- Jackie McLean
Infobox musical artist
Name = Jackie McLean
Img_capt =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = John Lenwood McLean
Born = 1931
Died = 2006
Instrument =alto saxophone
Genre =Bop Hard bop Modal jazz
Progressive jazzMainstream jazz Post-bop
Occupation = musician,bandleader ,composer , educator, community activist
Years_active = 1951-2004John Lenwood (Jackie) McLean (
May 17 1931 –March 31 2006 ; some sources erroneously give 1932 as his year of birth) was an Americanjazz altosaxophonist , composer, bandleader and educator, born inNew York City .Biography
His father, John Sr., who died in 1939, played
guitar inTiny Bradshaw 's orchestra. After his father's death, his musical education was continued by his godfather, by his stepfather, who owned a record store, and by several noted teachers. He also received informal tutoring from neighboursThelonious Monk ,Bud Powell , andCharlie Parker . During high school he played in a band withKenny Drew ,Sonny Rollins , and Andy Kirk Jr. (the tenor saxophonist son ofAndy Kirk ).He recorded with
Miles Davis , on Davis' "Dig" album, when he was 19 years old. Rollins played on the same album. As a young man McLean also recorded withGene Ammons ,Charles Mingus , andGeorge Wallington , and as a member ofArt Blakey 's Jazz Messengers. McLean reportedly joined the Jazz Messengers after being punched by the notoriously volatile Mingus. Fearing for his life, McLean pulled out a knife and contemplated stabbing Mingus in self-defence and later stated that he was grateful that he did not stab the bassist [liner notes to the album "Dynasty"] . His early recordings as leader were in thehard bop school. He later became an exponent ofmodal jazz without abandoning his foundation in hard bop. Throughout his career he was known for his distinctive tone (often described with such adjectives as "withering", "piercing", or "searing"), his slightly sharp pitch, and a strong foundation inblues .McLean was a
heroin addict throughout his early career, and the resulting loss of hisNew York City cabaret card forced him to undertake a large number of recording dates; consequently, he produced a large body of recorded work in the 1950s and 1960s. He was under contract withBlue Note Records from 1959 to 1967, having previously recorded for Prestige. Blue Note offered better pay and more artistic control than other labels, and his work for Blue Note is highly regarded. McLean recorded as a leader with a wide range of musicians during this period, includingDonald Byrd ,Sonny Clark ,Ornette Coleman ,Dexter Gordon ,Billy Higgins ,Freddie Hubbard ,Grachan Moncur III ,Bobby Hutcherson andMal Waldron , among many others.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 thefree jazz developments ofOrnette Coleman , especially in soloing on his piece "Quadrangle," as seen in the difference between it and the version of "Quadrangle" on BST 4051, "Jackie's Bag ", recorded in 1959. "Let Freedom Ring" began a period in which he performed withavant-garde jazz musicians rather than the veteranhard bop performers he had been playing with previously. His adaptation ofmodal jazz and free jazz innovations to his vision of hard bop made his recordings from 1962 on distinctive. In early 1964, he served six months in prison on drug charges.McLean recorded with dozens of well-known musicians and had a gift for spotting talent. Saxophonist
Tina Brooks , trumpeterCharles Tolliver , pianistLarry Willis , trumpeterBill Hardman , and tubistRay Draper were among those who benefited from McLean's support in the 1950s and 1960s. Drummers such asTony Williams ,Jack DeJohnette ,Lenny White ,Michael Carvin , and Carl Allen gained important early experience with McLean.In 1967, his recording contract, like those of many other progressive musicians, was terminated by Blue Note's new management. His opportunities to record promised so little pay that he abandoned recording as a way to earn a living, concentrating instead on touring. In 1968, he began teaching at
The Hartt School of theUniversity of Hartford . He later set up the university's African American Music Department (now the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz) and its Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies program.In 1970, he and his wife,
Dollie McLean , founded theArtists Collective, Inc. of Hartford, an organization dedicated to preserving the art and culture of theAfrican Diaspora . It provides educational programs and instruction in dance, theatre, music and visual arts. The membership of McLean's later bands were drawn from his students in Hartford, including Steve Davis and his stepson René, who is a jazz saxophonist and flautist as well as a jazz educator. Also, in McLean's Hartford group wasMark Berman , the jazz pianist and broadway conductor of Smokey Joe's Cafe and Rent.He received an American Jazz Masters fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Arts in 2001 and numerous other national and international awards. McLean was the only American jazz musician to found a department of studies at a University and a community based organization almost simultaneously. Each has existed for over three decades.After a long illness, McLean died on
March 31 ,2006 , inHartford, Connecticut Discography
;
Prestige Records
*"The New Tradition
*4, 5 & 6
*Lights Out!
*Jackie's Pal
*McLean's Scene
*Jackie McLean And Co.
*A Long Drink of the Blues
*Strange Blues
*Makin' The Changes
*Alto Madness";Blue Note
*"Swing, Swang, Swingin"' (1959)
*"New Soil" (1959)
*"The Connection (Soundtrack) " (1960)
*"Capuchin Swing" (1960)
*"Bluesnik" (1961)
*"Jackie's Bag" (1961)
*"Let Freedom Ring " (1962)
*"One Step Beyond" (1963)
*"Destination...Out!" (1963)
*"Vertigo" (1963)
*"Action" (1964)
*"Jacknife" ("sic") (1965)
*"Right Now!" (1965)
*"Demon's Dance" (1967)
*"New and Old Gospel" (1968);SteepleChase
*"Ode to Super" (1973)
*"New York Calling" (1974)
*"Dr. Jackle" (1979; recorded in 1966)
*"Contour" (1980)
*"Dynasty" (1990)
*"Nature Boy" (2000)Films
*"The Connection", as himself (Dir.
Shirley Clarke )
*"Jackie McLean on Mars "(1980), as himself (Dir. Ken Levis)
*"Ken Burns' Jazz" (2000), as himself (Dir.Ken Burns )References
External links
* [http://www.music-city.org/Jackie-McLean/discography/ Jackie McLean complete discography from Music City]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B6185 All Music Guide]
* [http://www.musicweb.uk.net/encyclopaedia/ MusicWeb]
* [http://www.iaje.org/bio.asp?ArtistID=2 NEA Jazz Masters]
* [http://artistscollective.org/history.htm Official history of the Artists Collective Inc.]
* [http://www.connectforkids.org/node/2702 History of the Artists Collective Inc.]
* [http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/mclean.html Jackie McLean on the Hard Bop Home Page]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1745370,00.html Obituary in "The Guardian" (London) by John Fordham, April 3, 2006]
* [http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/artsandculture/htfd_courant_040106_b.asp "Blues for Jackie," Obituary by Owen McNally in Hartford "Courant" (Hartford, CT) April 1, 2006]
* [http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/collections-old/williamson-interviews.html New England Jazz History Database - Audio Interviews]
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