Jackie McLean, classic or dud?

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Initially a Parker copyist, stung by jibes from Mingus, he gradually found his voice and moved from post bop to avant garde/free jazz. Not traditionally as celebrated as mnay of those he worked with (Ornette Coleman, Donald Byrd, Eric Dolphy, Lee Morgan etc.) but probably the best alto-sax player of the 60s? Or pitch deaf bandwagon jumper content to take credit for other's talents under the umbrella of his name?

― Alfred the Lion, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

whatya say?

― Alfred the Lion, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I love his playing on 'Pithecanthropus Erectus', but don't know enough of his stuff to properly agree w/dispute yr "best alto-sax player of the 60s" claim.

I think Duane Doorag mentioned a gd McLean alb on another thread recently...

― Andrew L, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not an especially huge fan on his actual playing, but 'Destination Out!' is a great album. I'm shocked that Love and Hate hasn't been sampled for something.

― Jordan, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was listening to Vertigo today, which is two previously unissued early 60s sessions with Donald Byrd etc.. Two dodgy old mods once told me it was the unassailable peak of hard bop, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, his playing is extremely HARD, even violent, but of course it can also be lyrical, and it's lucky that he was so generous in letting his side musicians contribute material and solos to his 60s stuff, cos they are often the highlight of the records. (like Grachan Moncurr's compositions)

I love him when he was making the jump from hard bop to free jazz - the LPs from One Step beyond to Bout Soul, taking in Old and New Gospel - the one he did with Ornette Coleman. he even got Lee Morgan playing free jazz briefly. When free jazz bombed commercially he just gave up.

Actually I prefer him to Mingus, Miles etc. but for pretty personal and idiosyncratic reasons (like - he did't care much about tuning or perfect pitch and his really hard playing reminds me of Dexys ha ha), but I'd understand if people thought he wasn't all that.

― Alasdair, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Jackie McLean is great.

One of the best alto-sax players of the 60s, however not as good as Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton etc.

― Geoffrey Balasoglou, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I'm reviving this thread only because I pulled out "Let Freedom Ring" this week, and was reminded of how great it is. I should really check out more of his albums. The head from "Freedom"'s "Melodie for Melonae" is one of my all-time favorites--Monk derived I suppose, but also seems to anticipate the accessible New Things of Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch." The upper register stuff in McLean’s solo if very expressive, too, and I love how it vacillates between moody and sanguine over its 13 minutes.

― dylan (dylan), Monday, 12 January 2004 11:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i need to hear more. i find his playing on grachan moncur's evolution a wee bit disappointing: like i wish it was dolphy. i have new soil which i'll drag out again as i remember little of it.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 12 January 2004 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

eight years pass...

I find his contributions to Donald Byrd's 'Fuego' very enjoyable. On paper this reads as a strange combination, but it works.

― EvR, Sunday, 4 November 2012 22:33 (thirteen years ago)

The Blue Note Spotify app has led me to dig through a lot of his albums I hadn't been aware of. I always liked Destination Out but there are a lot of other good ones it seems.

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Monday, 5 November 2012 02:11 (thirteen years ago)

seven years pass...

I've got 'Destination...Out!' on the headphones and I am kicking myself for never having heard this album before! It's fantastic! The playing has so much space in it, and it's so tight that whenever the ensemble is playing together it still sounds like a trio... the horn voices meld, the vibes and bass meld, it's just remarkable how thought out it is and how clean it all sounds. Damn!

― justice 4 CCR (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 10 April 2020 23:27 (six years ago)

Of course he's great. "Let Freedom Ring" alone is in the canon of great jazz albums.

― birdistheword, Saturday, 11 April 2020 02:33 (six years ago)

still pissed at myself for selling my copy of “bout soul” a while back like a fucking idiot

― budo jeru, Saturday, 11 April 2020 05:09 (six years ago)

Wanted to post this to the latest revive of this thread but took me a while to find. A long interview on a show called Like It Is with his childhood friend Gil Noble for NYC television. It's a link to a Facebook page so I hope it works.

https://m.facebook.com/argonautadellamusica/videos/746498635728778/

― bryan, Friday, 17 April 2020 23:16 (six years ago)

it works for me and i don’t have a FB so i imagine it works generally. thanks for sharing, will watch tn

― budo jeru, Friday, 17 April 2020 23:35 (six years ago)

six years pass...

this is dope af

JACKIE McLEAN ON MARS - Documentary Directed by Kenneth Levis, 1980 | THE JAZZ LIBRARY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GKXbABB3IA

― Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio, Wednesday, 10 June 2026 06:02 (two days ago)

Was just thinking of seeing him facing off against Sonny Rollins back in the day.

― River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 10 June 2026 06:28 (two days ago)

https://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/gary-giddins-conversation-on-sonny-rollins/

― River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 10 June 2026 06:31 (two days ago)

https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/20/arts/jazz-review-for-rollins-the-swing-is-gentle.html

― River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 10 June 2026 06:33 (two days ago)

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