McLean, Jackie: Destination Out! (Blue Note Classic) LP

Blue Note Records has announced the continuation of the Classic Vinyl Reissue Series which presents 180g vinyl LP reissues in standard packaging mastered by Kevin Gray and manufactured at Optimal. The pressings are all-analog whenever an analog source is available, with Gray mastering directly from the original master tapes. While the first 16 titles of the series focused on the best-known Blue Note classics from the 1950s and 60s, the new run of titles curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman broadens its scope to span the many eras and styles of the legendary label's eight-decade history presented by themes: Bebop, Hard Bop, Soul Jazz, Post-Bop, Avant-Garde, The 70s, The Rebirth, and Hidden Gems. The time was right. It was 1963 and 31-year old altoist Jackie McLean was recording an album for the ages. McLean had been a major player for a dozen years by then and was a hard bop master but he wanted more in his music. One of the very few musicians of his generation to embrace free jazz, McLean was impressed by Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane but his goal was to create his own brand of free form music, one filled with soul and grooves yet exploring sounds never heard before. In trombonist Grachan Moncur III, he had found a musical soul mate, one whose adventurous solos matched McLean's own and who was also a superior composer. With Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Larry Ridley and Roy Haynes, McLean and Moncur romp through four of their originals, swinging hard but engaging in new ideas and ferocious emotions, connected to the past but looking towards a wild future. Nothing was held back and the performances on Destination...Out! still sound futuristic, innovative and thrilling.