Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond

A Young Lion of hard bop in the 1950’s, altoist Jackie McLean became one of the most forward-thinking of the veterans in the 1960s. His sharp sound, passionate tone and advanced ideas combined with a strong musical curiosity that led him to explore freer sounds. One Step Beyond (1963) is one of his greatest triumphs on record. Inspired by Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane but playing very much in his own emotional style, McLean excels while interacting with the younger musicians on this remarkable set. Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson makes a piano redundant, Tony Williams shows that he was already strikingly original at this early stage. Trombonist Grachan Moncur III matches McLean's passion. Especially on "Frankenstein” and "Ghost Town,” McLean creates otherworldly music that still sounds powerful and provocative nearly 50 years later.

Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition
• Remastered from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note Master Tapes!
• Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech
• Cut at 45rpm for Better Sound!
• Pressed on two 180 gram Virgin Vinyl LPs by RTI
• Ultra-Durable, Extra Thick Album Jackets
• Gatefold Album with Session Photos in stunning High Resolution

Musicians:
Grachan Moncur III, trombone
Jackie McLean, alto sax
Bobby Hutcherson, vibes
Eddie Khan, bass
Anthony Williams, drums

Selections:
1. Saturday And Sunday
2. Frankenstein
3. Blue Rondo
4. Ghost Town

"The albums are being cut at 45 RPM for maximum quality by Kevin Gray and me using our full ANALOG disk cutting system; most studios cannot even cut vinyl in 100% true analog anymore (they convert to digital first) but we can. The original Rudy Van Gelder engineered stereophonic session tapes are used when we master these gems. The sound quality is amazing on our test cuts. Like from heaven. First totally uncompressed versions of these jazz classics that I’ve ever heard and trust me, you will be impressed; they sound like no other releases of this music."

"The sound is lifelike, the horns are in the room with you. Our non-invasive mastering insures the true breath of life on these original Van Gelder session tapes is transferred to the virgin vinyl with absolute authenticity. It is like hearing these BLUE NOTE masterpieces for the first time and that is NO exaggeration. When we heard the first lacquer acetate playback from our first mastering session I thought Joe Harley was going to pee in his pants he was so excited. Actually we all were; after 50 years of many lackluster and some downright bad sounding versions of these albums, hearing the real deal is a humbling experience, even for us hardened music veterans. You will be able to listen to the music exactly like we did..." - Steve Hoffman