Jackie McLean - New And Old Gospel

barabara sounds sez:

It's been a while since I listened to this, and it sounds just as good as ever to my ears. It's experimental sure — Ornette on trumpet still seems pretty left-field — and a long long way from what McLean was doing on Blue Note just a few years earlier. But it's also a great listen. You've just got to love the way side 2 starts in with Ornette's righteous bluesy Old Gospel (an Amazon reviewer calls it a "pentecostal groover" — can't improve on that). Actually, over in Chateau Barabara, this is a 'must listen'.

allaboutjazz sez:

Although he could be easy classified as a died in the wool bebopper, saxophonist Jackie McLean loved to shake things up, which he regularly did through a disparate set of Blue Note dates that span the mid 1950s to the late 1960s. New And Old Gospel is considered to be one of his more controversial sets, pairing him with Ornette Coleman, here playing trumpet. What might have been intriguing would have been to hear Coleman on alto saxophone alongside McLean, for he plays the trumpet with limited proficiency. Still, there's a sense of urgency that makes this set well worth some close listening. Most interesting are Coleman's two pieces, which originally took up the second side of an LP. Old Gospel comes from a down home and soulful point of view that does indeed mix new and old sensibilities for an intriguing new hybrid, stoked by the chameleon-like drumming of Billy Higgins. Not McLean's best effort in the new vernacular, but still a damn fine listen.

Personnel:

Jackie McLean alto sax; Ornette Coleman trumpet; Lamont Johnson piano; Scott Holt bass; Billy Higgins drums