Demon's Dance in Bloomington, MN

Demon's Dance
was
Jackie McLean
's final album for
Blue Note
, closing out an amazing streak of creativity that's among the more underappreciated in jazz history. The record retreats a bit from
McLean
's nearly free playing on
New and Old Gospel
and
'Bout Soul
, instead concentrating on angular, modal avant bop with more structured chord progressions. The whole session actually swings pretty hard, thanks to drummer
Jack DeJohnette
, who manages that feat while maintaining the busy, kinetic style
had favored since
Tony Williams
' appearance on
One Step Beyond
. Pianist
Lamont Johnson
and bassist
Scott Holt
both return from
, and trumpeter
Woody Shaw
is in especially fiery, muscular form, rivaling the leader in terms of soloing impact and contributing two of the six compositions.
's originals tend to be the most intriguing, though; there's the angular title track, the bright, uptempo "Floogeh," and the spacious ballad "Toyland," a warm, soft piece anchored by
Johnson
that runs counter to typical descriptions of the impressions
's tone creates. While
didn't quite push
's sound the way its two predecessors had, there was no sign that the altoist was beginning to run out of creative steam. Unfortunately,
's ownership changed and its resulting commercial direction meant the end of
's tenure with the label, and ultimately the prime of his career; he would resume recording five years later, often with rewarding results, but nonetheless,
marks the end of an era. ~ Steve Huey