In 1963, alto saxophonist
Jackie McLean was well aware of
John Coltrane and
Ornette Coleman. He assembled a band with vibist
Bobby Hutcherson, who had already played with
Eric Dolphy, drummer
Tony Williams, bassist
Eddie Khan, and trombonist/composer
Grachan Moncur III. While still adhering to the hard bop principle,
One Step Beyond's title is literal. The introduction of space as an element in the twin-horn front line is consistent with what would come later that year on
Destination Out! McLean is clearly hearing the Eastern modalism and intervallic invention in
Coltrane's sound at this point, but still moves in his own direction, sticking very close to the blues and the hard, even relentless, swing provided by
Williams on the kit. The true visionary compositions here are
Moncur's "Frankenstein" and "Ghost Town." Their unconventional solo-horn melodic statements are followed by two horn choruses that use
Hutcherson's vibes as a contrapuntal element as he spreads his chords so wide that he comes off like a pair of pianos playing complementary harmonic strategies, and it's revolutionary. Add to this
Moncur's insistence on soloing inside the changes as
McLean moves through the register and becomes increasingly dissonant, and you have a true doppelgänger effect -- but one that swings like mad.
One Step Beyond may have been the first volley
McLean fired in the direction of the new jazz, and played it safe enough to ride out the hard bop he helped to create, but he cannot be faulted as a bandleader, as this music still sounds fresh, vital, and full of grainy mystery. ~ Thom Jurek