His father, John Sr., who died in 1939, played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra. After his father's death, his musical education was continued by his godfather, by his stepfather, who owned a record store, and by several noted teachers. He also received informal tutoring from neighbours Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker. During high school he played in a band with Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Andy Kirk, Jr. (the tenor saxophonist son of Andy Kirk).
He recorded with Miles Davis, on Davis' Dig album, when he was 19 years old. Rollins played on the same album. As a young man McLean also recorded with Gene Ammons, Charles Mingus, George Wallington, and as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (he reportedly joined the Jazz Messengers after being punched by the notoriously violent Mingus and, fearing for his life, brandished a knife and contemplated stabbing him).
McLean was a heroin addict throughout his early career, and the resulting loss of his New York City cabaret license forced him to undertake a large number of recording dates; consequently he produced a large body of recorded work in the 1950s and 60s. He was under contract with Blue Note Records from 1959 to 1967, having previously recorded for Prestige. Blue Note offered better pay and more artistic control than other labels, and his work for Blue Note is highly regarded.
In 1962 he recorded Let Freedom Ring for Blue Note. This album was the culmination of attempts he had made over the years to deal with harmonic problems in jazz, especially in soloing on his piece "Quadrangle." (*"Quadrangle" appears on BST 4051, Jackie's Bag, recorded in 1959). Let Freedom Ring began a period in which he performed with avant-garde musicians rather than the veteran hard bop performers he had been performing with. His recordings from 1962 on, in which he adapted the innovations of modal and free jazz to hard bop, made his body of work distinctive.
In 1964, he served six months in prison on drug charges. The period immediately after his release from prison is known as his acid period because the three albums he released during it were much harsher in tone than his previous albums.
In 1967 his recording contract, like the contracts of many other progressive musicians, was terminated by Blue Note's new management. His opportunities to record promised so little pay that he abandoned recording as a way to earn a living, concentrating instead on touring. In 1968 he began teaching at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. He later set up the university's African American Music Department (now the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz) and its Jazz Studies degree program.
In 1970 he and his wife Dollie founded the Artists' Collective, Inc. of Hartford, an organization dedicated to preserving the art and culture of the African diaspora. It provides educational programs and instruction in dance, theatre, music and visual arts.
He received an American Jazz Masters fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001.
His son René is a jazz saxophonist and flautist as well as a jazz educator.
After a long illness, McLean died on March 31, 2006 in Hartford, Connecticut
Cool Green
Jackie McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm watching the sea,
Will the one I love,
Be coming back to me?
I cover the waterfront,
In search of my love,
And I'm covered by,
Here am I,
Patiently waiting,
Hoping and longing,
Oh! How I yearn!
Where are you?
Are you forgetting?
Do you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the waterfront,
I'm watching the sea,
For the one I love,
Must come back to me.
The song "I Cover the Waterfront," originally written by Green and Heyman in 1932, has been covered by many artists, including Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong. Jackie McLean's version is a soulful jazz rendition of the classic song, with his saxophone carrying the melody over a slow and steady bass line. The lyrics tell the story of a person who is waiting by the sea for their love to return. The singer is searching for their love and wondering if they will ever come back.
The line "I cover the waterfront" means that the singer is scanning the horizon of the sea, trying to see if their love is on the way back to them. The starless sky adds to the melancholy mood of the song. The singer is waiting patiently and hopefully, but they also show hints of worry and doubt. They question if their love remembers them and if they will ever return. The singer's deep longing and yearning for their love to come back is palpable throughout the song. The last line of the song is a poignant reminder of the singer's unwavering desire for their love to return to them.
Overall, "I Cover the Waterfront" is a song that captures the feelings of love, hope, and longing through its introspective lyrics and soulful melody.
Line by Line Meaning
I cover the waterfront
I search for my love
I'm watching the sea
I'm waiting for my love to return by sea
Will the one I love
I'm unsure if my love will return
Be coming back to me?
I hope my love will return to me
In search of my love
I search for my love
And I'm covered by
I'm enveloped by
A starless sky above.
A sky without stars leaves me with no direction
Here am I,
Here I am,
Patiently waiting,
Waiting patiently,
Hoping and longing,
Hoping and yearning,
Oh! How I yearn!
I have a strong longing for my love
Where are you?
I wonder where you are
Are you forgetting?
I fear that you may have forgotten me
Do you remember?
I hope you remember me
Will you return?
I hope you will come back to me
For the one I love,
My love
Must come back to me.
I need my love to return to me
Contributed by Nathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dorne
An underappreciated genius.
Mel Goldman
Tough. Beautiful. Many thanks.
LUCKY 472
MEAN JACKIE McLEAN