Jackie McLean: 'Bout Soul-1968 Blue Note "Liberty" on Label Stereo 12" Record

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1968 Blue Note "a Division of Liberty Records" on Label Stereo Release of Bandleader/Composer/Alto Saxophonist Jackie McLean Entitled 'Bout Soul, Produced by Alfred Lion, Recording by Rudy Van Gelder, Liner Notes by Nat Hentoff - "Jackie McLean has long had his own sound, played slightly sharp and with great intensity; he is recognizable within two notes. McLean was one of the few bop-oriented players of the early '50s who explored free jazz in the '60s, widening his emotional range and drawing from the new music qualities that fit his musical personality. The son of guitarist John McLean (who played guitar with Tiny Bradshaw), Jackie started on alto when he was 15. As a teenager he was friends with such neighbors as Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. He made his recording debut with Miles Davis in 1951 and the rest of the decade could be considered his apprenticeship. McLean worked with George Wallington, Charles Mingus, and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1956-1958). He also participated on a string of jam session-flavored records for Prestige and New Jazz which, due to the abysmal pay and his developing style, he later disowned. Actually they are not bad but pale in comparison to McLean's classic series of 21 Blue Note albums (1959-1967). On sessions such as One Step Beyond and Destination Out, McLean really stretches and challenges himself; this music is quite original and intense yet logical. McLean also appeared as a sideman on some sessions for Blue Note (most notably with Tina Brooks, acted in the stage play The Connection (1959-1961), and led his own groups on a regular basis. By 1968, however, he was moving into the jazz education field and other than some SteepleChase records from 1972-1974 (including two meetings with his early idol Dexter Gordon) and an outing for RCA (1978-1979), McLean was less active as a player during the '70s. However in the '80s Jackie McLean returned to a more active playing schedule (sometimes with his son René McLean on tenor), recording for Triloka, Antilles, and most recently (with a renewed relationship) with Blue Note -- without losing the intensity and passion of his earlier days." - "'Bout Soul does not mean the same thing as soul-jazz, as the opening track "Soul" makes abundantly clear. Written by Grachan Moncur III and poet Barbara Simmons, "Soul" is a tonally free tone-poem that features Simmons' spoken recital. It's about what the concept of soul is, not what soul music is, and that should not come as a surprise to anyone acquainted with Jackie McLean's work. Even as his Blue Note contemporaries were working commercial soul-jazz grooves, McLean pushed the borders of jazz, embracing the avant-garde and free jazz. 'Bout Soul is one of his most explicit free albums, finding the alto saxophonist pushing a quintet -- trumpeter Woody Shaw (who sits out "Dear Nick, Dear John"), pianist Lamont Johnson, bassist Scotty Holt, drummer Rashied Ali -- into uncompromising, tonally free territory. This is intensely cerebral music that is nevertheless played with a fiery passion. Although the music was all composed, it is played as if it was invented on the spot. Fans of McLean's straight-ahead hard bop, or even of his adventurous mid-'60s sessions, might find this a little off-putting at first, but 'Bout Soul rewards close listening. It is one of McLean's finest modern contemporary sessions." - Sensational Personnel for the Sextet Features Legendary Composer Jackie McLean on Alto Sax, Woody Shaw on Trumpet, the Brilliant Grachan Moncur III on Trombone, the Talented Lamont Johnson on Piano, Scotty Holt on Bass and the Amazing Rashied Ali on Drums! - Additional Musician Is Poet Barbara Simmons with Vocal on "Soul" - Selections on Side One Are the Grachan Moncur III/Barbara Simmons Penned Soul at 10 Minutes 13 Seconds & Original Jackie McLean Composition Conversion Point - Tracks for Side Two Consist of the Lamont Johnson Song Big Ben's Voice at 10 Minutes 5 Seconds, the Scotty Holt Penned Dear Nick Dear John and Original Lamont Johnson Composition Erdu - Used Copy, Cover Very Good++, Record Has Light Surface Wear - Stereo Recording, Product Code BST 84284 - California Residents Add 9.75% Sales Tax - International S & H Extra -