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 | Jackie McLean: The Complete Jubilee Sessions (CD: Lone Hill Jazz)
Price: £10.99 |
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Jackie McLean: 4,5 and 6 (CD: Prestige RVG)
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 | Jackie McLean Quintet: Lights Out! (CD: Prestige- US Import) A perpetual favorite among Jackie McLeans earlier recordings, Lights Out! finds the hard-swinging young alto saxophonist in 1956 still very much under the wing of Charlie Parker, who had died less than a year earlier. Yet McLean was beginning to find ways out of the seductive artistic security of Bird imitations. For one thing, he was experimenting with tonal variations. For another, he was working with Charles Mingus, and Minguss genius as a leader included forcing musicians to look deeply into their most cherished stylistic practices. The McLean of Lights Out! is the hot young bebopper with a slightly acid edge to his sound and a solid blues foundation under everything he played. McLean and trumpeter Donald Byrd occasionally engage in the pecking technique of mutual improvisation they developed as members of the George Wallington Quintet. (Fantasy, Inc.)
Price: £15.49 |
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Jackie McLean: Prestige Profiles (CD: Prestige) includes Prestige compilation bonus disc.
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 | Jackie McLean: Swing Swang Swingin' (Vinyl LP: Blue Note- US Import)
Price: £11.99 |
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Jackie McLean: Capuchin Swing (CD: Blue Note RVG) This is pure, exceptional hard bop by Jackie McLean with Blue Mitchell, Walter Bishop, Jr., Paul Chambers and Art Taylor with all the wonderful elements of any classic Blue Note album: memorable compositions, strong solos and great feeling. But Capuchin Swing also finds the great alto saxophonist looking toward new frontiers with the harmonically edgy "Francisco." (Blue Note Records)
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 | Jackie McLean: Jackie's Bag (CD: Blue Note)
Price: £8.99 |
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Jackie McLean: Bluesnik (CD: Blue Note RVG) The second great McLean record after 'New Soil' and 19 months on he turns his alto to a celebration of the blues in collaboration with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and a rhythm section of Kenny Drew, Doug Watkins and, once again, drummer Pete La Roca. The title track is a dashing, high-energy workout featuring one of the leader's finest and most logical solos to date. The other tracks are moving and intriguing blues-based essays, two by pianist Drew who reveals himself as a most lyrical and sympathetic accompanist. A delight.
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 | Jackie McLean: One Step Beyond (CD: Blue Note RVG) This 1963 album was an exciting, innovative fence-mender that drew together the warring factions of the hard boppers versus the avant gardists. Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean's roots reached back into the forties where he learned from Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. On this album, he wedded swing with freer musical expression, and introduced four giants to the jazz world: trombonist/composer Grachan Moncur III, vibist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Eddie Khan, and drummer Tony Williams, who at 17 years of age was a month from joining the Miles Davis Quintet. The music remains fresh and exhilarating to this day driven by a youngster's masterful, innovative approach to the drums. An alternate take is added to the original album for this Rudy Van Gelder remaster. (Blue Note Records)
Price: £8.99 |
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Jackie McLean: Destination Out! (CD: Blue Note RVG- US Import) A Blue Note classic from 1963 and a sequel to the compelling 'One Step Beyond', this time with a rhythm section featuring Larry Ridley and Roy Haynes. A searching tranquility pervades these performances whose harmonic ambiguity, heightened by the absence of piano in favour of Bobby Hutcherson's vibes, pushes McLean further away than 'Let Freedom Ring', if not into abstraction. The presence of Grachan Moncur III also, in a compostional sense (he contributes three out of the four originals here) as well as trombonist, acts as a perfect foil to McLean's expressively bittersweet statements. Their affectingly lachrymal and desolate solos on 'Love and Hate' could be interpreted as eulogies to the passing of bop.
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 | Jackie McLean: New And Old Gospel (CD: Blue Note RVG) Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was among the most open-minded musicians of his generations and was experimenting with free playing as early as 1962. This unusual March 24, 1967 session added guest artist Ornette Coleman (playing only trumpet!) to McLeans regular quartet. The material ranges from McLeans powerful four-part suite Lifeline to Ornettes funky, rocking Old Gospel. The music sounds as fresh as if it were recorded yesterday. (Blue Note Records)
Price: £8.99 |
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Jackie McLean: It's Time! (CD: Blue Note Connoisseur) The mid 60s was one of Jackie McLeans most exciting and creative periods, but also one of his most overlooked as this first CD release of Its Time demonstrates. McLean is playing at the top of his game, serving up fiery hard bop with a first-class rhythm section (Herbie Hancock, Cecil McBee and Roy Haynes). This album also introduced to the jazz world the formidable talents of trumpeter/composer Charles Tolliver. An unrecognized classic. (Blue Note Records)
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 | Jackie McLean: Demon's Dance (CD: Blue Note RVG) Demons Dance, recorded in December 1967, was Jackie McLeans last Blue Note album. And like everything he did, it was infused with fresh ideas, swing, and unbridled passion. Jack DeJohnette drives this quintet without mercy and everyone rallies. Trumpeter/composer Woody Shaw is especially powerful throughout this varied set of two originals each by McLean, Shaw, and Cal Massey. (Blue Note Records)
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Jackie McLean: New Wine In Old Bottles (CD: Test Of Time) Recorded on April 6 and 7, 1978 at Sound Ideas Studios in New York, this recording documents a unique pairing of hard-bop alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and The Great Jazz Trio - consisting of Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. In a reunion of sorts with Tony, and backed by the excellent and extremely tight Great Jazz Trio, Jackie McLean plays two of his well-known compositions, "Little Melonae" and "Appointment in Ghana" - the tracks listed appropriately with the word "Again" added on. It is fitting that the album ends with "Confirmation" by Charlie Parker. Sadly, Jackie McLean passed away on March 31, 2006 at the age of 73. His recordings will continue to live on. (The Woods)
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