got my license beginning of '71). I grew up in a big band/swing home, and Les and Gil pointed me down a slightly different path, but still love my big bands. Les had quite a run on the Pacific Jazz label, and then Atlantic. He started with Les McCann Plays The Truth on PJ in 1960, I think. I know he played on Herbie Mann's Deep Pocket release on Kokopelli in '92.
RIP Les McCann
