”Antiquity” by Jackie McLean & Michael Carvin on Steeplechase SCS-1028

May 18, 2025

My love for jazz duos has manifested itself this past several months. It’s a fascinating format to me. Whether it’s drum/sax, drum/violin, double bass/piano or something else, the premise is a stripped down, organic and raw way of experiencing jazz.

For this particular title, recorded in 1974, we have Jackie Mac trading chops with drummer Michael Carvin and the result is a very enjoyable album which explores percussive rhythms, symbiotic alto/drums statements, ethnic leaning flute/alto passages and African influenced voice concepts. I find it pretty amazing that these two cats created this multifaceted music just the two of them, with the help of an alto sax, drums, temple blocks, bells, bamboo flute, voices, kalimba, piano and percussion.

The pièce de résistance is the title track which stretches on for 17 minutes and incorporates plenty of amazing passages featuring several, if not all of the instruments mentioned above. I also really enjoy the alto/drums portion of the last tune.

This is for me one of Jackie’s most interesting albums and can be enjoyed with an open mind towards ethnic music. You will be presented with more jazz coloured stuff to savour as well, but it feels like the majority of the music expands well beyond the jazz spectrum.

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”New York Calling” by Jackie McLean & The Cosmic Brotherhood on Steeplechase SCS-1023

January 27, 2025

Another great one on Steeplechase, recorded in 1974. This is my latest McLean in terms of the span of his career. Have several from his 50’s and 60’s output. He’s always been a favorite. Great to hear him on this one in the 70’s. The music is some lovely post-bop played by cats of which the majority I haven’t listened to before. We have Billy Skinner on trumpet, Jackie’s son Rene who I know, Billy Gault on piano, James ”Fish” Benjamin on double bass and Michael Carvin on drums.

This is a prime example of stuff I’ve been missing out on when I was stuck in the 50’s and 60’s. I’ve found the 70’s to be one of the most interesting eras of jazz.

In terms of favorite tunes out of the five on this all-the-way-through great album, I’ll mention the oriental flavored ”Star Dancer” and the airy, uplifting ”Adrian’s Dance”, both composed by trumpeter Billy Skinner. Skinner also composed one of the other numbers and two tunes were composed by pianist Billy Gault.

Highly recommended.

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"Let Freedom Ring" by Jackie McLean on Blue Note BLP 4106

August 20, 2023

Classic McLean album, on which he starts to explore some new sounds.

There are so many great Jackie McLean albums. I have managed to acquire a few so far. I enjoy both his early hard bop period as well as his later stuff where he stretches out more into post bop and incorporated at bit more of a freer approach. “Let Freedom Ring” started the period of this more innovative style of composing and playing. There are many great albums from this period and I have plenty more to try and find. I’m looking at “One Step Beyond” for example, which is another one rooted in hard bop but blending in post bop and the avant-garde.

McLean plays with his usual hi-energy approach. He uses high register “screams” as well, which is quite unique and special. For example, there’s a spot on the Bud Powell-penned ballad “I’ll Keep Loving You”, where he uses this technique (it’s used all the way through the album though), and it pierces through everything, in a good way. It’s harsh and beautiful at the same time.

I’m quite excited to dive deeper into his later stuff, I’ve listened to some of it of course, but far from everything. I’m taking things slowly as per usual.

“Let Freedom Ring” is one of those classic Blue Note albums and I’m very happy to have been able to find an original. Overall, I’ve been trying to focus on other labels and to try and get some real gems, cheaper ones, into the collection. But some great titles that I’d like to add, like this one, are on Blue Note, and then you’ll pay the price for that, literally. I will continue my explorations into other labels, cause there are so many great titles to discover that you don’t have to break the bank for. Lets me get more stuff into the collection faster as well. I have a couple of titles on the way from Japan that are superb and not that expensive. Looking forward to receiving those.

Have a great week, cheers!

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"A Fickle Sonance" by Jackie McLean on Blue Note BLP 4089

February 14, 2023

Another lovely Jackie Mac album. Maybe a title not very often mentioned? I think it’s a very enjoyable session. In my view you just can’t go wrong with a Jackie McLean album. At least up to this point I haven’t heard a bad session from him. One of my favorite alto players.

This session offers some great jazz played by a stellar personell. The cats on this album are Jackie on alto, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet (my first original pressing title with him I believe, great player), Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on double bass and Billy Higgins on drums. A nice cohesive group.

Favorite tune at this moment is probably the title track.

Happy to have found this wonderful copy as it seems to be quite scarce. Still plenty of titles left for me to try and acquire from McLeans discography.

Stay tuned for more original vintage gems from the shelves. Cheers!

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"Jackie's Pal" by the Jackie McLean Quintet introducing Bill Hardman on Prestige 7068

March 19, 2022

A wonderful, easy enjoyable Prestige session.

Overall I have far too few Prestige albums in the collection. There are so many great albums. This is one of the best titles in the early Prestige catalogue for me. Jackie McLean is always on point and with this band backing him, you can’t go wrong: Bill Hardman on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Hardman though is a cat I haven’t explored much of. He plays great here and on a couple of other titles so I’m looking forward to hear some more of him. He has a quite laid back style which I like.

This session is a flowing, well executed piece of hard bop with the highlight for me being the moody, Waldron-penned “Dee’s Dilemma”. I would recommend this album to anyone that enjoys some loose, easy accessible hard bop that makes you feel good.

These early Prestige titles are not easy to find in great condition, and it seems they pop up very seldom on the market. Is it me or have they become even more scarce with each year that passes? How many Jackie’s Pal have you seen for sale the last couple of years? How many Mobley’s Message? Pairing Off? Tenor Madness? That makes owning this piece of history in top shape even more special.

I have managed to acquire some great titles so far this year, that I really wanted. Very happy about that, but now a time of restraint has come, to focus on building a nice budget for a summer vacation, hopefully. No more albums for me until the Autumn or something. But like I said, I have some new stuff to enjoy up until then. And I have plenty of albums to post up until something new arrives. Stay tuned.

Take care of each other and keep the spirits up. Fuck war.

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"It's Time" by Jackie McLean on Blue Note BLP 4179

March 3, 2022

Superb later Jackie Mac session. Wonderful post bop. McLean and Charles Tolliver share the writing duties of the six original compositions between them. Both play with fire, lyricism and keep it very interesting throughout. Tolliver is a cat I haven’t explored at all. Great trumpeter, and you know how much I love that instrument. I will definitely set out to explore his work with great excitement upon hearing his playing on this album and enjoying his compositions a lot. Maybe you guys can give me some tips on some of his work that you enjoy? Cecil McBee is another cat I haven’t explored. Love his playing. Feel free to add some tips in the comments section if you have any great albums on which he plays that you would like to share.

Herbie Hancock plays superbly on this session. I’m trying to add original Blue Notes of his in the 4000 series to the collection, but it’s damn near impossible. I hope I can find a title or two in the years to come.

Roy Haynes always delivers the goods whenever he is behind the kit. Always playing with finesse and creativity. And his drums always sounds great. I believe he thrives in this type of environment.

This album has to be placed very high up on my list of favorite McLean albums to date. It’s that good. And the cover sports one of those iconic art works that just makes you want to listen to the album. This copy has the deep groove on both sides which seems extremely scarce. You never see that. Quite cool indeed to own a copy.

On the new arrivals front: I have secured three new Blue Notes which are top titles for me. I will post them in due time here on the site. Stay tuned for those and other lovely vintage jazz vinyl titles coming up… cheers!

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"A Long Drink Of The Blues" by Jackie McLean on New Jazz 8253

September 22, 2019

A relaxing album. Perfect for a chilly, early autumn afternoon.

Jackie McLean is one of my favorite alto saxophonists. Haven’t heard a less than wonderful album by him, yet anyway. This album is a highly enjoyable listen. The first track starts with an argument which is pretty funny. When they finally settle down and start playing again they stroll into a smooth and relaxing piece which has a nice jammy flavor to it. Although an alto player, Jackie also plays the tenor sax on the first track which is the title tune, and it sounds pretty damn good I must say. But he excels on the alto. The tune clocks in at over 20 minutes and together with the false start and argument it makes up for the whole of Side 1. The 2nd side contains three beautiful ballads. Three ballads in a row is very unusual. It makes the heart beat slower and is very soothing. The two sides has two different line-ups and both are great. A trumpeter I haven’t listen to much is Webster Young. He plays on Side 1 and I dig his style. Always a welcome voice is Curtis Fuller on the trombone, which is an instrument I seldom hear. Looking at my records, he’s the only trombone player I can remember appearing on any of them. Do you guys fancy hearing the trombone in jazz? My personal opinion is that it is definitely a welcome sound from time to time. But for me it’s not measuring up to other horns like the trumpet or the different saxophones in terms of sound or excitement. It’s a bit muffled and static with not much dynamics. Anyway, I think this is a relaxing and pleasurable album which I’m now listening to on this lazy Sunday afternoon.

I purchased another copy of this title before this one but it turned out to be a copy with some of the dreaded New Jazz hiss, plus it did not have the wide deep grooves either. I couldn’t return it which was not good. Very frustrating. But I had the opportunity to purchase this superb copy instead so I did just that. Money wasted on the other copy but I’m just happy to have found a true 1st pressing in great condition in the end.

I would highly recommend this album, as I would with any of Jackie McLeans LP’s from this era. Would be interesting to hear what you guys think of this particular title and which McLean titles are your favorites from any label? I really need to focus on getting some more titles by him as there are so many great ones. But so many great records and artists and so little time… and not enough money to get them all in a short space of time.

Autumn is here in Stockholm. The air is chilly and the leaves has started to turn yellow and red. The time for some cozy days indoors, relaxing away from the cold, with a nice stout and jazz on vinyl has arrived. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking… On another note I was out yesterday with a friend and went to watch some live jazz at the Glenn Miller Café here in Stockholm. Got some french Moules Frites and beer and saw the great Swedish legend Bernt Rosengren perform. A really great night. I love live jazz and I like to experience it more often. But not all artists nowadays play the stuff I like either. So you need to stay tuned on what’s good and when and where they play. That’s another question I have for you guys: do you go out and watch live jazz often, sometimes or never?

Stay tuned for more vintage jazz vinyl treasures coming up… cheers!

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Afternoon Listening: Some Cuban vibes with Kenny Dorham

October 4, 2017

Today I took the day off of work. All alone in the apartment. That means I got some time for myself to listen to some jazz. I decided to put on Jackie McLeans 4, 5 & 6 first. Listened to the whole album. And what an album that is. McLean is one of my favorite jazz artists. And speaking of him, I have an album by him which is the next on the purchase list. The deal is confirmed and I'm aiming to get it secured at the end of the month.

Next I put on Side A of "Afro-Cuban" by Kenny Dorham on Blue Note 5065. This is an album I haven't listen to for a while... it's a beautiful album for sure. Those Cuban vibes... filling my room here in good ol' Stockholm where the Autumn breezes are blowing outside. Speaking of 10 inch albums, I just won an auction on eBay the other day. I never buy anything from eBay or very, very seldom anyway. It was a 10 inch album. I'm super excited about this album, because it's one that I've been after for a long time. This particular album is extremely rare. It's very difficult to find in any condition. I had a copy of this title borrowed home from a dealer in Stockholm a few years back, to see if it was up to scratch condition-wise. It didn't make the grade unfortunately. But now at last I've found another copy which should be tip-top. We'll see when it arrives. I'm very hopeful. So, look out for that one here on the site...

Looking to post more beautiful albums from my collection very soon, stay tuned everyone. Have a great Wednesday! Cheers...

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Jackie McLean "4, 5 and 6" on PRLP 7048

February 11, 2017

One of my favorite jazz albums by one of my favorite alto sax players.

This one was quite hard to get my hands on. I went through some options, even bought another copy which wasn't up to scratch, before I acquired this great copy which I'm very pleased with. It is such a wonderful album that I had to find it, no matter what. One of my favorite albums that I have in my collection. I don't have that many Prestige LP's, but I'm aiming to get a lot more. There are so many great albums in their catalogue. Jackie McLean, on my top 3 alto players of all time list (the other cats being Bird and Art Pepper), recorded many great sessions for the label. This album, 4, 5 and 6 is probably one of the best. It's so good all the way through. It's made up of three different sessions, with a quartet, quintet and a sextet format therein. It contains standards mixed with originals. All the tunes are so pleasing to listen to. It's relaxing and at the same time exhilarating. There's the slow tempo first track "Sentimental Journey" in which I find some nice, loose and bluesy qualities. Not the typical harb bop tune. I like that. I often find that the bluesier jazz efforts are quite interesting and enjoyable to mix in with the standard bop format. Other stand-out tunes are the Kenny Drew original "Contour", Charlie Parker's superb, original classic "Confirmation" and the beautiful, lush take on the standard "When I Fall In Love". The last one probably being my favorite track on the album. It makes me happy and the theme really speaks to me.

The line-up is stellar with Jackie McLean flanked by the great and highly talented Mal Waldron on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, Doug Watkins, who plays a terrific double bass solo on "Sentimental Journey" and the always amazing Art Taylor handles the drums in such a tasteful way.

All in all, this LP is an absolute must in any jazz collection. I've waited a long time to be able to add this original 1st pressing to the collection. And it's been worth the wait. It's not an easy one to find in great condition. There are a lot of Prestige LP's on my want list. I will maybe go for another one before long. The Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman album on PRLP 7068 is very tempting for example. Let's see what happens.

Regarding the new additions department: I have just added two great LP's to the collection. One of them is an awesome and very rare album which I have been looking for for a long time. And the thing also with this particular copy is that it was owned by one of the cats playing on the record. The vinyl is red... can you guess which one it is?

Stay tuned for more great vintage original jazz LP treats. Have a nice weekend, and please leave a comment if you want. Maybe you own the PRLP 7048 yourself and would like to share your thoughts on it? Cheers!

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Afternoon listening: A moment of relaxation with Jackie McLean's rarest effort

February 26, 2016

What an absolute pleasure it is to be able to put this record on the turntable. An outstanding original 1st pressing in beautiful condition. It's a dream to own this. I thought I'd have a listen to this baby on this grey friday afternoon while my son is sleeping. This is one of my favorite albums for sure. I always get positive vibes from the tunes on this rarest of jazz collectibles. The tunes are nice and have a very laid back feeling to them even on the faster ones. Just wanted to check in with one of these posts where I write about some moment where I put a record on the turntable or something else in the daily life. But back to the beauty that is playing on the turntable as I write this. The sound is stunning on this. It plays like new, with zero noise. Clean, crisp and smooth sound.

I'm very grateful that I was able to purchase this album, cause when I follow the market there hasn't been one single copy available in this condition since then. Jackie McLean has a sound of his own, that's for sure. He always plays with a lot of lyricism and smoothness. It's a silky, pleasant sound. The pianist Mal Waldron is a cat that I really like as well, and I need to check him out more. The drummer Ronald Tucker I haven't heard much from or about. He plays very laid back, very unintrusive. he just flows with the music. Simple drummer, with a simple sound that fits perfectly with the make-up of the tunes here. "Lover Man" is the last tune on which McLean plays great and a nice ending to a sweet, rare album. It's a record which I will treasure forever.

I've posted this LP earlier. If you missed that post you'll find it here: http://www.fwrarejazzvinylcollector.com/blog/2015/3/1/jackie-mclean-on-ad-lib-6601

Currently saving up a war chest for buying some albums. You will see which ones I end up buying here on the site. Stay tuned. Have a great Friday and weekend. Have a drink, listen to some jazz and relax. That's my plan anyway. Cheers!

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Jackie McLean on Ad Lib 6601

March 1, 2015

Possibly the rarest of all the jazz collectibles out there. One of the rarest of the rare for sure. And a superb record to boot. Jackie McLean's alto playing is very nice, lyrical and tasteful. He's got a nice feeling and approach to his instrument. The other guys on this are Donald Byrd on trumpet, Mal Waldron on piano, Douglas Watkins on double bass and Ronald Tucker, which I haven't heard a lot of, on the drums.

The sound on this superb, original 1st pressing is a joy to behold. One of my best sounding LP's. Rudy Van Gelder of course, who else? The condition of this masterpiece is M- on the vinyl (Label Side 2 has some spindle marks, a small sticker and a little tear), it sounds absolutely phenomenal, like new, zero noise what so ever. Clean, bright and brilliant sound. The jacket is a beautiful NM- with some residue from a sticker removal on the front and some touch up on the back slick, but no splits, sharp corners and no seam wear.

I'm very happy to own this record. It's extremely difficult to find in any condition, and to have this, in this condition is nothing short of magical. The tunes are all superb, with the opening tune on Side 1 "It's You Or No One" and the closing track on Side 2 "Lover Man" hot favorites. Jackie McLean's playing is so lyrical and clean. A lot of beautiful melodies to enjoy. Don Byrd is also great on this and complements McLean nicely. The rhythm section is holding their own as well. Flowing, tasteful double bass and drum work. I love the cover art as well. Very different for sure. There's a little info on the back about the artist who designed it, Parboo Singh.

If you want this in your collection, it takes a nice pile of cash and a lot of luck. I feel fortunate to have found this, and recommend it highly. If you do get an opportunity to aquire it, my tip is to take it off the market before it's maybe gone forever. Even if it's in lesser condition, get it. Nothing beats an original, especially this kind of rarity with such good music on it. It's worth every penny you spend to have it in your collection and to be able to put it on the turntable and enjoy it whenever you feel like it. This is a dose of McLean you would want.

Some news in the new arrivals department: I have just purchased one of my most wanted records and it's a 10" Blue Note. I will post that in due time here on the site. Until next time, have a great Sunday and I'll be back with more jazz rarities soon.

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