Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1961.
Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was one of the few jazz players to come
up through bebop and incorporate free jazz into his style. Even though A Fickle Sonance
preceded McLean's intense 1962 album Let Freedom Ring, the playing
remained in a swinging blues-oriented style, showing no hint of the
direction his music was about to take. The sidemen on the date (Tommy
Turrentine [trumpet], Sonny Clark [piano], and Butch Warren [bass])
prove to be an invigorating combination of musicians, however not as
involved in the burgeoning free music as drummer Billy Higgins. At the
time of these sessions, Higgins had already played with Ornette
Coleman, providing a link to the avant-garde, but nevertheless his
playing follows the hard bop pace of the others. McLean provides two
original compositions, 'Subdued' and the title track, while Clark,
Turrentine, and Warren fill the remaining tracks. |