Jackie McLean - 4, 5, and 6 (Mono)

Half quartets, two quintets and a sextet: in 1956 Prestige released '4, 5 and 6', an album that would establish the young alto saxophonist Jackie McLean on the jazz scene. He was accompanied by trumpeter Donald Byrd and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. McLean's quartet versions of "Sentimental Journey", "Why Was I Born?" and "When I Fall in Love" are bluesy, with powerful hard bop hits, but also thoughtful and full of expectation. On all three, the saxophonist demonstrates his own style, covering the composition with his own texture.

"4, 5 and 6" alone was not a groundbreaking album, but it foreshadowed McLean's future as an innovative musician in an overly purist mainstream jazz world.

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