Jackie McLean- Swing, Swang, Swingin' (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Label: Blue Note

Reissued 10/16/2026, Originally released 1960

By the time Jackie McLean began recording as a leader for Blue Note in 1959, the alto saxophonist had already been a stalwart of the NYC jazz scene for nearly a decade having spent the entirety of the 1950s cutting his teeth alongside bebop legends like Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. Recorded in October of that year, his second Blue Note album Swing, Swang, Swingin' fully delivered on the album title's emphatic promise with McLean blowing with gusto through a joyful set in a quartet featuring Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. As the lone horn player, McLean's distinctive sound shines with his piquant tone and hip harmonic sense igniting impassioned improvisations. In addition to standards by Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and more, McLean offers a bright version of Benny Golson's "Stable Mates" before closing with his own blues "116th and Lenox."

Track listing:

1. What's New
   
2. Let's Face the Music and Dance
   
3. Stable Mates
   
4. I'll Remember You
   
5. I Love You
   
6. I'll Take Romance
   
7. 116th and Lennox