New Soil wasn't the first session
Jackie McLean recorded for Blue Note, but it was the first one released, and as the title suggests, the first glimmerings of
McLean's desire to push beyond the limits of bop are already apparent. They're subtle, of course, and nowhere near as pronounced as they would be in just a few years' time, but -- as with the 1959 material later issued on
Jackie's Bag -- hints of
Ornette Coleman's stream-of-consciousness melodic freedom are beginning to find their way into
McLean's improvisations. His playing is just a touch more angular than the ear expects, especially given the very bluesy nature of pieces like
McLean's 11-minute vamp "Hip Strut," and pianist
Walter Davis, Jr.'s infectious boogie-woogie "Greasy."
Coleman's influence is most apparent on
McLean's "Minor Apprehension," where the freewheeling,
Coleman-esque main theme is paralleled by trumpeter
Donald Byrd in a definite nod to
Don Cherry. What's more, drummer
Pete LaRoca takes a surprisingly free solo of significant length toward the end of the track. However, the cut that the musicians seem to dig into the most is
Davis' twisting, turning bopper "Davis Cup," which sports a rhumba beat and a bevy of exciting solos. It could be argued that
McLean never recorded a bad album for Blue Note, and
New Soil got his career with the label off to a terrifically stimulating start.