“Quadrangle”, by Jackie McLean.

Jackie McLean: "Let Freedom Ring".

 "Getting away from the conventional and much overused chord changes was my personal dilemma. Until recently this was the reason why many things I composed in 1955 left me helpless when it came to a basis for improvisation, for example, Quadrangle and A Fickle Sonance. Both of these tunes were just recently recorded. I used I Got Rhythm for the solo section in Quadrangle. These changes do not fit the personality of the tune at all. Today when I play Quadrangle, I use sections of scales and modes. I those the outstanding notes of the compositions and build a scale or a motif to fit the feeling of the tune. Today I am going through a big change composition wise, and in improvising." ~Jackie McLean, "Let Freedom Ring"". Extract from the liner notes. Original vinyl LP from my collection, circa 1982.

Playing the spaces, continued.

Playing the spaces.