Jackie McLean

John Lenwood (Jackie) McLean (* 17. May 1932 in New York town center; † 31. March 2006 in hard Fords), was US - an American jazz musician.

The old saxophonist ranks among the Wegbereitern of the hard Bop and worked among other things with jazz sizes such as Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Sonny roll in and Charles Mingus. Its extremely voluminöser sound, which stood out against for the time at that time the typical clay/tone of the Altsaxofons, as well as its expressives, bluesgefärbtes play and the hard Phrasierung were its artistic brand names.

career/development

John Lenwood McLean, also “Jackie” mentioned, buildup in Harlem, New York town center. It received - pianist Bud Powell to lessons in jazz harmony teachings of the virtuosen Bebop. Its gift and the alive jazz scene of the city at this time help it in recent years to helping out jobs in that volume of the exception pianist Thelonious Monk, as well as to agency jobs for the Altsaxofon giant Charlie Parker often expenditure-levered by the drug abuse. In Jackie's first volume Sonny played roll in the Tenorsaxofon, Kenny Drew Piano and Percy Heath bass.

it took up 1949 with its Protegé Miles Davis a LP with the title “Dig” , which provided hearing for its play in a broader public. Further photographs under its own name followed with the label Blue note, which it not only as if Improvisator talentierten, but also as hear-worth composers presented. 1956 made music the Altsaxofonist temporarily in Charles Mingus 'jazz Workshop and afterwards with kind Blakey 's jazz Messengers. First dedicated a piece with the name of “profiles OF Jackie” to him.

Also Jackie McLean had to fight with drug problems, in whose consequence he lost a time long its appearance permission for New York. The musician compensated, the negative economic consequences resulting for him from it by intensive admission and publication activity. Thus briefly successively two of its most important LP bringing developed with Blue note: “A Fickle Sonance” (1961) and “Let Freedom ring” (1962). Particularly in its informal compositions “Quadrangle” and “A Fickle Sonance” dear-outer-apply it with the Free jazz - avant-garde of its time, without separating however completely from the harmonious basic structure to.

After various “blowing sessions” (photograph meetings ad hoc zusammengewürfelter musician) for Blue note, he placed his first in the consequence “working tied together” , consisting of Grachan Moncur III at the trombone, Bobby Hutcherson at the Vibrafon as well as Tony Williams at the Schlagzeug. Several LP bringing, among them “ One steps Beyond”, followed “evolution” and “Destination Out”.

Toward end of the 1960er years diminished the commercial success of its record publications. McLean began to work therefore increased to routes and as teachers. it received a training order at the hard Ford University, Connecticut to 1968.

its music

the musical work McLeans is various and gives a good idea of the currents of the jazz since the Bebop. Straight one for Altsaxofonisten was it difficult during and still many years after the high-altitude flight of the Bebop to overcome the icon Charlie Parker and to find its own language. The early photographs “Jackie's ” show the strong influence of its Idols corresponding still, while it constantly departed in 1950er years from it. Already into the 1960ern was - among other things with the help of its Mentors Charles Mingus and arising the Free jazz of a Ornette Colemans - the process of its artistic self identification finally. He had found to his own language, which he refined with the years and which from it did not hold it, to further-vigorous in music.

sound

“Jackie's” most standing out characteristic, i.e. its sound, oriented itself not at the sound ideal of a Johnny Hodges, but at Tenorsaxofonisten, usual for Altsaxofonisten, like Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Don Byas and help it to an extremely strong clay/tone, as well as an above average volume. Not least this will to the Expressivität let become it one most in demand players of the Hardbop.

Linked with it directly is also the diagonal Intonation McLeans, which can be devalued in the classical Background as “wrongly”, in the jazz however as expression-sign element was used and becomes.

Phrasierung and Rhythmik

the Phrasierung McLeans were already in early years contrary to the Parkers much clear and “simple”: no high-complex rhythmic structures with speed changes, like in most cases with its predecessor, no Bird - well-behaved high-altitude flights, which leave the Metrum and the Beat of the Schlagzeugers if necessary, but on the point exact Phrasierung, in conformity with the Drummer. This corresponded to the philosophy of the Hardbop, in which the jazz with the extremely rhythm-referred Rhythm'n Blues paired itself.

Also the McLean preferential eighth note LINEs well-known as extremely fast players, which it often presented in odd arrangement in question and answer manners.

the melodische material

McLeans artistic way led away from the harmonious to the modalen play way. If one compares its improvisation over Coleman Hawkins' composition Bean and The Boys (LP Makin' The CHANGE, 1957) with the improvisation over its own composition Little Melonae (LP Let Freedom ring, 1962), then the following changes are noticeable:

High

Notes structure for the year of the publication can, particularly with apparent later albums appeared, on the publication date of a republication refer.

• Lights Out (1956)
• 4, 5, and 6 (1956)
• Drum Suite with kind Blakey; three pieces with Bill Hardman (tp), SAM Dockery (p) and Spanky DeBrest (B) from the year 1957
• McLean's Scene (1957)
• Swing, Swang, Swingin (1959)
• new Soil (1959)
• Bluesnik (1961)
• Jackie's Bag (1961)
• Let Freedom ring (1962)
• One step Beyond (1963)
• Destination… Out! (1963)
• Vertigo (1963)
• Jacknife (sic) (1965)
• desert ton of super (1973)
• Dr. Jackle (1979; taken up 1966)
• Contour (1980)
• strand Blues (1. January 1990)
• Makin The CHANGE (1. January 1990)
• Dynasty (1990)
• Rhythm OF The Earth (1992)
• A Long drink OF The Blues (16. June 1994)
• Fire & Love (1998)
• Nature Boy (2000)
• right Now (10. September 2002)
• A Fickle Sonance (10. September 2002)
• Capuchin Swing (19. March 2004)
• Action Rvg (27. August 2004)
• Alto Madness (again presented 2005)

Web on the left of

• web page over Jackie McLean (English)