This was Jackie McLean’s debut album and was recorded in 1955 with the help and support of Donald Byrd, Mal Waldron and Ronald Tucker. Nice to have a lineup like this to assist you in presenting your first album. But this was very common and where I separate Jazz musicians from the others, they were/are always helping each other all the times and I admire them for that reason. I’m not a musician but I see it in all these classic/traditional albums I have, as I learn and discover more everyday. I also see it now, how current Jazz musicians help and support each other. This album”Presenting Jackie McLean” will be featured here for a few weeks and placed on the Hard Bop playlist afterwards. Check the schedule link for play times, great album, enjoy!
About the Album:
Jackie McLean hasn’t had too many kind things to say about the recordings he made prior to signing with Blue Note in 1959. The alto saxophonist is quick to dismiss his pre-1959 work, which he feels pales in comparison to his stunning Blue Note output of 1959-1967. But while it is true that McLean recorded his most adventurous and essential albums for Blue Note, the saxman’s pre-Blue Note recordings aren’t without merit. Recorded in 1955, Presenting Jackie McLean contains his first recordings as a leader. Joined by trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Ronald Tucker, a 24-year-old McLean leads a conventional bop date that ranges from two originals…..Read More
