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
What
Jackie McLean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
Until you've loved a love you've had to lose,
You don't know what love is.
You don't know how lips hurt
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost,
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost,
Do you know how a lost heart fears
At the thought of reminiscing,
And how lips that taste of tears
Lose their taste for kissing?
You don't know how hearts burn
For love that can, not live yet never dies.
Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes,
You don't know what love is.
In Jackie McLean's song "What?", the lyrics explore the theme of love and its various dimensions. The opening lines suggest that one cannot truly understand the depth and meaning of love until they have experienced the pain and heartbreak that often accompanies it. The reference to the "blues" indicates the melancholic and sorrowful emotions associated with love gone wrong. The suggestion is that love is not solely about happiness and joy but also about confronting loss and accepting the impermanence of relationships.
The lyrics further delve into the physical and emotional toll that love can take on a person. The lines "You don't know how lips hurt" and "Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost" describe the physical and emotional pain that can ensue from a failed love affair. The song emphasizes that only through these experiences can one truly comprehend what love entails.
The chorus of the song poses a series of rhetorical questions, asking if the listener knows the fear of reliving past memories and the loss of taste for affection amidst tears. These lines highlight the emotional complexities and vulnerabilities that love can bring.
Ultimately, the lyrics convey the idea that love is not a simple or straightforward emotion. It encompasses both joy and pain, pleasure and heartache. Through experiencing the full spectrum of love's highs and lows, one gains a true understanding of its complexities and intricacies.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't know what love is
You can only truly understand the essence of love when you have experienced the depth of despair and sorrow.
'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
Only after comprehending the profound sadness and melancholy associated with the blues genre can you truly grasp the concept of love.
Until you've loved a love you've had to lose
It is only when you have cherished a love that you ultimately have to let go, that you can truly comprehend the complexities of love.
You don't know what love is
Without experiencing the pain and heartache that can often accompany love, one cannot fully grasp its true nature.
You don't know how lips hurt
The physical pain that can arise from giving kisses and paying the emotional price for those moments is unfathomable unless experienced.
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost
It is only when you have intimately kissed another and had to face the consequences and sacrifices that you can truly understand the pain associated with love.
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost
After going through the emotional turmoil of investing your heart and losing it, only then can you begin to comprehend the true essence of love.
You don't know what love is
Without experiencing the depths of heartbreak and the complexities of love, one cannot claim to truly know what love is.
Do you know how a lost heart fears
Can you truly understand the profound terror and anxiety that fills a broken heart when it contemplates revisiting past memories?
At the thought of reminiscing
The mere idea of nostalgic reflection can evoke intense fear in a heart that has suffered loss and pain.
And how lips that taste of tears
The sensation of tears on the lips can numb the desire for further kisses, rendering them devoid of the joy and passion they once held.
Lose their taste for kissing
When infused with the bitterness of tears, the act of kissing loses its appeal and allure, becoming a reminder of past sorrows.
You don't know how hearts burn
One cannot fathom the intensity of a heart's yearning and longing for love that seems out of reach, unable to be fully realized.
For love that can, not live yet never dies
The longing for a love that cannot be sustained but remains eternally alive in one's heart is a unique and painful experience.
Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes
Only when you have endured the sleepless nights, haunted by thoughts of lost love, can you truly comprehend the depth of love's impact.
You don't know what love is
Without undergoing the emotional turmoil and sleepless nights brought on by love, one cannot claim to truly know the essence of love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Boynton
I love Jackie and I have a similar story about finding him. When I lived in NYC in the 80s I would buy used records from my buddy Mike who had like 20K Jazz LPs. What he wouldn't sell he would tape for me. One day he gave me a tape of Let Freedom Ring and man, that record blew me away. Like you, I think I played that tape for a year. So fast forward to 2017 when I turned 54 and I thought, well its now or never. I picked up the alto and have been giving it a go. I have a wall I face when I practice full of photos of my musical heroes. I talk to those guys and Jackie is just looking back at me; pushing me.
Player To Player
Great story, dude
Basheer Muhammad
Very nice tribute.
Player To Player
yes, for sure. I did not know Jackie Maclean until Sarah tuned us on to him.
Basheer Muhammad
Marshall Allen, John Gilmore?
Brian Simontacchi
Say it for the people in the back
Brian Simontacchi
No disrespect to this person but a 20 something year old need not explain the greatness of Jackie Mac, the heir to Bird himself. This is appropriation
Noah Vicknair
Sarah is next in line. Where are you?
Brian Simontacchi
Hmmm. Well, from Immanuel Wilkins to Arnold Lee to Lummie Spann, I've heard all of the last few great alto players with a similar sound, so I guess I'm here. And I'm not commenting on that, anyhow. I'm commenting on the greatness of one of the greatest voices in the music not needing to be explained in 2023, especially by a young white person. It feels wrong because it is.
Player To Player
Totally stoked that such knowledgable people, like @themediumprofessor, are contributing here. TBH, I wasn’t aware of Jackie McClean before hearing Hanahan describe her own appreciation. Many of us learn in different ways and I’m happy for all of it.
PS @themediumprofessor, thx for these recommends… Immanuel Wilkins, Arnold Lee, Lummie Spann… If we wanted to follow up on any of these, would there be first album or track to which you’d commend our attention?