JACKIE McLEAN — Let Freedom Ring (1961) Two Version (2003, RM | Serie 24 Bit By RVG) + (2003, RM | Serie RVG Edition ) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless & APE (image+.cue), lossless

Jackie McLean had always been a highly emotional soloist, so it makes sense that he was one of the first hard bop veterans to find a new voice in the burning intensity of jazz's emerging avant-garde. McLean had previously experimented with Coltrane's angular modes and scales and Ornette's concept of chordal freedom, but Let Freedom Ring was the landmark masterpiece where he put everything together and ushered in the era of the modernists at Blue Note. A number of saxophonists were beginning to explore the ability of the instrument to mimic human cries of passion, and here McLean perfected a long, piercing squeal capable of expressing joy, anguish, fury, and more. The music on Let Freedom Ring remained more rooted in hard bop structure than Coleman's, and McLean was still recognizably himself, but that was precisely what was revolutionary about the album: It validated the avant-garde aesthetic, demonstrating that it had enough value to convert members of the old guard, and wasn't just the province of radical outcasts. There are only four pieces, one of which is the surging Bud Powell ballad "I'll Keep Loving You"; the other three are McLean originals ("Melody for Melonae," "Rene," and "Omega," dedicated to his daughter, son, and mother respectively) that spotlight his tremendous inventiveness on extended material and amaze with a smoldering fire that never lets up. Pianist Walter Davis takes the occasional solo, but the record is McLean's statement of purpose, and he accordingly dominates the proceedings, with the busy, free-flowing dialogues of bassist Herbie Lewis and Ornette drummer Billy Higgins pushing him to even greater heights. The success of Let Freedom Ring paved the way for a bumper crop of other modernist innovators to join the Blue Note roster and, artistically, it still stands with One Step Beyond as McLean's greatest work. Steve Huey
Tracklist :
1    Melody For Melonae    13:17
 Jackie McLean
2    I'll Keep Loving You    6:14
 Bud Powell
3    Rene    9:57
 Jackie McLean
4    Omega    8:30
 Jackie McLean
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean
Bass – Herbie Lewis
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Walter Davis, Jr.
Recorded By, Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder

SONNY CLARK — Cool Struttin' (1958-1997) RM | The BN Works 1500 Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny Clark in the leader's chair also featured a young Jackie McLean on alto (playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeter Art Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, both from the Miles Davis band. The set begins with one of the preeminent "swinging medium blues" pieces in jazz history: the title track with its leveraged fours and eights shoved smoothly up against the walking bass of Chambers and the backbeat shuffle of Jones. Clark's solo, with its grouped fifths and sevenths, is a wonder of both understatement and groove, while Chambers' arco solo turns the blues in on itself. While there isn't a weak note on this record, there are some other tracks that stand out, most notably Miles' "Sippin' at Bells," with its loping Latin rhythm. When McLean takes his solo against a handful of Clark's shaded minor chords, he sounds as if he may blow it -- he comes out a little quick -- but he recovers nicely and reaches for a handful of Broadway show tunes to counter the minor mood of the piece. He shifts to both Ben Webster and Lester Young before moving through Bird, and finally to McLean himself, riding the margin of the changes to slip just outside enough to add some depth in the middle register. The LP closes with Henderson and Vallée's "Deep Night," the only number in the batch not rooted in the blues. It's a classic hard bop jamming tune and features wonderful solos by Farmer, who plays weird flatted notes all over the horn against the changes, and McLean, who thinks he's playing a kind of snake charmer blues in swing tune. This set deserves its reputation for its soul appeal alone. [Some reissues include two bonus tracks: "Royal Flush" and "Lover."]
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Cool Struttin' 9:22

Written-By – Sonny Clark
2    Blue Minor 10:18
Written-By – Clark
3    Sippin' At Bells 8:17
Written-By – Miles Davis
4    Deep Night 9:33
Written-By – Henderson, Vallee
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean
Bass – Paul Chambers
Drums – "Philly" Joe Jones
Piano – Sonny Clark
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Trumpet – Art Farmer

KENNY DORHAM — Matador (1962-2010) RM | Serie Jazz名盤 999 Best & More, EMI Music Japan Inc. 50th Anniversary | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Kenny Dorham's Matador can safely claim the all too common distinction of being a classic among jazz connoisseurs while virtually unknown to the casual listener. Dorham is joined here by Jackie McLean, Bobby Timmons, Teddy Smith, and J.C. Moses, all of whom deliver outstanding performances. More than anything, this session is perhaps best known for including a stunning version of McLean's composition "Melody for Melonae," used less than a month earlier on his groundbreaking Blue Note LP Let Freedom Ring. For this session, though, the tune is renamed "Melanie" and, if not better, this version at least rivals the take under McLean's leadership. For starters, the addition of another horn adds some tonal depth to the proceedings, a situation arguably lacking in the tune's earlier recording. Also of note is what has to be Bobby Timmons' most intense moment on record. One rarely has the opportunity to hear Timmons dig and scrape as hard as he does during this solo, and his barely audible vocal accompaniment (à la Bud Powell) only helps to prove this point. This is a case where a performer not commonly associated with seriously stretching out goes at it with a life-affirming fervor, making "Melanie" a treat for listeners who revel in emotional performances. Other highlights include the opener, "El Matador," a 5/4 number that, frankly, fades out just when things were getting good, and the otherwise unaccompanied Dorham/Timmons duet, "Prelude." A fantastic session by any standard. Brandon Burke 

Tracklist :

1 El Matador 6:32
Kenny Dorham
2 Melanie, Pts. 1-3 11:34
Jackie McLean
3 Smile 5:00
Charlie Chaplin / Geoffrey Parsons / John Turner
4 Beautiful Love 5:13
Haven Gillespie / Wayne King / Egbert VanAlstyne / Victor Young
5 Prelude 4:47
Heitor Villa-Lobos
6 There Goes My Heart 5:12
Benny Davis / Horace Silver
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean
Bass – Teddy Smith
Drums – J.C. Moses
Piano – Bobby Timmons
Trumpet – Kenny Dorham

DIZZY GILLESPIE – To Bird With Love (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

To Bird with Love: Live at the Blue Note was taken from a month that Dizzy Gillespie was featured at the Blue Note in New York, virtually at the end of his playing career, the 74-year-old trumpeter is quite erratic on this set of bop standards. However, his supporting cast (heard from in different combinations) includes such major players as altoists Jackie McLean, Antonio Hart and Paquito D'Rivera and tenors Benny Golson, Clifford Jordan and David Sanchez, in addition to a strong trio led by pianist Danílo Perez. The sidemen are in generally fine form and Bobby McFerrin literally came out of the audience to scat on "Oo Pa Pa Da." The good spirits and obvious love that these musicians had for Gillespie make up for his technical lapses. Scott Yanow         Tracklist + Credits : 

JACKIE McLEAN | LEE KONITZ | GARY BARTZ | CHARLIE MARIANO - Altissimo (1973-1996) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is a great summit meeting with McLean and fellow horn players Lee Konitz, Gary Bartz, and Charlie Mariano, plus a piano trio. Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1     Another Hair-Do 3:47
Charlie Parker
2     Mode for Jay Mac 9:44
William Gault
3     Love Choral 7:32
Lee Konitz
4     Fanfare 6:09
Lee Konitz
5     Du Rain 3:34
Gary Bartz
6     Hymn 3:09
Lee Konitz
7     Telieledu Rama Tyagaraja 7:30
Traditional
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano, Gary Bartz, Jackie McLean, Lee Konitz
Bass – Palle Danielsson
Drums – Han Bennink
Piano – Joachim Kühn

HANK MOBLEY — Messages (1956-1989) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With the exception of Hank Mobley's original "Alternating Current," which was left out due to lack of space, this single CD has all of the music from the two Prestige LPs Mobley's Message and Hank Mobley's Second Message; a two-LP set from 1976 which had the same Messages title and catalog number, but also the complete program, is actually the preferred acquisition, but will be difficult to locate. The first session mostly features the fine tenor Hank Mobley jamming on four superior bop standards, including "Bouncing with Bud," "52nd Street Theme" and "Au Privavem" and his own "Minor Disturbance" in a quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor; altoist Jackie McLean has a strong cameo on "Au Privave." The second set, recorded a week later, is less of a jam session, with Mobley, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Walter Bishop, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor essaying three of Mobley's now-obscure compositions, Benny Harris's "Crazeology" and the standards "These Are the Things I Love" and "I Should Care." The two dates give one a good example of Hank Mobley's playing prior to becoming a regular Blue Note artist, where he would create his greatest work. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Bouncing with Bud 6:57
Bud Powell    
2     52nd Street Theme 5:41
Thelonious Monk    
3     Minor Disturbance 6:15
Hank Mobley    
4     Au Privave 7:31
Charlie Parker    
5     Little Girl Blue 8:41
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
6     These Are the Things I Love 6:37
Harold Barlow / Lewis Harris    
7     Message from the Border 6:03
Hank Mobley    
8     Xlento 5:36
Hank Mobley    
9     The Latest 5:48
Hank Mobley    
10     I Should Care 10:01
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / Paul Weston    
11     Crazeology 6:56
Benny Harris
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean (tracks: 4)
Bass – Doug Watkins
Drums – Art Taylor
Piano – Barry Harris (tracks: 1 to 5), Walter Bishop (tracks: 7 to 11)
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 1 to 4), Kenny Dorham (tracks: 6 to 11)

HANK MOBLEY — Mobley's Message (1956-2012) RM | SACD, Hybrid MONO | The Prestige Mono Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Saxophonist Hank Mobley's 1956 date for Prestige, Mobley's Message, is an often overlooked gem of the era. Joining Mobley here is an all-star cast of musicians including trumpeter Donald Byrd, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. Essentially a high-energy blowing session, the album features some stellar bop-oriented improvisation and is well worth seeking out. AllMusic
Tracklist :
1    Bouncin' With Bud    7:01
Written-By – Bud Powell
2    52nd Street Theme    5:44
Written-By – Thelonious Monk
3    Minor Disturbance    6:19
Written-By – Hank Mobley
4    Au Privave    7:34
Alto Saxophone, Guest – Jackie McLean
Written-By – Charlie Parker
5    Little Girl Blue    8:45
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
6    Alternating Current    6:36
Written-By – Hank Mobley
Credits :
Bass – Doug Watkins
Drums – Art Taylor
Piano – Barry Harris
Recorded By – Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 1 to 4, 6)

HANK MOBLEY - Hi Voltage (1967-2004) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1967 date by tenor saxophone great Hank Mobley was a high watermark for the Blue Note label during that exceptional year. Mobley wrote all six tunes here, and they offer the breadth and depth of his mature compositional method. All but one of his collaborators on this project were label veterans -- Jackie McLean, Blue Mitchell, Billy Higgins, and Bob Cranshaw. The lone exception was pianist John Hicks, and the recording session benefits greatly from his contribution. Hicks is a very lyrical player, even when he gets tough and funky. He is right at home with the hard bop blues on the title cut, which opens the set and provides a wonderfully swinging bottom for the soloists to trade fours and burrow through. His chromatic prowess and subtlety are very evident on the moving ballad "No More Goodbyes," where his gently shaded harmonies and ostinatos offer Mobley a beautiful backdrop to solo from. Mobley's sense of rhythmic invention is showcased on the breezy yet finger-popping "Bossa De Luxe," and the three horns go deep into the groove -- using Higgins and Hicks as counterweights in the funky, greasy "Flirty Gerty" that closes the set. In all, this date is solid, ranking with the very best of Mobley's offerings for Blue Note.
| This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa'|
Tracklist :
1     High Voltage 8'09
Hank Mobley    
2     Two and One 6'09
Hank Mobley    
3     No More Goodbys 5'41
Hank Mobley
4     Advance Notion 5'57
Hank Mobley    
5     Bossa De Luxe 7'31
Hank Mobley    
6     Flirty Gerty 7'00
Hank Mobley
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean
Bass – Bob Cranshaw
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – John Hicks
Recorded By [Recording By] – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Hank Mobley
Trumpet – Blue Mitchell

ART FARMER | DONALD BYRD - 2 Trumpets (1956-1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     The Third 7'42
Donald Byrd
2     Contour 7'38
Kenny Drew
3     When Your Lover Has Gone 5'13
Einar A. Swan
4     Dig 14'29
Miles Davis
5     'Round Midnight 6'38
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean (pistas: 1, 2, 4)
Bass – Doug Watkins
Drums – Arthur Taylor
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Rudy Van Gelder
Piano – Barry Harris
Remastered By [Digital] – Phil De Lancie
Trumpet – Art Farmer (pistas: 1 to 4), Donald Byrd (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5)

ART TAYLOR - Taylor's Wailers (1957-1992) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Five of the six selections on this CD reissue feature drummer Art Taylor in an all-star sextet of mostly young players comprised of trumpeter Donald Byrd, altoist Jackie McLean, Charlie Rouse on tenor, pianist Ray Bryant, and bassist Wendell Marshall. Among the highpoints of the 1957 hard bop date are the original version of Bryant's popular "Cubano Chant" and strong renditions of two Thelonious Monk tunes ("Off Minor" and "Well, You Needn't") cut just prior to the pianist/composer's discovery by the jazz public. Bryant is the most mature of the soloists, but the three horn players were already starting to develop their own highly individual sounds. The remaining track (a version of Jimmy Heath's "C.T.A.") is played by the quartet of Taylor, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, and bassist Paul Chambers and is a leftover (although a good one) from another session. Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Batland 9:48
2 C.T.A. 4:44
Bass – Paul Chambers 
Piano – Red Garland
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
3 Exhibit A 6:13
4 Cubano Chant 6:32
5 Off Minor 5:35
6 Well You Needn't 7:54
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
Bass – Wendell Marshall (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
Drums – Arthur Taylor
Piano – Ray Bryant (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Charlie Rouse (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)

JACKIE McLEAN - Destination Out! (1963-2003) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Like Eric Dolphy before him, Jackie McLean sought to create a kind of vanguard "chamber jazz" that still had the blues feel and -- occasionally -- the groove of hard bop, though with rounded, moodier edges. Destination Out! was the album on which he found it. Still working with Grachan Moncur III and Bobby Hutcherson -- his direct spiritual connection to Dolphy -- McLean changed his rhythm section by employing drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Larry Ridley. This combination proved a perfect balance of the four elements. The program is four tunes, three of which were written by Moncur. If there was a perfect Blue Note session after John Coltrane's Blue Train, this was it. Opening with a ballad was a novel idea in 1966, but McLean uses Moncur's love and hate to reveal all the tonal possibilities within this group of musicians, and the textural interplay that exists in the heightened sense of form, time breaks, and rhythm changes. As begun on One Step Beyond, the notion of interval is key in this band, and an elemental part of Moncur's composition. The horn lines are spare, haunting, warm, and treated as textural elements by Hutcherson's vibes. On the tune "Esoteric," Hutcherson and Haynes throw complex rhythmic figures into the mix. Moncur's writing is angular, resembling Ornette's early-'60s melodic notions more than Coltrane's modal considerations. Hutcherson's solo amid the complex, knotty melodic frame is just sublime. "Khalil the Prophet" is McLean's only contribution compositionally to the album, but it's a fine one. Using a hard bop lyric and a shape-shifting sense of harmonic interplay between the three front-line players, McLean moves deeply into a blues groove without giving into mere 4/4 time structures. The architecture of his solo is wonderfully obtuse, playing an alternating series of eighths, 12ths, and even 16ths against Hutcherson's wide-open comping and arpeggio runs. The set ends with Moncur's "Riff Raff," a strolling blues that makes full use of counterpoint on the vibes. Moncur sets his solo against McLean's melodic engagement of Hutcherson, forcing both men into opposition positions that get resolved in a sultry, funky, shimmering blues groove. Of all of McLean's Blue Note dates, so many of which are classic jazz recordings, Destination Out! stands as the one that reveals the true soulfulness and complexity of his writing, arranging, and "singing" voice. by Thom Jurek

MAL WALDRON – Mal / 2 Prestige 7111 (1957-1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Before becoming an expatriate in 1965 and eventually settling in Munich, pianist Mal Waldron cut several stateside hard bop albums full of his idiosyncratic and Monk-ish piano work, and featuring choice contributions by some of the music's finest. For this 1957 date, Waldron worked with a stellar sextet interchangeably manned by John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Idrees Sulieman, Art Taylor, and others. Bookended by the pianist's ebullient "Potpourri" and the avant-noir blues "One by One," the set also includes a fetching cover of Cole Porter's "From This Moment On" and a beautifully complex arrangement of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain." (Waldron was Holiday's accompanist for the last two years of the singer's life until her death in 1959.) Solo highlights include McLean's keenly constructed solo on Waldron's "J.M.'s Dream Doll" (dedicated to the alto saxophonist and his wife) and Sulieman's incredibly rich and supple trumpet work on "One by One." For his part, Coltrane is in good form throughout, save for a few sour notes and some faltering solos; at this time Coltrane was still coming into his own and a few years shy of the masterful hard bop sides he would record for Atlantic. Waldron here leads a potent crew on an engaging and original set of arrangements. A cut above many of the relatively straightforward and blues-based hard bop dates of the time. Stephen Cook 
Tracklist :
1 Potpourri 6:37
Mal Waldron
2 J.M.'s Dream Doll 8:39
Mal Waldron
3 Don't Explain 6:58
Arthur Herzog, Jr.
4 Blue Calypso 8:58
5 Falling in Love With Love 11:40
6 The Way You Look Tonight 8:26
7 From This Moment On 6:17
Cole Porter
8 One by One 9:39
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Jackie McLean (tracks: 1 to 5)
Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Sahib Shihab (tracks: 6 to 8)
Bass – Julian Euell
Drums – Art Taylor (tracks: 1 to 5), Ed Thigpen (tracks: 6 to 8)
Piano – Mal Waldron
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Trumpet – Bill Hardman (tracks: 1 to 5), Idrees Sulieman (tracks: 6 to 8)