Jackie McLean Prestige vs Jackie McClean Blue Note POLL

[Peter Friedman]

Jackie on "Help" and "Beau Jack" from "Jackie McLean and Co." -- it's like he's opened up a vein, if that image isn't too creepy. Those performances just floored me back in the day, and they still do -- didn't think or know that musical/emotional expression of that sort was possible, though there was the example of Pee Wee Russell "Stuyvesant Blues" with Max Kaminsky (Jazztone).

I am with Larry here 100%. Two marvelous tunes from an album I would not want to be without.

[Peter Friedman]

The discussion thus far has been about Jackie's Prestige vs. Blue Note albums with some referring to his Steeplechase output.

The first Jackie McLean album I bought was his October 1955 session on the Ad Lib label. This was Jackie's very first album as leader.

I bought it on LP when it was initially released. I later sold it for a lot of money and replaced it with a Fresh Sound CD.

I have always had a warm spot in my heart for that one along with George Wallington at the Cafe Bohemia from September 1955.

Those two albums were what seriously turned me on Jackie's playing. I had heard him on the earlier Miles Davis - Dig - album, but it was the other two

that made me a true fan of McLean.

Another early album apart from Prestige was Jackie's December 1957 - Fat Jazz - on Jubilee. Had that on LP but now have it on

Fresh Sound too.

As has been said by others, the rough edges on these early McLean sessions I mentioned above as well as the albums on

Prestige and the sideman dates with Blakey had an emotional gut wrenching quality that was, for me, something very special.

[johnblitweiler]

sharp and flat in the same solo often enough. His intensity sometimes really grabbed me.