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McLean's first recorded appearance was on Miles Davis' Dig (1951, Prestige), made when the altoist was nineteen. He debuted as a leader at 23 with The Jackie McLean Quintet (1955, Ad Lib, reissued by Jubilee/Fresh Sound), featuring pianist Mal Waldron and trumpeter Donald Byrd. At the end of 1955, McLean was working with pianist George Wallington at Café Bohemia. Bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus came by the club, heard the gifted young man, and was impressed enough to hire him almost on the spot. The altoist was featured on Mingus' Pithecanthropus Erectus (Atlantic, with a special highlight on "Portrait of Jackie"), The Clown (1957, Atlantic) and Blues and Roots (1959). He credited Mingus with encouraging him to quit imitating Charlie Parker's alto saxophone style and find his own voice, which became one of the most distinctive in hard bop.

Not long after cutting Pithecanthropus Erectus, McLean joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, which became New York's premier hard-bop ensemble and a continual cauldron of talent development. His recordings with Blakey included the Messengers' self-titled debut, Drum Suite, Hard Bop and Jazz Messenger (all 1956, Blue Note). In '56 and '57 McLean headlined a series of albums for Prestige and New Jazz (among them Lights Out, Strange Blues and Alto Madness).

Originally released on Prestige (7500),1957

Personnel:
Jackie Mclean, Alto Sax
Webster Young, Trumpet
Ray Draper, Tuba
Mal Waldron, Piano
John Meyers, Piano
Art Phillips, Bass
Bill Salter, Bass
Art Taylor, Drums
Larry Ritchie, Drums

Tracks:
01 - Strange Blues
02 - Millie's Pad
03 - What's New
04 - Disciples Love Affair
05 - Not So Strange Blues