Capuchin Swing (Remastered) Jackie McLean

• 1Francisco09:34
• 2Just For Now07:33
• 3Don't Blame Me04:24
• 4Condition Blue08:13
• 5Capuchin Swing06:10
• 6On The Lion04:45
• Total Runtime40:39

Info for Capuchin Swing (Remastered)

Considered one of his strongest Blue Note outings, Capuchin Swing basically forced McLean to bring in some heavyweights to help define and deliver his vision. First and foremost was Blue Mitchell’s forceful trumpet, chosen to counterpoint the leader’s alto, that was in a feisty mood of it’s own throughout the sessions. Having Walter Bishop, Jr. on piano, Paul Chambers’ bass and Art Taylor banging skins frees the leader’s mind of worry rhythm-wise, allowing him and Mitchell to co-explore new heights of interplay. The intensity on McLean originals such as “Francisco”, “Condition Blue” and the title tune are both riveting and sometimes draining, while Bishop contributes both “Just For Now” plus another dedication to the label founder, “On The Lion”.

Jackie McLean's explorations of free jazz and the avant-garde were still a couple of years away when he cut this Blue Note album in 1960, but that doesn't mean „Capuchin Swing“ is a by-the-numbers affair by any means. Though its name isn't generally invoked when the tally of hard bop's greatest albums is made, it stands up alongside anything Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, et al were doing at the time. With trumpeter Blue Mitchell proving to be a perfectly matched sparring partner, McLean pushes bop harmonies and structures nearly to the breaking point with his intense improvisations on a batch of original compositions with a couple of outside tunes thrown in. Throughout, McLean stirs the sonic pot in such a fiery fashion, you can just tell something's cooking that he hasn't quite served up yet.

Jackie McLean, alto saxophone
Blue Mitchell, trumpet
Walter Bishop, Jr., piano
Art Taylor, drums

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Produced by Alfred Lion

Digitally remastered

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 Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1956-1958). 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 later disowned. Actually they are not bad but pale in comparison to McLean's classic series of 21 Blue Note albums (1959-1967). 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 (most notably with Tina Brooks, acted in the stage play The Connection (1959-1961), 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 1972-1974 (including two meetings with his early idol Dexter Gordon) and an outing for RCA (1978-1979), McLean was less active as a player during the '70s. However in the '80s 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. (Scott Yanow)

This album contains no booklet.