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He recorded with Miles Davis when he was 19 years old. As a young man he also recorded with Gene Ammons, Charles Mingus, George WallingtonGeorge Wallington ( 1924 1993) was a highly regarded American bop pianist and composer. From 1943 to 1953 he played with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Marsala, Charlie Parker, Serge Chaloff, Allan Eager, Kai Winding, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulliga, and, as a member of the Jazz MessengersJazz ensembles The Jazz Messengers were a jazz ensemble founded by Art Blakey and Horace Silver in 1955. Blakey had already used the name for an album he recorded with Silver, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, and Hank Mobley Dorham and Mobley were the other tw, with Art BlakeyArthur (Art) Blakey also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina ( October 11, 1919 October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach he was one of the inventors of the modern, bebop style of drumming. He was known. His early recordings as leader were in the hard bopHard bop is an extension of bebop (bop) music which incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. Its tempo is often slower than bop's, and its bass playing more varied; it is in par school. He later became an exponent of modal jazzModal jazz is jazz played using musical modes rather than chord progressions. An understanding of modal jazz requires prior knowledge of musical modes. Modes are the seven scales used in medieval music, but 'rediscovered' by composers like Claude Debussy without abandoning his foundation in hard bop. Throughout his career he has been known for his distinctive tone (often described with such adjectives as withering, piercing, or searing), his slightly sharp pitch, and a strong foundation in bluesBlues is a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, shouts, work songs and chants and has its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. Blues has been a major influence on later American and Western popular music, .

McLean had serious problems with heroin addiction throughout his early career, and the resulting loss of his New York City cabaret licence forced him to undertake a large number of recording dates; consequently he produced a large body of recorded work in the 1950sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. and 60s. He was under contract with Blue Note Records from 1959 to 1967. Blue Note offered better pay and more artistic control than other labels, and his work for Blue Note is highly regarded.

In 1962 he recorded Let Freedom Ring for Blue Note. This album was the culmination of attempts he had made over the years to deal with harmonic problems in jazz, especially in soloing on his piece "Quadrangle." Let Freedom Ring began a period in which he performed with avant-garde musicians rather than the veteran hard bop performers he had been performing with. His recordings from 1962 on, in which he adapted modal and free jazz to hard bop, made his body of work distinctive.

In 1964, he served six months in prison on drug charges. The period immediately after his release from prison is known as his acid period because the three albums he released during it were much harsher in tone than his previous albums.

In 1967 his recording contract, like the contracts of many other progressive musicians, was terminated by Blue Note's new management. His opportunities to record promised so little pay that he abandoned recording as a way to earn a living, concentrating instead on touring. In 1968 he began teaching at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. He later set up the university's African American Music Department (now the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, of which he remains artistic director) and its Jazz Studies degree program.

In 1970 he and his wife Dollie founded the Artists' Collective, Inc. of Hartford, an organization dedicated to preserving the art and culture of the African Diaspora . It provides educational programs and instruction in dance, theatre, music and visual arts.

His son René is a jazz saxophonist and flautist as well as a jazz educator.