Let Freedom Ring
| Let Freedom Ring | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1963[1] | |||
| Recorded | March 19, 1962 | |||
| Studios | Van Gelder, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genres | Hard bop, post-bop, modal jazz | |||
| Length | 38:16 | |||
| Labels | Blue Note BST 84106 | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Jackie McLean chronology | ||||
| ||||
Let Freedom Ring is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jackie McLean, recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.[2] It features McLean in a quartet with pianist Walter Davis Jr., bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Billy Higgins.
McLean wrote three of the four compositions. "Melody for Melonae" is dedicated to his daughter (as was an earlier composition, "Little Melonae"), and appeared as "Melanie" on Matador, a later recording that he made with Kenny Dorham. The slower-tempo performance on Let Freedom Ring was the first occasion that McLean used "provocative upper-register screams".[3] "Rene" and "Omega" are both blues-related pieces, the former with a standard twelve-bar structure and harmonies, the latter more abstract and modal. The one non-McLean track is Bud Powell's ballad, "I'll Keep Loving You".
Reception
[edit]The AllMusic review by Steve Huey stated: "The success of Let Freedom Ring paved the way for a bumper crop of other modernist innovators to join the Blue Note roster and, artistically, it still stands with One Step Beyond as McLean's greatest work."[4] The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives Let Freedom Ring four out of four stars, and includes the album in a select "Core Collection".[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [6] |
Track listing
[edit]All compositions by Jackie McLean except where noted
- "Melody for Melonae" - 13:24
- "I'll Keep Loving You" (Bud Powell) - 6:18
- "Rene" - 10:03
- "Omega" - 8:31
Personnel
[edit]- Jackie McLean — alto saxophone
- Walter Davis, Jr. — piano
- Herbie Lewis — bass
- Billy Higgins — drums
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[7] | 40 |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 18, 1963. p. 38. Retrieved March 19, 2025 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Jackie McLean discography, Jazzdisco.org, accessed January 13, 2013.
- ↑ Bob Blumenthal's liner notes to the 2003 RVG edition.
- 1 2 Huey, S. AllMusic review, accessed January 13, 2013.
- 1 2 Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 979–980. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
- ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 136. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ↑ "Lista prodaje 39. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. September 16, 2024. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
