Jackie McLean - Swing, Swang, Swingin'
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone [click here to see more vinyl featuring Jackie McLean]
Art Taylor – drums [click here to see more vinyl featuring Art Taylor]
Walter Bishop, Jr. – piano
Jimmy Garrison – bass
Written by Johnny Burke (A1), Bob Haggart (A1), Irving Berlin (A2), Benny Golson (A3), Johnny Mercer (A4), Victor Schertzinger (A4), Cole Porter (B1), Oscar Hammerstein II (B2), Ben Oakland (B2), Jackie McLean (B3)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12’’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Optimal Media (Germany)
Label : Blue Note - Classic Vinyl Series
Original Label : Blue Note
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA, on October 20, 1959
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Produced by Alfred Lion
Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes
Photography by Francis Wolff
Liner notes by Ira Gitler
Design by Reid Miles
Originally released in March 1960
Reissued in October 2026
Tracks:
Side A:
- What's New
- Let's Face The Music And Dance
- Stable Mates
- I'll Remember You
Side B:
- I Love You
- I'll Take Romance
- 116th And Lenox
Reviews :
“One of Jackie McLean's earliest Blue Notes, Swing, Swang, Swingin' parts company with the vast majority of his output for the label by concentrating chiefly on standards (only one of the seven tunes is a McLean original). Perhaps as a result of Blue Note's more prepared, professional approach to recording sessions, McLean sounds invigorated here, catapulting each melody forward before launching into a series of impassioned improvisations. Not that every track is a mind-blowing meltdown -- McLean's playing always fits the mood of the song -- but his total commitment to the material is evident throughout the album. He's also very much the focal point of the quartet, which includes pianist Walter Bishop, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Art Taylor. McLean's unique, cutting tone -- always threatening to go ever so slightly out of tune -- lends a particular urgency to his melody statements and extended notes, highlighted by an intense and swinging version of Cole Porter's "I Love You" and an exuberant take on Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance." Though Bishop and Taylor are less well-known than their compatriots, they offer active support that helps push McLean even more. Swing, Swang, Swingin' may not be as groundbreaking as McLean's more modernist work, but it's a solid session from an artist just beginning an incredible hot streak.” AllMusic Review by Steve Huey
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.58 / 5