Milt Jackson
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- For the house music producer, see Milton Jackson
Milton (Milt) Jackson (January 1, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan – October 9, 1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist and one of the most important figures in the hard bop style, although he performed in several subgenres of jazz. A very expressive player, Jackson differentiated himself from other vibraphonists in his attention to variations on harmonics and rhythm. He was particularly fond of the 12-bar blues at slow tempos. He preferred to set the vibraphone's oscillator to a low 3.3 revolutions per second (as opposed to Lionel Hampton's speed of 10 revolutions per second) for a more subtle vibrato. Jackson was also a capable pianist, and sometimes performed professionally on that instrument. He also occasionally sang.
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[edit] Biography
He was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie, who hired him for his sextet in 1946. He quickly acquired experience working with the most important figures in jazz of the era, including John Coltrane, Woody Herman, Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker. In the Gillespie big band one of his jobs was to play in a quartet with John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke while the horn section took a break from the demanding high-register horn parts. This group, known around 1950 as the Milt Jackson Quartet, eventually became the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) by around 1952, and had a long independent career of some 20 years until disbanding in 1974 when Jackson split with Lewis in an attempt to make more money on his own (though it reformed in 1981 and last recorded in 1993). Jackson then toured alone, performing in various small combos.
From the mid-70s to the mid-80s, Jackson recorded for Norman Granz's Pablo Records, including the classic, Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company (1983), featuring Jackson with J. J. Johnson on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, backed by Tom Ranier on piano, guitarist John Collins, and drummer Roy McCurdy.
He also guested on recordings by many leading jazz, blues and soul artists, such as B.B. King, Ray Charles, etc.
His composition "Bags' Groove" ("Bags" was a nickname given to him by a bass player in Detroit. The 'bags' was his collapsing vibraphone that he often carried on his back in a 'bag' to his gigs[citation needed]. "Bags" also referred to his habit of staying up all night.[citation needed] Bag's Groove is a jazz standard. He has been featured on the NPR radio program Jazz Profiles.
He died on October 9, 1999, aged 76. Jackson was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[1]
[edit] Discography
- The Jazz Skyline (1956)
- Soul Brothers (1957) - with Ray Charles
- Soul Meeting (1958) - with Ray Charles
- Bean Bags (1959) - with Coleman Hawkins
- Bags & Trane (1960) - with John Coltrane
- The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson (1960) - with strings
- Bags Meets Wes (1961) - with Wes Montgomery
- Very Tall (1961) - with Oscar Peterson Trio
- Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art (1965)
- Cherry (May, 1972) - with Stanley Turrentine
- "Sunflower" (December, 1972) - With Herbie Hancock
- Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company (1983) - with J. J. Johnson
[edit] References
- ^ Ratliff, Ben. "Milt Jackson, 76, Jazz Vibraphonist, Dies", The New York Times, October 11, 1999. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Milt Jackson, the jazz vibraphonist who was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet for 40 years and was one of the premier improvisers in jazz with a special brilliance at playing blues, died on Saturday at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan. He was 76 and lived in Teaneck, N.J."
