Among the 40 musicians McLean recorded with during his 8 years at Blue Note, many of the greatest drummers of the time can be found. The saxophonist chose his collaborators based on the style of his albums: Art Taylor, Philly Joe Jones, and Pete La Roca on the Hard-Bop Jackie’s Bag and Bluesnik; Roy Haynes on the more avant-garde Destination… Out!; Clifford Jarvis on the Post-Bop Right Now!; Rashied Ali on the Free ’Bout Soul. He also placed trust in young talents, giving them their first studio experiences: Tony Williams (18 years old) on Vertigo or Jack DeJohnette (23 years old) on Jacknife (also a composer on Climax). This willingness to highlight new musicians kept McLean always ahead of the ever-changing trends of 1960s jazz.

One drummer was present throughout all periods of the saxophonist's career: Billy Higgins. They recorded together for the first time in 1961 on A Fickle Sonance, a classic Hard-Bop album with a strong rhythm section that would soon solidify—Sonny Clark on piano and Butch Warren on double bass—since they would accompany two of Dexter Gordon's greatest albums, Go! and A Swingin’ Affair. Higgins was part of the Post-Bop shift on Let Freedom Ring and the Free culmination of New and Old Gospel, alongside his friend Ornette Coleman on trumpet.

On the album Consequence, the title track is the most adventurous, sitting at the crossroads of McLean’s various explorations. It is strongly Hard-Bop in its AABA theme, played in unison by the horns with great energy (a drummer's theme) but transformed into Post-Bop by its harmony, dissonance, and high tempo. Higgins’ accompaniment on the solos is varied, shifting from his characteristic straight swing and “chabada” on the A sections to a sharper, more Latin-inspired feel on the B sections, reminiscent of Elvin with Coltrane.

The 8/8 sections highlight his unique vocabulary. He manages to remain both coherent and precise in his phrasing without rigidity, seamlessly blending into the interplay with the horns and responding differently to Morgan’s more classic A sections and McLean’s more dissonant B sections. Through his dynamics, distribution of eighth notes across the drum kit, and highly syncopated playing, Higgins demonstrates his listening skills and flexibility, while staying relaxed and fluid in a piece that is nonetheless quite brisk.

Personnel of Consequence :

Jackie McLean (alto sax; composer)
Lee Morgan (trumpet; composer)
Harold Mabern (piano)
Herbie Lewis (double bass)
Billy Higgins (drums)

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