Jackie McLean – Right Now (180g LP)

Label: Music Matters – MMBST-84215 – 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl
Mastered By Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
2,500 Limited Edition – Pressed at RTI – Blue Note ST 84215
Remastered from the original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note master tapes
The Absolute Sound Super Disc List TAS Harry Pearson Super LP List

Jackie McLean always had an intense sound, playing a little bit sharp and putting passion into every sound that came out of his alto-saxophone. While he was initially inspired by Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Bud Powell, by 1951 he was already a true original. McLean added a great deal of fire to the music of Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. A giant of hard bop during the second half of the 1950s, McLean was one of the very few musicians of his generation to explore freer forms of jazz in the 1960s.

Avant-garde jazz perfectly fit his adventurous style which was already very emotional. 1965’s Right Now, which matches him with a trio that includes pianist Larry Willis, is one of his most exciting albums of the 1960s. McLean stretches out at length on Willis’ beautiful ballad “Poor Eric” and three originals, often playing with such ferocity that it will cause one’s hair to stand up. The music (other than the ballad) is hard-charging, intense and often free with McLean heard at his most innovative.

Even a half-century later, Right Now! sounds contemporary, vital and thrilling.

While Music Matters wanted to use the original 33rpm format to honor the 75 years since Blue Note was founded in 1939, they did not want to sacrifice sonically, because only the very best sound can fully reveal the exquisite subtleties contained in this music. Consequently, over this past year they have worked tirelessly with Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio Mastering to refine the mastering process. Nothing was spared to make these the definitive 33RPM Blue Note reissues. With an additional $75,000 worth of studio upgrades, featuring all WEL Signature AudioQuest cable and an all new Class A front end, the results will become apparent when you listen to these exceptional recordings. These studio upgrades have reached a point where Music Matters are confident that the 33 rpm format will not only honor the originals, but also fully and accurately present the sonic wonders contained on these master tapes. 2014 marks the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Blue Note records, here, handpicked are what Music Matters believe are 12 of the finest offerings on the label, all from the original master tapes! These recordings are offered at 33RPM just as they were originally manufactured by the label!

Music Matters strongly feels that these Blue Note recordings deserve nothing less than the finest graphic presentation. Accordingly, no expense has been spared. Designed from scratch, these jackets are modeled after the most successful work from the Blue Note and Impulse! labels of the 50s and 60s. The materials and craftsmanship of that era produced many jackets that still look new today. With that in mind, the Music Matters Blue Note jackets are designed to last a lifetime, using ultra-durable extra thick cardboard stock and thick, luxurious lamination. The Impulse! LP jackets from the ‘60s were especially renowned for their crisp, sharp spine hinges. Music Matters has retained one of the artisans who worked on the Impulse! jackets from that era to do the design work on these jackets. It’s all about getting the right tone, texture and weight on the jacket – quality you’ll be able to feel in your hand the moment you pick up one of these albums.

“The new 33 1/3 sounds more vibrant, more “live”, faster, more dynamic, more three-dimensional and just plain more of everything you’d want… So what accounts for the enormous sonic improvement? Gray is using a new tape playback deck and console, new analog electronics, and new Audioquest Wild Blue interconnects throughout the lacquer chain. The sound and packaging of the two reissues I heard was stunning… if they all sound as spectacular as the Burrell and Coltrane reissues, get these while you can, would be my advice.” – Michael Fremer, www.analogplanet.com

“Philly Joe Jones has never sounded so real. The cymbal word has a detail and realism that is unbelievable. Coltrane’s tone is just incredibly real – massive, the metallic warmth of the Otto Link mouthpiece with it’s rich harmonic overtones vividly presented. Lee Morgan thunders in, and you can hear his every movement and he dances around the microphone, swooping in, dipping down, leaning back. The pure physicality of this mastering is astonishing… It has a harmonic organicness that is one where you can just close your eyes and see every player right out in front of you – the medium disappears, you are transported back to a room in 1957 where 6 young cats were spreading their wings, swinging like crazy, opening up a whole new harmonic world. Sheer magic. I thought I didn’t need another Blue Train. I was wrong, and this is worth every penny. If you thought Music Matters couldn’t get any better – think again. If you thought Music Matters is making a mistake to go from 45 to 33 – prepare yourself for a shocker that will make you re-evaluate any cherished pre-conceptions.” – Robert Hutton, www.robertmusic.blogspot.ca

“So here’s the skinny: if, like me, you love jazz, don’t relish the thought of hopping up every few minutes to turn over a 45rpm record, and cherish superior sound, then these exquisite reissues look to be a no-brainer.” – Jacob Heilbrunn, The Absolute Sound, theabsolutesound.com January 7, 2014 Blog