John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the DownBeat Hall of Fame in the year of their death.
14 Facts About Jackie McLean
2.
Jackie McLean received informal tutoring from neighbors Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker.
3.
Jackie McLean later became an exponent of modal jazz without abandoning his foundation in hard bop.
4.
Jackie McLean was a heroin addict throughout his early career, and the resulting loss of his New York City cabaret card forced him to undertake a large number of recording dates to earn income in the absence of nightclub performance opportunities.
5.
Jackie McLean was under contract with Blue Note Records from 1959 to 1967, having previously recorded for Prestige.
6.
Jackie McLean recorded with dozens of musicians and had a gift for spotting talent.
7.
Jackie McLean later set up the university's African American Music Department and its Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies program.
8.
Jackie McLean's Steeplechase recording New York Calling, made with his son Rene McLean, showed that by 1980 the assimilation of all influences was complete.
9.
The membership of Jackie McLean's later bands were drawn from his students in Hartford, including Steve Davis and his son Rene, who is a jazz saxophonist and flautist as well as a jazz educator.
10.
Jackie McLean received an American Jazz Masters fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001 and numerous other national and international awards.
11.
Jackie McLean was the only American jazz musician to found a department of studies at a university and a community-based organization almost simultaneously.
12.
Jackie McLean died on March 31,2006, in Hartford, Connecticut after a long illness.
13.
In 2006, Jackie McLean was elected to the DownBeat Hall of Fame via the International Critics Poll.
14.
Jackie McLean is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York City.