Jackie McLean

Jackie McLean (born John Lenwood McLean on May 17, 1931, in Harlem, New York; died March 31, 2006, in Hartford, Connecticut) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. His father, John McLean Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw’s band. After his father’s death in 1939, his godfather, his stepfather—who ran a record shop—and several teachers continued his musical education. Neighbors Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker also offered informal guidance. While still in high school, McLean performed with Kenny Drew and Sonny Rollins.

In 1951, at age 20, McLean appeared with Rollins on Miles Davis’s Dig. He went on to record with Gene Ammons, Charles Mingus (including Pithecanthropus Erectus), and George Wallington, and joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. An early hard-bop musician, he began recording as a leader for Prestige in 1955 and moved to Blue Note in 1959, working with the label through 1967.

Let Freedom Ring (1962) marked a turning point. McLean brought ideas about harmony and rhythm associated with Ornette Coleman’s free jazz into his hard-bop vocabulary. Albums including One Step Beyond (1963), Destination… Out! (1964), and Action, made with Grachan Moncur III, Bobby Hutcherson, and Tony Williams, became bridges between hard bop and the “New Thing.” Known for recognizing emerging talent, he helped foster the early careers of Tina Brooks, Charles Tolliver, Larry Willis, Bill Hardman, Tony Williams, and Jack DeJohnette. He also took part with Freddie Redd in performances and recordings of Jack Gelber’s play The Connection.

Beginning in 1968, McLean taught at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. He later founded its Department of African American Music—now the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz—and its bachelor’s program in jazz studies. In 1970, he, his wife Dollie, and bassist Paul Brown co-founded Hartford’s Artists Collective. In 2001 he was named an NEA Jazz Master; the year he died, he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where his black granite headstone bears an image of him playing saxophone. His son René McLean is also a saxophonist and jazz educator.

The two albums featured here represent different stages of his work. Bluesnik (1962, Blue Note BLP 4067), recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Pepper Adams, and others, is a hard-bop landmark. Let Freedom Ring (1963, Blue Note BLP 4106) signals his move toward a freer musical language and is essential to understanding his mid-career transformation.