McLean, Jackie: A Fickle Sonance (Blue Note 80) LP

In honor of Blue Note Records' 80th Anniversary, the legendary jazz label is launching the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series. Distinct from the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this second series curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman features 180g vinyl LP releases in standard packaging with albums spanning the many eras of the label's history presented by themes: Blue Note Debuts, Blue Grooves, Great Reid Miles Covers, Blue Note Live, and Blue Note Drummer Leaders. The series resumes in April 2020 with Part 3 of the Great Reid Miles Covers theme - Jackie McLean – A Fickle Sonance (1961), Dexter Gordon – A Swingin' Affair (1962) and Lee Morgan – The Rumproller (1965).

Recorded in October 1961, A Fickle Sonance is a quintessential hard bop outing by Jackie McLean that also offered just a hint of the avant-garde explorations the alto saxophonist was about to embark on in the years to come with the dissonances of the title track's intro. Otherwise the fantastic quintet – with McLean joined by Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – kept it firmly in the pocket on this sterling set that kicks off with the playful "Five Will Get You Ten" (which legend has it Clark found in Thelonious Monk's apartment). Reid Miles' dramatic cropping of Francis Wolff's photo of McLean on the cover makes the album cover utterly unforgettable.