1973 · Album
Altissimo
Recorded 1973, Denmark · Philips (Japan) · Produced by Unverified — information omitted
Four Altos, One Room, Copenhagen
Four alto saxophonists in the same room is either a great idea or a disaster — this is mostly the former.
Jackie McLean had been one of the most committed voices in hard bop and avant-garde jazz since the late 1950s, and by 1973 he was deep into his role as an educator as well as a performer. So when someone put him in a room in Denmark with Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, and Charlie Mariano — four alto saxophonists, no rhythm section on some tracks, just horns — the results were always going to be interesting, even if not every moment lands perfectly.
Altissimo (1973) is a genuinely unusual record. The concept is the point: four players who came up through completely different traditions — Konitz through the cool school, McLean through bop and then the loft scene, Bartz from a more soulful post-Coltrane place, Mariano with his own eclectic background — all working through material together. The interplay is the draw here, not any single soloist burning through changes. You hear them listening to each other, adjusting, sometimes finding a groove and sometimes circling around one. It is not a blowing session. It is more collaborative than that, and more patient.
This is not the essential Jackie McLean record — for that you go to Let Freedom Ring (1962) or One Step Beyond (1963). But Altissimo is worth your time if you are curious about what happens when strong personalities with different aesthetics try to share the same sonic space. It was recorded in Denmark and first released on the Japanese Philips label, which tells you something about where the international audience for serious jazz was in 1973. An unusual document from a specific moment, and a solid one.
Who's playing
Palle Danielssondouble bass
Joachim Kühnpiano
Gary Bartzalto saxophone
Lee Konitzalto saxophone
Charlie Marianoalto saxophone
Jackie McLeanalto saxophone
Han Benninkdrums
Where next?
More by Jackie McLean
All 46 albums →
The musicians on this record
Hip Elegy 1976
Joachim Kühn
plays piano here
plays piano here
Alone Together 1959
Lee Konitz
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
The Shadow Do 1975
Gary Bartz
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
