Milt Jackson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Milt Jackson | |
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 Milt Jackson, Village Jazz Lounge with the Bubba Kolb Trio, late 70's.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Milton Jackson |
| Born | January 1, 1923 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | October 9, 1999 (aged 76) Manhattan, New York |
| Genre(s) | Hard bop Modern Creative Afro-Cuban jazz Modal jazz Mainstream jazz Post bop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Soloist, Composer, Band Leader |
| Instrument(s) | Vibraphone |
| Label(s) | Impulse!, Atlantic, Prestige, Apple |
| Associated acts | John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery |
Milton (Milt) Jackson (January 1, 1923 - 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. On occasion, Jackson would also sing and play piano professionally.
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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 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 from 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 and Ray Charles.
His composition "Bags' Groove" is a jazz standard ("Bags" was a nickname given to him by a bass player in Detroit. "Bags" referred to the bags under his eyes from his habit of staying up all night.[citation needed]). He has been featured on the NPR radio program Jazz Profiles.
He died on October 9, 1999, aged 76, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY. Milt Jackson was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[1]
[edit] Discography
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- 1952: Wizard of the Vibes
- 1954: Bags' Groove
- 1955: Quintet / Sextet - with Miles Davis
- 1956: The Jazz Skyline
- 1957: Soul Brothers - with Ray Charles
- 1957: Bags & Flutes
- 1958: Things Are Getting Better - with Cannonball Adderley
- 1958: Soul Meeting - with Ray Charles
- 1959: Bean Bags - with Coleman Hawkins
- 1960: Bags & Trane - with John Coltrane
- 1960: The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson
- 1961: Bags Meets Wes! - with Wes Montgomery
- 1961: Very Tall - with Oscar Peterson Trio
- 1964: The Modern Jazz Quartet/Laurindo Almeida's Collaboration
- 1964: In a New Setting
- 1965: Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art
- 1972: Cherry (CTI Records)
- 1972: Sunflower (CTI Records) with Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham
- 1973: Big Band Bags
- 1974: Goodbye (CTI Records) - with Hubert Laws, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd
- 1974: Olinga (CTI Records) - with Jimmy Heath, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter
- 1977: Quadrant - with Joe Pass, Ray Brown, and Mickey Roker
- 1975: The Milt Jackson Big Four [live] Pablo
- 1975: The Big 3 (Pablo/OJC)
- 1977: Soul Fusion (Pablo/OJC)
- 1980: Night Mist (Pablo/OJC)
- 1981: Ain't But a Few of Us Left - with Oscar Peterson
- 1982: A London Bridge [live] (Pablo)
- 1982: Mostly Duke [live] (Pablo/OJC)
- 1982: Memories of Thelonious Sphere Monk (Pablo/OJC)
- 1983: Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company - with J. J. Johnson
- 1983: Two of the Few with Oscar Peterson
- 1993: Reverence and Compassion (Warner Bros.)
- 1994: The Prophet Speaks (Qwest)
- 1995: Burnin' in the Woodhouse
- 1998: The Very Tall Band with Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown (live from Blue Note)
[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."
