Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean had the blues on his mind when he went into the Van Gelder Studio in 1961 to record his hard bop masterpiece Bluesnik?with a blazing quintet featuring Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Kenny Drew (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), and Pete La Roca (drums). The 6-song set of bluesy originals brims with immediacy and vibrancy. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.