Les McCann, Innovative Jazz Musician, Singer Dies at 88

FILE - Jazz and soul pianist and singer Les McCann performs on stage June 30, 2006, in Montreux, Switzerland.

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 Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest and hundreds of other hip-hop performers, has died. He was 88.