{"title":"Jackie McLean","description":"\u003cp\u003eJackie McLean (1931-2006) possessed one of the most distinctive alto saxophone sounds in jazz history. Growing up in Harlem with neighbours Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker, he developed a raw, urgent tone that critics described as slightly sharp or out of tune, but this edge became his signature. Recording 21 albums for Blue Note between 1959 and 1967, McLean bridged hard bop and free jazz with visceral intensity, particularly on landmark albums like \u003cem\u003eLet Freedom Ring\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDestination...Out!\u003c\/em\u003e, where he explored modal and avant-garde territories whilst maintaining a bluesy, soulful core.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond his celebrated playing career, McLean became one of jazz's most influential educators. In 1968, he founded the African American Music Department at the University of Hartford (now the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz), and in 1970, with his wife Dollie, established the Artists Collective to teach music and arts to Hartford's inner-city youth. His Blue Note albums remain essential hard bop documents, now widely available through Tone Poet and Classic Vinyl reissues.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"jackie-mclean-one-step-beyond-us-blue-note-vinyl-lp-stereo","title":"Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond (US Blue Note Vinyl LP Stereo)","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"1214\" data-start=\"1061\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: EX\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: VG+\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur grading system explained \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJackie McLean - One Step Beyond\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - US Blue Note Reissue\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pivotal recording in Jackie McLean's artistic evolution, \u003cem\u003eOne Step Beyond\u003c\/em\u003e captures the alto saxophonist at a crucial juncture, pushing beyond hard bop conventions toward the freer, more adventurous territory that would define his 1960s Blue Note work. Recorded on 30 April 1963 at Van Gelder Studio with an exceptional quintet and released in this 1973 US stereo pressing, the album features some of the most forward-thinking musicians of the era: the then-17-year-old drumming prodigy Tony Williams, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson in one of his earliest recorded appearances, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and bassist Eddie Khan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album's four McLean compositions demonstrate his willingness to venture into more abstract harmonic and rhythmic territory while maintaining emotional directness and blues feeling. \"Saturday And Sunday\" opens with a deceptively straightforward melody before the solos explore more angular, chromatic terrain. McLean's alto saxophone sound, with its distinctive edge and cry, navigates these harmonically complex passages with passionate intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Frankenstein\" is aptly titled, a somewhat monstrous composition that lurches between different moods and tempos, showcasing the group's ability to negotiate challenging structural shifts. Hutcherson's vibraphone adds shimmering colours throughout, his approach modern and harmonically sophisticated. His presence on this session was significant; he would become one of Blue Note's most important artists in the 1960s, and this early appearance shows why.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTony Williams, despite his youth, already demonstrates the revolutionary approach that would make him one of jazz's most influential drummers. His playing here is restless, interactive, and constantly pushing the music forward with polyrhythmic complexity and dynamic variation. Just weeks after this session, he would join Miles Davis' second great quintet, where his innovations would help define 1960s jazz.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrachan Moncur III's trombone provides a perfect frontline partner for McLean, his sound darker and more vocalized than the typical hard bop trombonist. The contrast between McLean's alto and Moncur's trombone creates textural interest throughout. \"Blue Rondo\" and \"Ghost Town\" round out the programme, each composition pushing the band toward the edge of what was still recognisable as hard bop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 1973 US pressing features Van Gelder's stamp in the run-out grooves, confirming his mastering, and the blue and black Liberty-era label with \"Blue Note Records Inc\". While not a first pressing, it maintains the sonic quality Blue Note and Van Gelder were famous for, capturing both the intimacy of the quintet format and the intensity of these forward-looking performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6uF5FWBpktRA9OAdC0mMZI?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Blue Note","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43032892670011,"sku":null,"price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_5210.jpg?v=1763814880"},{"product_id":"jackie-mclean-one-step-beyond-1978-japanese-blue-note-masterpiece-selection-lp","title":"Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond (1978 Japanese Blue Note Masterpiece Selection LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e: NM\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEX\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObi:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eEX\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur grading system explained \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJackie McLean - \u003cem\u003eOne Step Beyond\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - 1978 Japanese Blue Note Masterpiece Selection 150 Stereo Reissue\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMcLean's avant-garde breakthrough\u003c\/strong\u003e - pushing beyond hard bop into freer territory with adventurous quintet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e17-year-old Tony Williams on drums\u003c\/strong\u003e - future Miles Davis drummer's Blue Note debut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese Masterpiece Selection 150\u003c\/strong\u003e - 1978 King Records pressing with obi and insert.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlto saxophonist Jackie McLean's 1963 Blue Note session represents his move beyond conventional hard bop into more adventurous territory, the quintet featuring vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, bassist Eddie Khan, and 17-year-old drummer Tony Williams (months before joining Miles Davis' quintet) exploring four McLean compositions that balance structure with greater harmonic and rhythmic freedom. Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, the album's title reflects McLean's conscious step beyond bebop and hard bop conventions toward the \"new thing\" emerging in early 1960s jazz, his alto saxophone sound—edgy, intense, slightly sharp in pitch—perfectly suited to this more exploratory music. Released in Japan in 1978 as part of Blue Note's Masterpiece Selection 150 series by King Record Co. Ltd. with obi and insert, this pressing captures McLean at a creative crossroads, pushing boundaries while maintaining connection to jazz tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quintet's unusual instrumentation (alto, trombone, vibes, bass, drums—no piano or guitar) creates open harmonic space allowing freer improvisation, Hutcherson's vibraphone adding shimmering colours while Moncur's trombone provides lower register counterpoint to McLean's alto. Williams' drumming, astonishingly mature for seventeen, demonstrates the rhythmic sophistication and independent voice that would revolutionize jazz drumming with Davis. Tracks like \"Frankenstein\" and \"Ghost Town\" explore dissonance and unconventional structures while \"Saturday And Sunday\" and \"Blue Rondo\" maintain stronger melodic and formal frameworks. Van Gelder's recording and King Records' Japanese pressing preserve this pivotal session where hard bop met the avant-garde.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blue Note","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43232590954555,"sku":null,"price":140.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_6184.jpg?v=1771806629"},{"product_id":"jackie-mclean-jackies-bag-1971-us-blue-note-bst-84051-stereo-lp","title":"Jackie McLean - Jackie's Bag (1971 US Blue Note BST 84051 Stereo LP)","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"1214\" data-start=\"1061\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: EX\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: EX\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur grading system explained \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJackie McLean - \u003cem\u003eJackie's Bag\u003c\/em\u003e | Vinyl LP - 1971 US Blue Note Stereo Reissue (BST 84051, United Artists Records)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlfred Lion recorded Jackie McLean at Van Gelder's Hackensack studio on January 18, 1959 with Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. The three tracks from that date open the album. \"Quadrangle\" is built on the \u003cem\u003eI Got Rhythm\u003c\/em\u003e chord changes with enough open phrasing to suggest McLean was already listening past the hard bop he was nominally playing. \"Blues Inn\" is the shortest piece on Side A, direct and hard-swinging. \"Fidel\" was named for Fidel Castro, who had assumed power in Cuba ten days earlier; its inclusion on the album when it was released in 1961 was a politically pointed act.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe three tracks on Side B came from a separate session on September 1, 1960, recorded at Van Gelder's new Englewood Cliffs studio. The personnel changed entirely except for Paul Chambers — Blue Mitchell replaced Byrd on trumpet, Tina Brooks joined on tenor, Kenny Drew replaced Sonny Clark and Art Taylor replaced Philly Joe Jones. Brooks had been recording for Blue Note as a sideman since 1958 and had made one session under his own name, but he never achieved the recognition his playing deserved. He plays on all three Side B tracks, and the sustained intensity of his tenor work on \"Appointment in Ghana\" — the album's longest and most demanding piece — has led many collectors to describe these as the finest recordings he left.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Isle of Java\" (B3) is the one non-McLean original, written by Brooks himself. All other five compositions are McLean's. This is the 1971 United Artists reissue on the standard blue and white UA-era Blue Note label.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blue Note","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43473940021307,"sku":null,"price":100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_6779.jpg?v=1777609066"}],"url":"https:\/\/lushliferecords.com.au\/collections\/jackie-mclean.oembed","provider":"Lush Life Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}