Personnel: Jackie McLean – alto sax Hank Mobley – tenor sax (#4 only) Donald Byrd – trumpet (#3, 4, 6 only) Mal Waldron – piano Doug Watkins – bass Art Taylor – drums

Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis & Jackie McLean

Lights Out! is a studio album by saxophonist Jackie McLean, his debut on Prestige Records.

Capuchin Swing is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.

Jackie McLean & Tony Williams 1962

“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. … If there was a perfect Blue Note session after John Coltrane’s Blue Train, this was it. … 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.” – Thom Jurek/AllMusic.

“Within a five day period in 1973, altoist Jackie McLean, who had only made one album (a live set) between 1968-72, cut enough material for five records. This worthy set features his intense style in a quartet with pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Alex Riel, recorded live at Montmartre in Copenhagen. Although the material — Drew’s “Callin’,” athe ballad “Where Is Love,” a pair of William Gault songs and McLean’s “Jack’s Tune” — is not all that memorable, the altoist’s passionate solos and very distinctive sound uplift the music and make this an advanced hard bop set worth acquiring.” – Scott Yanow/AllMusic.

“In the fall of 1956, Blakey introduced a new edition of the Jazz Messengers with Jackie McLean (alto), Bill Hardman (trumpet), Sam Dockery (piano) and Spanky DeBrest(bass). Over the next 25 years Blakey’s bands would go through many personnel changes (sometimes it seems as if everyone in jazz has worked with Art) but the hard bop sound of this prototypical unit became the model for all of Art’s aggregations. Originally released on the Savoy label, Midnight Session is another in a series of Savoy reissues by Denon Records. Through the use of a unique 20-bit mastering process Denon has managed to capture and enhance the sound of one of jazz’s most vibrant eras. Blakey and his “boys” swing through a six song set of bop that, while containing no jazz “classics,” gives the listener a nice taste of the genre. Art’s forceful drumming often brought out the best in his sidemen and in this case Hardman and McLean respond with youthful vigor. He may have lead “stronger” lineups in the future but this is still high art from Blakey!” – All About Jazz.