Draconian drug laws haven't done much for the world of art, but they sure helped preserve Jackie McLean's genius for posterity. When McLean lost his cabaret card following a heroin bust at the end of the 1950s, he was forbidden from performing in New York clubs so he concentrated on making a living through recording dates, including a stellar run for Blue Note between 1959 and 1967. This, his last session for the label, wasn't released until 1978 and has since been included on a two-for-one release with a date from 1963 and, more recently, in a Grachan Moncur CD box-set. But it's hard to see why it isn't a stone cold classic in its own right. Tracks like ‘The Reason Why’ offer the headlong rush of razor sharp hard bop, while on the slinky title track Moncur's buffeting trombone hints at the influence of the New Thing. Truly, an overlooked gem.

Vinyl sold for £50 on ebay.com in March 2014