JACKIE MCLEAN
4, 5 & 6

Prestige
Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Series

4, 5 & 6 is a title that, on the face of it, is annoying to read, and, rest assured, even more annoying to type. But it is an apt title, because as this disc progresses, Jackie McLean’s ensemble moves from a basic quartet to a quintet with the addition of trumpeter Donald Byrd and, briefly, a sextet as Hank Mobley steps in on tenor for a rendition of Bird’s “Confirmation.”

On three of the tracks, McLean is accompanied by pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Arthur Taylor, as tasteful an ensemble as has ever been assembled. With McLean’s bright, sometimes slightly reedy, alto at the forefront, the rhythm section was free to provide an affable swing, with Waldron also taking some nice solo turns. These tracks are the standards in the set, Kern/Hammerstein’s “Why Was I Born?”, Heyman-Young’s “When I Fall In Love,” and the famous Les Brown vehible ‘Sentimental Journey.” All of these get the reharmonization of bop along with some forays into the bluesier side of things by McLean.

Byrd first steps on stage for the Kenny Drew composition “Contour,” instantly adding a complementary voice to McLean’s alto. He gets in a solid solo turn, and Waldron again sets forth a few nice choruses of his own. Byrd also plays on the closing track, Waldron’s “Abstraction,” on which he lays down a counterpoint to McLean’s melodic statement. Following a lengthy declamation by McLean, Byrd follows with a muted solo—even with the mute his tone is fairly bright. Closing with a ballad ends the disc on a meditative note, seemingly a bit odd for a kinetic artist like McLean.

The titular ‘6’ only play on one track, a performance of Charlie Parker’s best-known composition, “Confirmation.” On this Hank Mobley joins McLean, Byrd, and company for a few choruses on the bop cornerstone. Mobley, some five years before he’d briefly join the Miles Davis quintet, is in fine form.

4, 5 and 6 was McLean’s third album as a leader for the Prestige label, and it shows him coming into his own as a player and improviser, though not yet as a composer. The supporting cast is excellent, making this a great listen, particularly with the remastering it has received for this release.