Born in Harlem in 1931, Jackie McLean was thrust into the heart of the modern jazz world with neighbours including Bud Powell and Sonny Rollins. He soon became a protégé of Powell, and later played with Rollins and Kenny Drew in a high school band. Like many players of his generation, he worshipped Charlie Parker, and his influence can be heard in McLean's early recordings with Miles Davis and George Wallington. By the end of the ‘50s, having recorded and performed with Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey and Charles Mingus, McLean had developed a sound that was all his own.