Jackie McLean



Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean (1931-2006) was raised in a musical family and also a New York neighborhood full of well-respected musicians. As a young musician he was mentored by Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. He possessed a distinctive tone, closer to the tenor saxophone and sometimes described as piercing or searing. He was also a great interpreter of the blues. His earliest recordings were made when he was still in his teens.

Jackie McLean - Episode 1

CompositionArtistAlbumYear
Sentimental JourneyJackie McLean4 5 and 61956
Tempus FugitBud PowellJazz Legacy of Bud Powell1949
Blowing the Blues AwayBilly EckstineOrchestra1944
KokoCharlie ParkerBird in Time (live radio)ca.1947
DigMiles DavisDig1951
UpJackie McLeanLights Out!1956
OutburstJackie McLeanJackie McLean Quartet1957

Jackie McLean - Episode 2

McLean was under contract with Blue Note Records from 1959 to 1967, having previously recorded for Prestige. Blue Note offered better pay and more artistic control than other jazz labels. His work on Blue Note is highly regarded and includes leadership and sideman dates with a wide range of musicians, including Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Lee Morgan, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, Bobby Hutcherson, Mal Waldron, and many others. He later became an exponent of modal jazz without abandoning his foundation in hard bop.
CompositionArtistAlbumYear
Davis CupJackie McLeanNew Soil1959
Hip StrutJackie McLeanNew Soil1959
Minor ApprehensionJackie McLeanNew Soil1959
QuadrangleJackie McLeanJackie's Bag1959
Appointment In GhanaJackie McLeanJackie's Bag1960
Isle of JavaJackie McLeanJackie's Bag1960

Jackie McLean - Episode 3

In 1962 he recorded Let Freedom Ring for Blue Note. This album was the culmination of attempts he had made over the years to deal with harmonic problems in jazz, incorporating ideas from the free jazz developments of Ornette Coleman. He performed with young avant-garde jazz musicians rather than the veteran hard bop performers he had been playing with previously. His adaptation of modal and free jazz innovations to his vision of hard bop made his recordings distinctive.
CompositionArtistAlbumYear
VertigoJackie McLeanVertigo1963
OmegaJackie McLeanLet Freedom Ring1962
Khalil the ProphetJackie McLeanDestination Out1963
MarneyJackie McLeanVertigo1963
On The NileJackie McLeanJacknife1965
ClimaxJackie McLeanJacknife1965