I just found out that Jackie McLean died on March 31, at his home in Hartford CT. He was 74 years old, born in 1931. (AMG and other sources say 1932. I don't know which is correct.) If all you knew about jazz was what you gleaned from Ken Burns, you probably figured McLean was little more than Charlie Parker's gofer. Like every other alto saxophonist of his age -- possibly excepting Lee Konitz -- McLean chased Bird, but he caught up, both literally and figuratively, then he worked a health dose of Ornette Coleman into his craft as well. McLean recorded albums under his own name from 1956 up to 2000, but his key period was with Blue Note from 1959-67. His skill at adopting other people's innovations may have left him underrated, but his sound was uniquely his own -- he had a tight, shrill bite that made him instantly identifiable -- and few others managed to bridge bop and avant-garde so effectively. I've long been astonished that he isn't in Downbeat's Hall of Fame -- even more so that he hasn't been on the official candidate list. I've written his name in the last three years running. I can think of other musicians I'd like to vote for, but until McLean's in they'll have to wait.

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The following records are some highlights from McLean's career, including some key sideman performances. He was extensively documented by Prestige (1956-57) and Blue Note (1959-67), more erratically by Steeplechase (1966-74), and rather lightly since then, eventually returning to Blue Note (1996-99). He also developed a reputation as an educator, but I know little about that. I've done this quickly, mostly out of memory. I've skipped a few things I like quite a bit, and don't have it all -- especially no doubt formative stretches when he worked for Miles Davis (1951-54) and Art Blakey (1956-57). But the following records are good starting points:

Lights Out! (1956, Prestige OJC): Prestige's modus operandi was to record often and cheap. This was the first of nine McLean cut in a twenty month stretch. A quintet with Donald Byrd, Elmo Hope, Doug Watkins and Art Taylor. Just turn the recorder on and let them play some blues or something. B+

Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956, Atlantic): Already established as a bass great, this established Mingus as a major composer fearlessly advancing beyond bebop. McLean may not have agreed with the program, but his shrill alto provides much of the edge here in a brilliant breakthrough. A

McLean's Scene (1956-57, Prestige OJC): My favorite of the period, stitched together from two sessions -- a quintet with Bill Hardman and Red Garland, and a quartet with Mal Waldron -- for a bit of variety. Another good choice is The Best of Jackie McLean (1956-57 [2004], Prestige; re-released as Prestige Profiles [2005]), which samples the series more liberally. A-

Sonny Clark: Cool Struttin' (1958, Blue Note): A marvelous pianist, with his usual trio -- Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones -- augmented by McLean and Art Farmer in a superb, elegant synthesis of hard and cool bop. A

Charles Mingus: Blues and Roots (1959, Atlantic): McLean only appeared on two Mingus albums, but both were landmarks -- this one more for the songs, touched by Mingus's nonpareil skill at taking the tradition and making it not just fresh but dangerous. A

New Soil (1959, Blue Note): His second session at Blue Note, a few months after some of the pieces that wound up in Jackie's Bag. This was to McLean what Giant Steps was to Coltrane. A

Swing, Swang, Swingin' (1959, Blue Note): A step back from the edge into the mainstream, but one of the most ebullient records anyone ever cut. A

Freddie Redd: Music From "The Connection" (1960, Blue Note): McLean was featured in the play and the film -- played a junkie, something else he learned from Charlie Parker -- as well as on the soundtrack, which he runs away with. Redd was a west coast pianist, and they did another fine album together, Shades of Redd (1960, Blue Note). A-

Jimmy Smith: Open House/Plain Talk (1960, Blue Note): McLean was probably the most adventurous saxophonist Smith ever played with -- Lou Donaldson and Stanley Turrentine appear frequently -- so this quickly develops an exceptionally sharp edge. A-

Bluesnik (1961, Blue Note): Typical hard bop mode, in a first rate quintet with Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Drew, Doug Watkins and Pete La Roca, on a set of blues-based pieces. B+

Let Freedom Ring (1962, Blue Note): Significant further advance, especially as McLean takes idea from Ornette Coleman to expand his range far beyond hard bop. He's the only horn, so he gets a lot of space to ring. A

One Step Beyond (1963, Blue Note): The first of three fascinating albums with trombonist Grachan Moncur III and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson -- the third released under Moncur's name as Evolution (1963, Blue Note). A-

Destination . . . Out! (1963, Blue Note): Purely in retrospect this McLean-Moncur collaboration seems surprisingly mild, partly because Hutcherson is featured liberally, but also because their "out" has increasingly become our "in" -- the new mainstream may not contain all of the old avant-garde, but this mild-mannered innovation is too clever to pass up. A-

Right Now! (1965, Blue Note): Another typical sax-heavy quartet, with a lovely turn on a ballad and the usual set of barn-burners, including two takes of the title piece. A-

Lee Morgan: Cornbread (1965, Blue Note): Perhaps the best -- certainly the most famous -- of six Morgan albums McLean played on. Anthemic hard bop, the hot brass cut by McLean's acid tone. I also like the tuneful Charisma (1966, Blue Note), but all feature solid work. A-

Dr. Jackle (1966, Steeplechase): The first of McLean's albums on a Danish label that became home for such Blue Note refugees as Dexter Gordon and Duke Jordan. This was a live set from a club in Baltimore. McLean is crackling hot here, but the rest of the band are barely on the same planet. B+

New and Old Gospel (1967, Blue Note): A program of and for Ornette Coleman, who joins McLean's quartet but not on his usual alto sax -- nothing to be gained interfering much less competing with McLean. On trumpet Coleman combines Donald Ayler chops with a lot more in terms of ideas. A-

Live at Montmartre (1972, Steeplechase): Another live blow-out, this one from Copenhagen on a program heavily laced with Charlie Parker. Sound is good, form often spectacular. A-

Jackie McLean/Michael Carvin: Antiquity (1974, Steeplechase): A very interesting duo -- not just sax-drums, as both players explore other instruments in their pursuit of ancient African spirits. A unique items in both musicians' discographies. How interesting it might have been for McLean to have developed this direction further. B+

Mal Waldron/Jackie McLean: Left Alone '86 (1986, Evidence): McLean and Waldron played together frequently in the '50s, including their original Left Alone (1959, Bethlehem), but both players moved far since then. This isn't a duo, but two adventurous veterans in definitive form. A

Dynasty (1988, Triloka): A quintet featuring son René McLean on tenor sax, who wrote four songs to Jackie's two, and sounded every bit the heir apparent. Brilliantly hot, relentlessly swinging. A-