Jackie McLean

Jackie McLean的上半輩子，是一個高超的的“后帕克比波普”硬核，一個以鋒利著稱的時尚嬉皮爵士樂手。他的音樂也是響當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)挠膊ㄆ铡ｄh利的刀口完全可以切斷所有其他樂手的寸斷柔情。反過頭來，人們又拿著他的作品和那些波普音樂的創(chuàng)始人比試。直到1956年，他加入Mingus的大樂團(tuán)后，真實的Jackie 才開始慢慢顯露出來。和Migus在一起的合作，注定是不愉快和短命的。但是沒有那位“暴君”不停的指責(zé)他對parker大鳥的抄襲，或許Jackie的人生將不會是我們在他的音樂中聽到的那樣。“爪哇猿人的直立行走”（Pithecanthropus Erectus ）這張專輯,是第一張后波普爵士專輯，其中的作品每首都是長篇巨著，令人印象深刻，而且充滿曠野和一種社會意識。演奏中充滿不和諧音符和令人眩暈的效果。Jackie的高音薩克斯在布魯斯樂句和尖嘯的高音之間轉(zhuǎn)換和交梭。在和Mingus大叔理所當(dāng)然的對峙了一段時間之后，Jackie和貝斯手離開了那個讓他不舒服，但是打開他藝術(shù)之門的樂隊。他小心的收藏起Mingus的教誨，又和以前一樣，演奏起他的硬波普爵士樂來。當(dāng)由Ornette Coleman和Cecil Taylor領(lǐng)軍的自由爵士樂進(jìn)化到如日中天的時候，爵士樂的格局已經(jīng)是涇渭分明。像Miles Davis和Charles Mingus這樣的歷來革新者在各自的分水嶺中保持同對方適度的距離。但是對那些依然還在串場演出的音樂家來說，這是必須做出抉擇，而Jackie McLean是同輩人中第一個跨越界限的人。當(dāng)然后來的年輕音樂家，像John Coltrane或者Eric Dolphy，領(lǐng)著他們那一代人組成的一大批樂手，也多少穿越了這個界限，但是和Jackie McLean相比，根本算不上特立獨行：他沒有在當(dāng)時立即決定，而是在認(rèn)真地反思、判斷自己做為一名音樂家的品性，反復(fù)思考Charles Mingus的教誨和兩者之間的聯(lián)系之后才做出決斷。Ornette Coleman的音樂是Jackie在轉(zhuǎn)型期間最為主要的影響和催化劑，但是在我認(rèn)為，還是Mingus是當(dāng)之無愧的自由爵士之父，也是Jackie真正的音樂源泉。
 
by Scott Yanow
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 Blakeys Jazz Messengers (1956-58). 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 has since disowned. Actually they are not bad but pale compared to McLeans classic series of 21 Blue Note albums (1959-67). 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, acted in the stage play The Connection (1959-61) 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 1972-74 (including two meetings with his early idol Dexter Gordon) and an unfortunate commercial outing for RCA (1978-79), McLean was less active as a player during the 1970s. However in the 1980s 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.