2026.08.31 Eric Person on Jackie McLean - 1 of 3

When we were coming up, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was one of the main cats. He, along with friends like Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, and Art Taylor, had emerged in New York City revering Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, yet he discovered his own unique sound. We hunted for his well-worn Blue Note albums (not yet reissued at the time), and waited for him to play in NYC. And waited, and waited. In 1968, Jackie McLean had started teaching at the Hartt School in Hartford, CT, beginning a long and influential career as an educator. Sadly for those of us who weren't enrolled, his live performances had become much less frequent. Saxophonist Eric Person's choice of Jackie Mac as the subject for a Deep Focus is going to depend on the WKCR archives' ability to provide rare, live, unreleased recordings. Will host Mitch Goldman and G*O*A*T* guest Eric Person find these hidden treasures? Will the music reveal new facets of Jackie McLean's magnificent artistry? And how long can this krazy high-wire act continue?? These questions and more will be answered this Monday (8/31) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org, Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: Jackie McLean. Photo by Francis Wolff/Mosaic. #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #JackieMcLean #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman