How Jackie McLean made Hartford a jazz destination

Portrait of American jazz musician, composer and band leader Jackie McLean, Hartford, Conn., 1979.

Deborah Feingold/Corbis via Getty Images

Hartford, Conn., falls under the radar by most standards. A relatively small city smack dab between New York and Boston, it’s been dubbed the “Insurance Capital of the World” and was, at one point, home of the Whalers, a beloved hockey franchise.

When it comes to jazz, though, the Greater Hartford area stands out as one of the hippest creative communities. It boasts the longest-running free jazz concert series (Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz); has produced countless musicians who are recording and touring all over the world (from pianist Brad Mehldau to drummer Cindy Blackman); and has become a destination for jazz education through community arts organizations, Essentially Ellington-winning public high school music programs and world-class universities. The city wouldn’t be where it is without the arrival of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean over 50 years ago.