Farewell to Jackie McLean
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
The jazz world is starting to come to terms with the death of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean who died aged 73 on 31 March after a long illness.
McLean initially played the soprano saxophone before moving on to alto
and got to know the pianist Bud Powell, who taught him. After the
second world war McLean performed with childhood friend Sonny Rollins
and while still a teenager was a member of the Miles Davis group that
recorded Dig. It wasn't long until in 1955 McLean made his debut as a
leader, The Jackie McLean Quintet. Shortly afterwards, Charles Mingus
heard him at the Cafe Bohemia in New York and asked him to play on what
became one of his classic albums Pithecanthropus Erectus as well as
other recordings. Art Blakey also asked McLean to record with the
Messengers. However, his career was affected by his addiction to heroin
and he went to prison in 1964 on drugs charges. Art mirrored life when
he played the role of a saxophonist in Jack Gelber's play The
Connection which he also played in the film version. McLean's best work
in his own right is widely regarded as having been for Blue Note with
Let Freedom Ring generally accepted as his best album.