Bluesnik

Bluesnik
Studio album by Jackie McLean
Released	February 1962 [1]
Recorded	January 8, 1961
Studio	Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre	Hard bop
Length	40:52
Label	Blue Note BLP 4067
Producer	Alfred Lion
Jackie McLean chronology
Jackie's Bag (1961) Bluesnik (1962) A Fickle Sonance (1962)

Bluesnik is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean, recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label. ^[2] It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Pete La Roca.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek stated: "Many critics-as well as jazz fans hold to the opinion that Bluesnik may be McLean's most accessible session for the label... this is a monster session effortlessly performed by a soloist at an early peak and a supporting cast of blazing sidemen." ^[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz rates the album three and a half out of four stars and describes it as "tough, unreconstructed modern blues that reveal considerable depths on subsequent hearings" and further states that the album is "an excellent record, that should be a high priority for anyone interested in McLean's music." ^[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[6]

Track listing

All compositions by Jackie McLean except as indicated

1. "Bluesnik" - 9:36
2. "Goin' 'Way Blues" - 6:34
3. "Drew's Blues" (Kenny Drew) - 5:52
4. "Cool Green" (Drew) - 5:20
5. "Blues Function" (Freddie Hubbard) - 7:19
6. "Torchin'" (Drew) - 6:11
7. "Goin' 'Way Blues" [alternate take] - 6:42 Bonus track on CD reissue
8. "Torchin'" (Drew) [alternate take] - 6:16 Bonus track on CD reissue

Personnel

• Jackie McLean - alto saxophone
• Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
• Kenny Drew - piano
• Doug Watkins - bass
• Pete La Roca - drums

References

1. Billboard Feb 24, 1962
2. Jackie McLean discography, accessed October 14, 2010.
3. Jurek, T. AllMusic review, accessed October 14, 2010.
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1996). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (3rd edn) Penguin Books. ISBN   9780140513684
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 979. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
6. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 136. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.