

McLean was a man of many musical personalities, especially in his work as a sideman. You might find the alto-sax sultan summoning vibrant New Thing vibes on Grachan Moncur III's "The Coaster," blowing his bluesy way to hard-bop glory with Lee Morgan on the hard-swinging "Midtown Blues," or leaning into some straight-ahead bebop on Dizzy Gillespie's frenetic "Oo Pa Pa Da."