There Is No Greater Love

Description

John McNeil (March 23, 1948 – September 27, 2024) launched his professional career with his first album, “Embarkation” (SCS 1099), released on SteepleChase in 1978, just hours before his thirtieth birthday. His goal was to release his first album by the age of 30, and he exclaimed, “I did it!” John McNeil's album “There Is No Greater Love” (SCCD 34007) unveils a previously unreleased recording from 1983 in Odense, Denmark, capturing the trumpeter at the height of his creativity during his long Scandinavian tour. Accompanied by Danish masters Jesper Lundgaard (bass) and Aage Tanggaard (drums), McNeil delivers a warm and incisive set, blending standards, bebop classics, and his own composition “Out.” His brilliant and agile phrasing — long praised for its roots in Miles Davis, John Hubbard, and the lineage of Paul Parker — meets a Nordic rhythm section with irresistible swing. This recently discovered trio recording highlights McNeil's lyrical clarity, spontaneous inventiveness, and his indelible place in the modern musical landscape.