Jackie McLean was a staple in the hard bop style of jazz for a long time. However, in the early 60s, he began to implement modal jazz in his playing. Ornette Coleman was highly influential at this time, so he began experimenting with free jazz. The first sign of McLean’s transition can be heard on his landmark album, Let Freedom Ring. He slowly began working with avant-garde jazz musicians, instead of the usual hard bop acts. A notable avant-garde musician he began working with was Grachan Moncur III. One innovative album they worked on together was Destination… Out!
The rest of the lineup for this date was Larry Ridley on bass, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and Roy Haynes on the drums. This is a monumental album for two reasons. First, it highlighted the evolution of McLean as a musician, and it solidified Moncur III as one of the most prolific composers in jazz at the time. A fact that his peers recognized, but the public didn’t. Moncur III wrote 3 of the 4 songs on the album. McLean wrote “Kahlil the Prophet”.
The album itself is great. It’s starts off a bit subdued, with the track “Love & Hate”, but the next 3 cuts take off from there. My favorite cut on the LP is “Riff Raff”. This album belongs in your collection. If you are looking for a quality vinyl copy of this, be prepared to spend a lot of money. The best version outside of the original pressing is the Connoisseur pressing from the mid-90s. Sadly, it is long out of print. If you happen to see one for less than $90, by all means grab it! That is far cheaper than what the original pressing commands. In the meantime, enjoy the cuts below.
Filed under: Hard bop, Jazz, Post Bop, Video, Vinyl, Avant-Garde, Blue Note, Bobby Hutcherson, Destination... Out!, Grachan Moncur III, Hardbop, Jackie McLean, Larry Ridley, Ornette Coleman, Roy Haynes
