New Soil is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jackie McLean, recorded on May 2, 1959, and released on Blue Note later that year.

Altoist Jackie McLean's second session as a leader is reissued on this SACD. The music that he makes with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Elmo Hope, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor is essentially hard bop with fairly simple (or in some cases nonexistent) melody statements preceding two romps through the "I Got Rhythm" chord changes, a pair of blues, a thinly disguised "Embraceable You" and a straightforward version of "A Foggy Day". Enjoyable if not really essential music from the up-and-coming altoist.

"Cornbread" is Lee Morgan’s masterpiece. The session features five of his most memorable hits including the ballad “Ceora”, “Cornbread”, “Our Man Higgins”, “Ill Wind” and “Most Like Lee”. The legendary trumpeter is joined by a stellar cast of musicians including Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, Larry Ridley, Jackie McLean and Hank Mobley. Reaching #7 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums, "Cornbread" is vital for any music lover’s collection.

Jackie's Pal is a studio album by saxophonist Jackie McLean, his third issued recording for Prestige Records. It was recorded in 1956 and first released as PRLP 7068. In 1963, the album was reissued on the Prestige subsidiary label New Jazz Records, as NJ 8290, with a different cover and retitled "Steeplechase". The album features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Bill Hardman, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones.

New Soil is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean in a quintet with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Walter Davis Jr., bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Pete La Roca.

"One Step Beyond" was recorded and released in 1963, and features Jackie McLean as a bandleader and alto sax player. It hints at his future movement towards "new jazz", but is still firmly rooted in hard bop.

Like Eric Dolphy before him, Jackie McLean sought to create a kind of vanguard "chamber jazz" that still had the blues feel and – occasionally – the groove of hard bop, though with rounded, moodier edges. Destination Out! was the album on which he found it. Still working with Grachan Moncur III and Bobby Hutcherson – his direct spiritual connection to Dolphy – McLean changed his rhythm section by employing drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Larry Ridley. This combination proved a perfect balance of the four elements. The program is four tunes, three of which were written by Moncur. If there was a perfect Blue Note session after John Coltrane's Blue Train, this was it.

"Evolution" was the first album released by trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and is an incredible debut of a talented free-jazz musician. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 4½ stars out of 5 and stated "With such an inventive debut, it's a shame Moncur didn't record more as a leader, which makes Evolution an even more important item for fans of Blue Note's avant-garde to track down".

Miles Davis' recordings from the years of 1951-1954 are often overlooked for a number of reasons. Davis had a somewhat erratic lifestyle at the time, and these recordings do not feature the first 'classic' quintet. Even though Davis did not record nearly as often as in later years, what was recorded is quite outstanding.

"Swing, Swang, Swinging" is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label. This album is a straight ahead affair in which he mostly puts his stamp on standards. Few versions of "Let's Face The Music And Dance" and "I Love You" have ever had this much intensity and, when McLean digs into the ballad "What's New", he gives it a fiery passion that had never been heard before. Jackie McLean not only swings and swangs but he burns with the urgency, agony and ecstasy of the 1960s.

Davis Cup is the debut album by American pianist Walter Davis Jr. featuring performances recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label in 1960. It would be his only album for the label and one of the few recordings where he figured as the leader.

Capuchin Swing is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label. It features McLean in a quintet featuring trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Walter Davis Jr., bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. McLean and Mitchell do not play on “Don’t Blame Me”.

Leeway is an album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan released on the Blue Note label. It was recorded on April 28, 1960 and features performances by Morgan with Jackie McLean, Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey. "The Lion and the Wolff" is dedicated to producers Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff.

Jackie's Bag is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and 1960 and released in June 1961 by Blue Note. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "the music on Jackie's Bag finds McLean in a staunchly hard bop mode, with occasional hints of adventurousness".

Jackie McLean’s music weaved in and out of the avant-garde throughout the 1960s with the brilliant 1963 inside-out dates One Step Beyond and Destination… Out! eventually leading to full-throated free jazz of the 1967 dates New and Old Gospel (featuring Ornette Coleman on trumpet) and ‘Bout Soul. Demon’s Dance, which was recorded in December 1967, found the alto saxophonist maintaining a decidedly post-bop edge with a spirited quintet comprised of trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist LaMont Johnson, bassist Scott Holt, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. The six-song set presented a pair of tunes each by McLean, Shaw, and composer Cal Massey with highlights including McLean’s churning title track, Shaw’s tuneful bossa “Sweet Love of Mine,” and Massey’s brightly swinging “Message from Trane” in tribute to the great John Coltrane who had passed away early that year.