Jackie McLean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jackie McLean
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McLean at Keystone Korner in
San Francisco, December 1982 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Lenwood McLean |
| Born | May 17, 1931 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 31, 2006 (aged 74) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator |
| Instruments | Alto saxophone |
| Years active | 1951–2004 |
John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (born May 17, 1931 – died March 31, 2006) was a famous American jazz musician. He played the alto saxophone. Jackie was also a composer, bandleader, and teacher. He was so respected that he was chosen for the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Musical Start
Jackie McLean was born in New York City. His father, John Sr., was a guitarist in Tiny Bradshaw's band. After his father passed away in 1939, Jackie's musical learning continued. His godfather, his stepfather (who owned a record store), and many great teachers helped him. He also learned a lot from famous jazz musicians like Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker, who were his neighbors. In high school, Jackie played in a band with Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Andy Kirk, Jr.
Starting His Career
When Jackie was just 20 years old, he played on Miles Davis' album Dig with Sonny Rollins. As a young musician, he also recorded with Gene Ammons, Charles Mingus (for Pithecanthropus Erectus), and George Wallington. He was also a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.
Jackie McLean's early recordings were in the hard bop style of jazz. Later, he started using modal jazz ideas, but he always kept his strong hard bop roots. Throughout his career, he was known for his special saxophone sound. People often described it as "bitter-sweet" or "piercing." He also played with a slightly sharp pitch and had a strong connection to the blues.
Recording Success
Jackie McLean made many recordings in the 1950s and 1960s. He signed a contract with Blue Note Records in 1959 and stayed with them until 1967. Before that, he recorded for Prestige. Blue Note offered better pay and more artistic freedom. His work for Blue Note is highly praised. He played as a leader and as a sideman with many musicians. These included Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Lee Morgan, Ornette Coleman, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Redd, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, Bobby Hutcherson, Mal Waldron, and Tina Brooks.
In 1962, he recorded Let Freedom Ring for Blue Note. This album showed how he was trying to solve musical problems in jazz. He used ideas from the free jazz style of Ornette Coleman. This helped him mix hard bop with new jazz sounds. Let Freedom Ring started a time when he played with avant-garde jazz musicians. His way of mixing modal jazz and free jazz with his hard bop style made his recordings from 1962 onwards very unique.
Supporting New Talent
McLean recorded with many musicians and was very good at finding new talent. Saxophonist Tina Brooks, trumpeter Charles Tolliver, pianist Larry Willis, trumpeter Bill Hardman, and tubist Ray Draper all got help from McLean in the 1950s and 1960s. Drummers like Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Lenny White, Michael Carvin, and Carl Allen gained important early experience playing with McLean.
Teaching and Community Work
In 1967, Blue Note's new management ended his recording contract. The pay for new recordings was so low that he stopped recording to make a living. Instead, he focused on touring. In 1968, he started teaching at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. He later created the university's African American Music Department. This department is now called the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz. He also started its Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies program. His album New York Calling, made with his son René McLean, showed that by 1980 he had blended all his musical influences.
In 1970, Jackie and his wife, Dollie McLean, along with jazz bassist Paul (PB) Brown, started the Artists Collective, Inc. in Hartford. This group works to keep the art and culture of the African Diaspora alive. It offers classes and lessons in dance, theater, music, and visual arts. The musicians in McLean's later bands were often his students from Hartford. These included Steve Davis and his son René, who is also a jazz saxophonist and flutist, and a jazz teacher. Mark Berman, a jazz pianist and Broadway conductor, also played in McLean's Hartford group.
In 1979, he had an unusual hit song called "Doctor Jackyll and Mister Funk." This song reached No. 53 in the UK Singles Chart. It was a step into the funk and disco music of the late 1970s.
Awards and Legacy
Jackie McLean received an American Jazz Masters fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001. He also won many other awards from around the world. McLean was unique because he was the only American jazz musician to start both a university department and a community organization almost at the same time. Both of these have been around for over thirty years.
Jackie McLean passed away on March 31, 2006, in Hartford, Connecticut, after a long illness. In 2006, he was chosen for the DownBeat Hall of Fame by music critics. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.
A. B. Spellman's 1966 book, Black Music, Four Lives, includes many thoughts from McLean about his early life and career. Derek Ansell's book, Sugar Free Saxophone, tells the full story of his career and looks closely at his recorded music.
Filmography
- The Connection (1961), where he played himself.
- Jackie McLean on Mars (1980), where he played himself.
- Ken Burns' Jazz (2000), where he appeared as himself.
See also
In Spanish: Jackie McLean para niños
