''Lights Out!'' is a studio album by saxophonist

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

, his debut on Prestige Records. It was recorded in 1956 and released the same year as PRLP 7035. The album was reissued on CD in 1990 (as Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-426-2/Prestige P-7035). It was re-issued on 180 gram vinyl by Analogue Productions in 2012. It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist

Elmo Hope St. Elmo Sylvester Hope (June 27, 1923 – May 19, 1967) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, chiefly in the bebop and hard bop genres. He grew up playing and listening to jazz and classical music with Bud Powell, and both were ...

, bassist

Doug Watkins Douglas Watkins (March 2, 1934 – February 5, 1962) was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean. Biography Watkins ...

and drummer Art Taylor.

Reception

Reviewing the 2012 vinyl re-issue, Joseph Neff said of the title track:

But if not a masterwork, it does have plenty to recommend, opening with the title cut, an extended slow blues that gives the horns and Hope's piano ample space for soloing, and while casual in intent the ambience is also quite far from uninspired. The first thing heard is Watkins, his fingers providing a big loping bedrock that never falters throughout the song’s thirteen minutes.
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
rides with him and accents with skill, never becoming too busy. And all three solo flights are quite successful in working up the sophisticated soul-grease that was just starting to define the hard-bop form at the time this recording was made. I especially enjoy how towards the end McLean's and Byrd's horns tangle around in loose dialogue, offering summation after Hope finishes his superb solo.

Track listing

#"Lights Out" (

) – 13:00 #"Up" (McLean) – 4:47 #"Lorraine" ( Donald Byrd) – 6:26 #"

A Foggy Day "A Foggy Day" is a popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film '' A Damsel in Distress''. It was originally titled "A Foggy Day (In London Town)" in reference t ...

" (

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, Ira Gershwin) – 6:24 #"Kerplunk" (Byrd) – 8:51 #"Inding" (McLean) – 6:30

Personnel

– alto saxophone * Donald Byrd – trumpet *

– piano *

– bass * Art Taylor – drums

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1956 albums Jackie McLean albums Albums produced by Bob Weinstock Prestige Records albums