John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the DownBeat Hall of Fame in the year of their death.
Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer best remembered for his work in the hard bop style.
Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Vertigo is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1962 and 1963 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1980. The initial release contained only the five tracks from 1963, while the later 2000 limited CD edition, released as part of the "Connoisseur Series", added six tracks from a 1962 session originally marked for release as Jackie McLean Quintet, first issued in 1978 as part of a double LP entitled Hipnosis.
Miles Davis and Milt Jackson Quintet/Sextet, also known as Quintet/Sextet is a studio album by trumpeter Miles Davis and vibraphonist Milt Jackson released by Prestige Records in August of 1956. It was recorded on August 5, 1955. Credited to "Miles Davis and Milt Jackson", this was an "all-star" session, and did not feature any of the members of Davis's working group of that time. Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean appears on his own compositions “Dr. Jackle” and “Minor Apprehension”.
Whims of Chambers is a jazz album by the bassist Paul Chambers released on the Blue Note label circa January 1957. The album features performances by Chambers with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer ”Philly” Joe Jones.
Cool Struttin' is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark that was released by Blue Note Records in August 1958. Described as an "enduring hard-bop classic" by The New York Times, the album features alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer and two members of the Miles Davis Quintet, drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers. According to The Stereo Times, the album enjoys "a nearly cult status among hardcore jazz followers", a reputation AllMusic asserts it deserves "for its soul appeal alone".
Sonny's Crib is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark, released on the Blue Note label in March 1958. It features trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Curtis Fuller, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. The first half of the album comprises three standards, the second half contains two Clark originals. Critic Reid Thompson compared the album favorably to Coltrane's Blue Train, seeing them as the epitome of the Blue Note sound in the late 1950s.
Bohemia After Dark is an album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke, featuring the earliest recordings with Cannonball Adderley and Nat Adderley. It was released by Savoy Records in September 1955.
A Bluish Bag is an album by jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine consisting of two sessions recorded for the Blue Note label in 1967 and arranged by Duke Pearson, the first featuring Donald Byrd and the second McCoy Tyner, among others.
Back to the Tracks is a hard bop album by tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks recorded in 1960 and released posthumously. The album was originally intended as BLP 4052, but, for some reason, it was shelved at the time. A song recorded during the session, "David the King", was rejected since it "never made it to releasable quality". The composition was later re-recorded for Brooks' final Blue Note session, eventually released as The Waiting Game. The tracks first appeared in a Mosaic 12" LP box-set (MR4-106) entitled The Complete Blue Note Recordings of The Tina Brooks Quintets. A Blue Note CD appeared in 1998, then reissued in 2006.
Street Singer is a hard bop album jointly led by tenor Tina Brooks and alto Jackie McLean. The tracks "Appointment in Ghana", "A Ballad for Doll" and "Isle of Java" were originally released in 1960 on McLean's album Jackie's Bag. The full session, including three previously unreleased tracks, was first released on the Japanese Blue Note label in 1980.
Bluesnik is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Pete La Roca.
A Fickle Sonance is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Billy Higgins.
Capuchin Swing is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean in a quintet featuring trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Walter Bishop Jr., bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. McLean and Mitchell do not play on “Don’t Blame Me”.
New Soil is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean's quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Walter Davis Jr., bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Pete La Roca.
Makin' the Changes is a studio album by saxophonist Jackie McLean. It was recorded in 1957 for Prestige, but not released until 1960 by the subsidiary label New Jazz as NJ 8231. It features three tracks with McLean in a quartet with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Arthur Phipps and drummer Art Taylor, and three with a sextet featuring trumpeter Webster Young, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Gil Coggins, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Louis Hayes.
4, 5 and 6 is a studio album by saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded for Prestige Records. It was recorded in 1956 and originally released that year as PRLP 7048. In 1962, the album was reissued under the same title on the Prestige sub-label New Jazz Records as NJ 8279 with a different cover. The album was reissued on CD in 1991. It features McLean in a quartet with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor. Trumpeter Donald Byrd guests on three tracks, and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley on one.
A Long Drink of the Blues is a studio album by saxophonist Jackie McLean. It was recorded in 1957, and released in 1961 on New Jazz Records as NJ 8253. It features two tracks with McLean in a sextet featuring trumpeter Webster Young, trombonist Curtis Fuller, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Louis Hayes, and three with a quartet featuring pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Art Phipps and drummer Art Taylor.
Strange Blues is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean, recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label. It features three tracks with McLean in a quartet featuring pianist Jon Mayer, bassist Bill Salter and drummer Larry Ritchie, one with a quartet featuring pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Art Phipps and drummer Art Taylor and one with a quartet featuring pianist Gil Coggins, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Louis Hayes. Trumpeter Webster Young and tuba player Ray Draper appear together on two tracks.
