Rene McLean Sextet: Tribute to Jackie McLean, Music of the Sprit

A global musical journey, a legendary bloodline, and a sound completely his own — René McLean comes to The Side Door.

Rene McLean - Saxophone, Flute

Josh Evans - Trumpet

Steve Davis - Trombone

Hubert Eaves III - Piano

Nat Reeves - Bass

Ronnie Burrage - Drums

René McLean's story is inseparable from jazz royalty — but his music has always been entirely his own. The son of the legendary alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, René began his musical training at age nine under his father's guidance, and by 16 was already leading his own bands. He went on to study privately with some of the most formidable figures in jazz history, including Sonny Rollins, George Coleman, Barry Harris, Frank Foster, and Hubert Laws — a lineage that shaped one of the most wide-ranging musical minds in the contemporary jazz world.

A true multi-instrumentalist, McLean moves fluently between alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones as well as flute, ney, and shakuhachi — instruments that reflect a career spent not just playing jazz but absorbing musical traditions from around the globe. He has performed and recorded alongside Jackie McLean, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente, Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, Dexter Gordon, Yusef Lateef, and Jaco Pastorius, among many others.

Since 1985, McLean has been based in South Africa, where he has spent decades performing, teaching, and researching African musical traditions — bringing that depth of perspective back to every performance. He is currently Professor of African-American Music at the Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School in Hartford, CT, making this a particularly meaningful homecoming for Connecticut jazz fans.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn restaurant prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.