Jackie McLean RIP

[GA Russell]

RIP

I had the pleasure of seeing him once, with his son Rene. It was at the New Orleans Jazzfest in either '90 or '91. It was a great set, better than I expected.

I've put on Jackie's Bag now.

[ghost of miles]

Son of a bitch!

I'm sorry, this just really tears me up. His music meant SO much to me. His "voice" just got to the core of me somehow. When I first started getting into 1960s jazz, two of the first things I got were DESTINATION OUT and the Mosaic set. Last night I was listening to the RVG of Mobley's HI VOLTAGE and appreciating Jackie's contributions there... goddammit. I don't feel like the usual polite respects; I'm still mad that any of us has to die, especially Jackie. I've told people before that I consider him one of the patron saints of Night Lights. Goddammit!!

[Indestructible!]

Such horrible news.

RIP Jackie. You were a beautiful man who enriched the lives of countless others through your music, and I'll always be thankful for that. Your spirit will always live on!

Shane

[Cali]

Oh man, this one really, really hurts.

[clifford_thornton]

I feel a chunk missing from my soul here.

This is the first time anybody I've interviewed has passed. He was very kind and generous, and really easy to talk to - even though I was very nervous!

I have never got enough of his music, his tone, the sheer energy and power and honesty of his playing. The phrase "keening alto" really applies to him, and he always stretched out his bands as far as they could go.

Thank you for the beautiful music and the memories of conversation, Jackie. I'll miss you very much.

[sidewinder]

I've spent pretty much of the day here enjoying some of Jackie's greatest Blue Note albums and if anything the brilliance and pinnache of these recordings only becomes even more apparent. What a truly great body of work this is - and that's before I even think about the Prestige/New Jazz's.

It is astonishing that not one major news site has announced this sad news in a tribute. Appalling..

[HolyStitt]

Like with Jimmy Smith, maybe we should add our favorite Jackie Mac albums as avatars. I'm going to do that right now.

I think this is a great idea.

Can someone tell me how to do it?

First, find an image of the Jackie cover you want to display. If it is online(AMG is the best source), right click on the image and choose properties. Copy the URL of the image by highlighting it and holding down 'control' + 'c'.

Click "My Controls" at the top of the page.

Click "edit Avatar Settings" on the left.

Go to the box for "Enter a URL to an online avatar image"

Hit 'control' + 'v' to paste the URL of your Jackie cover.

Click update Avatar.

If you have the image you want to use on your hard drive, you can upload it, but that gets complicated as there are size restrictions on uploads.

Thank you!

[HolyStitt]

My first exposure to Jackie McLean was while working at a record store. I heard "4, 5, and 6" and "New Soil," but I was completely hooked after buying the Mosaic set. I love how in the 1960's, Jackie McLean moved between a bop sound with elements of the New Thing added. Man, what a sound he had!

I never had the chance to see him perform. My buddy flew out to N.Y. and asked Jackie about it at a gig. He said for some reason nobody wanted to book him in the area.

Has anyone seen the documentary of him teaching in the 1970's?

[connoisseur series500]

I'm not one for changing avatars. I've had the same one now for a few years, but this is a special time.

[trane_fanatic]

RIP, Mr. McLean. I first got hip to him on Sonny Clark's "Cool Struttin'". The greats just keep going. It is a sad fact of life. *sigh*

Edited April 1, 2006 by trane_fanatic

[garthsj]

Another sad day as one of my early heroes departs. How well I remember those yellow label 12" Prestige albums that I had specially imported into South Africa from the U.S. by friendly merchant sailors in the late fifties. (That was the only way I could get them after reading the reviews in Metronome or Downbeat). There were always arguments among my small group of jazz friends as to the merits between West Coast altoists like Bud Shank and Herb Geller, and the East Coast players like Jackie Mclean and Phil Woods ... I liked them all, and now Bud and Phil are making albums together (a very good one too, on Jazzed Media). Mclean has left behind a wonderful legacy of music for us to enjoy ... RIP Jackie!

[BFrank]

I only saw him once and unfortunately don't have a great recollection of the show - but I'm SURE it was great.

12/30/1979 - Keystone Korner, San Francisco: Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Reunion w/Cedar Walton, Billy Harper, Curtis Fuller, Airto, Jackie McLean, Eddie Henderson

[Allan Songer]

I only saw him once and unfortunately don't have a great recollection of the show - but I'm SURE it was great.

12/30/1979 - Keystone Korner, San Francisco: Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Reunion w/Cedar Walton, Billy Harper, Curtis Fuller, Airto, Jackie McLean, Eddie Henderson

I was there too. It was a good show . . .

[wigwise]

I saw him in Seattle (Jazz Alley) back in the mid 90's, am grateful for that. Thank goodness we have all these wonderful records he left for us. I hope a biography comes out about his facinating life (I love his stories about Bird and Prez). R.I.P.

[chris olivarez]

Very sad news.

(I'm a bit uncomfortable with this news being place in the misc. forum. Wouldn't it be more respectful to move this thread to the Artists thread?)

Guilty as charged. I'm sorry I truly meant no offense. Unfortunately that didn't occur to me until after the fact. Thanks to whoever moved the thread.

[Guest]

:(:(:(

what sort of illness was this?

this is the final death rattle in the end of the old era. Rest in Peace Jackie

[connoisseur series500]

I only saw him once and unfortunately don't have a great recollection of the show -

BF was into drinking single malt back then.

[LWayne]

Very sad news indeed. I was fortunate enough to hear him play at the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Concerts several times. He was also involved in the pre-concert seminars where he proved to be an engaging speaker and very approachable as well. Truly one of the heavyweights to which everybody after him will be compared. Thanks Jackie for the music....

LWayne

Edited April 1, 2006 by LWayne

[Eric]

My thoughts go out ot his family ...

[Alexander]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I know quite a few people who didn't like Jackie's sound on the alto, but to me he was one of the all time best on his instrument. The first Mosaic I ever got was the McLean...

[Peter Friedman]

This was terrible news. There are so few top level players left from that era. Jackie has been one of my favorite musicians from about 1956 up to the present. I bought an original copy of his first Lp as leader on the Ad Lib label when it was first released. Just played the Fresh Sound CD reissue of that session. When it came to playing the blues Jackie Mclean could not be beat. An original sound and conception.

We have lost a jazz giant.

[Chalupa]

Oh man.....

When I first saw the title of this thread my immediate reaction was,"God, I hope this a bad April Fool's joke."

Alas.

[Soulstation1]

Rene McLean is 60 YO

[Big Al]

I'm with Ghost here: this one hurts too much. When I saw the thread title, I gasped. Man, this hurts. Even more than when the great JOS passed. This one was so unexpected. And his music was just so full of LIFE! What a body of work! Not a bad record in the bunch!

Jackie, Lee, and Billy are together once again. God bless you, Jackie Mac. And thank you.

[Rooster_Ties]

Rene McLean is 60 YO

Yikes!!