Jackie McLean Destination Out! (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) 180g LP

TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 5/5 Sonics in the May/June 2022 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

The innovative hard bop of Jackie McLean evolved as the '60s progressed. Inspired by Ornette Coleman, the saxophonist ventured into the avant-garde but never let go of a soulful sense of swing. Destination Out! was his masterwork of inside-out jazz with Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Larry Ridley on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

If there was a perfect Blue Note session after John Coltrane's Blue Train, this was it....Of all of McLean's Blue Note dates, so many of which are classic jazz recordings, Destination Out! stands as the one that reveals the true soulfulness and complexity of his writing, arranging, and 'singing' voice.

The sound on this edition is mind-blowingly pure, transparent, and alive, with great presence, sense of scale, and you-are-there dynamic explosiveness. Although I don't own an original pressing, I was able to compare this new release to the 45rpm version Music Matters released in 2011. Knowing that series well, I was taken aback by how murky, unfocused, and dull-sounding that version seems compared to this damn-near perfect record.