Jackie McLean died? How did I miss that?

Cafe Society
1

Just caught on a local jazz show that one of my all-time favorite bebop/avant garde jazz artists, Jackie McLean, died on March 31.

Now, I’m not arguing that it should have been headline news, but this man was a GREAT. I didn’t see anything at all on the news or news sites. This makes me sad. In his performance heyday (he actually had two careers, as I’ll go into in a sec,) he was one of Blue Note’s leading artists. He made an incredible 21 albums in 8 years between 1959 and 1967. He was brilliant. He was every bit part of the groundbreaking bebop scene with the Bird, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus, etc. as part of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Musically, he changed midstream to a less structured and more adventurous sound that became known as avant garde jazz. Jazz in general went the safer fusion (I know some people hate the term, but I don’t care. It’s watered-down pap, IMO. Jaco Pastorius, how I curse thee!) route and avant garde faded into the minority.

McLean then became more interested in teaching. He was a professor at Hartford University and founded the University’s distinguished eponymous Jazz Institute…one of the finest in the world.

He was a pioneer, a musician, and a smoking alto sax player. It’s well worth wading into his stuff. I needn’t mention this, I suppose, but Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers is highly, highly, highly recommended for the more bebop stuff. For his more adventurous, evolved work, check out the masterpiece 'Bout Soul. It’s about as far out there in free jazz as I think it’s possible to go and still remain cohesive.

RIP, Jackie Mac. We’ll miss you.

2

Wow. No love for the great Jackie McLean? SDMB is usually a place where no name is too obscure.

3

One more bump for the day crowd, then it’s off to the Great Nightclub in the Sky.

4

Damn, this is the first I’ve heard of it. There hasn’t been an obit in the San Francisco Chronicle yet.

5

It’s been all over New York. I guess he was a regional taste (he taught at Hartford for many years).

6

I depend on the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.bluenote for this type of info, no matter how obscure the name… these guys are really on top of this sort of thing.

7

Yeah? Where? I read the Daily News and the Times every day, and make a point of catching all the obits, and this thread is the first I’ve heard of it.

I’ve never been a big fan of Jackie’s, but any passing of a jazzman of his stature makes me sad. RIP, big guy.

8

The Hartford Courant had a front page story. The A.P. report is here.

Rest in peace, J.M.

9

Whew. Thank God this thread finally got a few responses. I was beginning to think I was the only person left who’d heard of him.

10

I heard the day he died, and so did everyone else I know who plays music or listens to music, but, yes, it’s surprising there wasn’t bigger coverage of his death.

He wrote some classic tunes, in addition to being a major improviser. I still perform “Fidel” and some of the blues from “Bluesnik” now and then. While I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing him personally, I somehow thought he was doing pretty well and would be around for a bit longer. Foolish thoughts, I suppose.

11

Oof. Shame on you, Times and News. (I always got a little more jazz vibe off the Post — at least for values of jazz favored by middle-aged white barflies.) I guess I’m mostly getting it off the net and the musicians’ telegraph.

Anyway. For Jackie’s fans or the curious, get to a computer (or radio in the greater NY area) today.

12

Well, now I understand the deleted Simpsons gag involving Lionel Hutz carrying an empty box from “Jackie McLean’s Pizza and Jazz.”

13

Never heard of him untill the NPR interview today, but then, I’m new to Jazz.
The bits Teri Gross played were great.
I’m off to Ebay and Barnes & Noble.