1956 · Album
4, 5 and 6
Recorded 1962 and 1963 · Blue Note · Original Release: 1980 (five tracks from 1963 session only)
Hard Bop and the Space Between
McLean balances the accessible groove of hard bop with real glimpses of something stranger and less comfortable.
Vertigo catches Jackie McLean at a moment when hard bop was starting to feel like both a home and a constraint. The 1963 sessions that originally made up this album sit squarely in Blue Note territory — smartly built tunes, blues changes, a saxophonist who knows how to make a melody stick. But there's restlessness here. Scott Yanow's AllMusic review noted the music ranges from catchy funk and hard bop to strong hints of the avant-garde, and that tension is what keeps the record interesting. McLean isn't abandoning the formula. He's testing its limits.
The earlier 1962 material, added to the 2000 CD reissue, shows him working the same ground from a different angle. These tracks were originally shelved, which tells you something about how the label felt about them at the time. Bill Shoemaker's JazzTimes review pointed out that McLean didn't stray far from the Blue Note winning formula, and that restraint — the choice to stay mostly tethered to hard bop rather than vault into free jazz — explains why the date sat in the vault. The Penguin Guide gave it three and a half stars, a solid endorsement for an album that works best if you're already comfortable with this corner of the jazz map.
If you know Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond or Destination... Out!, you'll recognize the hunger in his tone here. But Vertigo is less radical. It's the sound of someone testing boundaries without quite crossing them, which makes it valuable for a different reason — not as a departure, but as proof that hard bop, when played by someone thinking about where the form might go, doesn't need to shout to stay alive. This is for listeners who already care about McLean's playing, not an entry point.
Who's playing
Doug Watkinsdouble bass
Mal Waldronpiano
Jackie McLeanalto saxophone
Hank Mobleytenor saxophone
Donald Byrdtrumpet
Art Taylordrums
Where next?
More by Jackie McLean
All 46 albums →
The musicians on this record
Love Byrd 1959
Donald Byrd
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
Tenor Conclave 1957
Hank Mobley
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
Wheelin’ & Dealin’ 1958
Mal Waldron
plays piano here
plays piano here
