Wikipedia

Milt Jackson

For the house music producer, see Milton Jackson. For the American football coach, see Milt Jackson (American football).

Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist.[1] He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his penchant for collaborating with hard bop and post-bop players.

Milt Jackson
Jackson with bassist Ray Brown, c. 1947
Jackson with bassist Ray Brown, c. 1947
Background information
Birth nameMilton Jackson
Born(1923-01-01)January 1, 1923
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 1999(1999-10-09) (aged 76)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • soloist
  • composer
  • bandleader
Instruments
Labels
Formerly ofThe Modern Jazz Quartet

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 twelve-bar blues at slow tempos. On occasion, Jackson also sang and played piano.

Biography

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Jackson was born on January 1, 1923, in Detroit, Michigan, United States,[1] the son of Manley Jackson and Lillie Beaty Jackson. Like many of his contemporaries, he was surrounded by music from an early age, particularly that of religious meetings: "Everyone wants to know where I got that funky style. Well, it came from church. The music I heard was open, relaxed, impromptu soul music" (quoted in Nat Hentoff's liner notes to Plenty, Plenty Soul). He started on guitar when he was seven, and then on piano at 11.[2]

While attending Miller High School, he played drums in addition to timpani and violin and also sang in the choir. At 16, he sang professionally in a local touring gospel quartet called the Evangelist Singers. He took up the vibraphone at 16 after hearing Lionel Hampton play the instrument in Benny Goodman's band. Jackson was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie, who hired him for his sextet in 1945, then his larger ensembles.[1] Jackson quickly acquired experience working with the most important figures in jazz of the era, including Woody Herman, Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker.[1]

In the Gillespie big band, Jackson fell into a pattern that led to the founding of the Modern Jazz Quartet: Gillespie maintained a former swing tradition of a small group within a big band, and his included Jackson, pianist John Lewis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Kenny Clarke (considered a pioneer of the ride cymbal timekeeping that became the signature for bop and most jazz to follow) while the brass and reeds took breaks. When they decided to become a working group in their own right, around 1950, the foursome was known at first as the Milt Jackson Quartet, becoming the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) in 1952.[1] By that time Percy Heath had replaced Ray Brown.[3]

Known at first for featuring Jackson's blues-heavy improvisations almost exclusively, in time the group came to split the difference between these and Lewis's more ambitious musical ideas. Lewis had become the group's musical director by 1955, the year Clarke departed in favour of Connie Kay, boiling the quartet down to a chamber jazz style, that highlighted the lyrical tension between Lewis's mannered, but roomy, compositions, and Jackson's unapologetic swing.

 
Jackson and John Lewis in Amsterdam

The MJQ had a long independent career of some two decades until disbanding in 1974, when Jackson split with Lewis.[1] The group reformed in 1981, however, and continued until 1993, after which Jackson toured alone, performing in various small combos, although agreeing to periodic MJQ reunions.[1] From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, Jackson recorded for Norman Granz's Pablo Records, including 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.[4]

In 1989, Jackson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Berklee College of Music.[5]

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).[6] He was featured on the NPR radio program Jazz Profiles. Some of his other signature compositions include "The Late, Late Blues" (for his album with Coltrane, Bags & Trane), "Bluesology" (an MJQ staple), and "Bags & Trane".[7]

Jackson died of liver cancer in Manhattan, New York,[1] at the age of 76.[8] He was married to Sandra Whittington from 1959 until his death; the couple had a daughter.[8][9]

Discography

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As leader/co-leader

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Jackson at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California, 1980s.
Recording date Title Label Year released Notes
1948-02 Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson Savoy 1955 with Howard McGhee
1948-07-02,
1951-07-23,
1952-04-07 		Wizard of the Vibes
also released as Milt Jackson 		Blue Note 1952 [10"] with Thelonious Monk[10]
1955-05-20 Milt Jackson Quartet Prestige 1955
1955-10-28 Opus de Jazz Savoy 1956
1949-01-25,
1956-01-05 		Roll 'Em Bags Savoy 1956
1949-02-23,
1954-11-01,
1955-02-07,
1956-01-05 		Meet Milt Jackson Savoy 1956
1956-01-23 The Jazz Skyline Savoy 1956
1956-01-23 Jackson's Ville Savoy 1956
1956-01-17, -21,
1956-02-14 		Ballads & Blues Atlantic 1956
1957-01-05, -07 Plenty, Plenty Soul Atlantic 1957
1957-05-21,
1957-06-10, -17 		Bags & Flutes Atlantic 1957
1957-09-12,
1958-04-10 		Soul Brothers Atlantic 1958 with Ray Charles
1958-04-10 Soul Meeting Atlantic 1961 with Ray Charles
1958-09-12 Bean Bags Atlantic 1959 with Coleman Hawkins
1958-12-28, -29 Bags' Opus United Artists 1959
1959-01-15 Bags & Trane Atlantic 1961 with John Coltrane
1959-05-01,
1959-09-09, -10 		The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson Atlantic 1959
1960-02-23, -24,
1961-03-14 		Vibrations Atlantic 1964
1961-12-14, -15 Statements Impulse! 1962
1961-12-18, -19 Bags Meets Wes! Riverside 1962 with Wes Montgomery
1962-06-19, -20,
1962-07-05 		Big Bags Riverside 1962
1962-08-30,
1962-10-31,
1962-11-07 		Invitation Riverside 1963
1963-03-18,
1963-08-05 		For Someone I Love Riverside 1966
1963-05-16, -17,
1963-12-20 		Milt Jackson Quintet Live at the Village Gate Riverside 1967 live
1964-01-13, -14 Much in Common Verve 1964 with Ray Brown
1964-08-06, -07 Jazz 'n' Samba Impulse! 1964
1964-12-09, -14, -28 In a New Setting Limelight 1965
1965-01-04, -05 Ray Brown / Milt Jackson Verve 1965 with Ray Brown
1965-08-12 Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art Limelight 1965 live
1966-12-15 Born Free Limelight 1967
1968-05-09,
1968-06-03, -17 		Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet Verve 1968
1969-08-01, -02 That's the Way It Is Impulse! 1970 live featuring Ray Brown
1969-08-01, -02 Just the Way It Had to Be Impulse! 1970 live featuring Ray Brown
1969-10-09, -10 Memphis Jackson Impulse! 1970 with the Ray Brown Big Band
1972-12-12, -13 Sunflower CTI 1973
1972-12,
1973-12 		Goodbye CTI 1974 with Hubert Laws
1974-01 Olinga CTI 1974
1975-07 The Milt Jackson Big 4 Pablo 1975 live
1975-08 The Big 3 Pablo 1975 with Joe Pass and Ray Brown
1976-03 At The Kosei Nenkin Pablo 1977 [2LP] live
1976-03 At the Kosei Nenkin vol. 2: Centerpiece Pablo 2002 Posthumous release, mostly unissued tracks from the live session
1976-04 Feelings Pablo 1976
1977-02 Quadrant Pablo 1977 with Joe Pass, Ray Brown, and Mickey Roker
1977-06 Soul Fusion Pablo 1978 with The Monty Alexander Trio
1977-07 Montreux '77 Pablo 1977 with Ray Brown
1979-11-11 Loose Walk Palcoscenico 1980 with Sonny Stitt
1980-01-21 All Too Soon: The Duke Ellington Album Pablo 1980 with Ray Brown, Mickey Roker & Joe Pass
1980-04-14 Night Mist Pablo/OJC 1981
1981-11-30 Ain't But a Few of Us Left Pablo 1982 with Oscar Peterson
1982-04-23, -24 A London Bridge Pablo 1988 live
1982-04-23, -24 Mostly Duke Pablo 1991 live
1982-04-28 In London: Memories of Thelonious Sphere Monk Pablo 1982 live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London
1983-01-20 Two of the Few Pablo 1983 with Oscar Peterson
1983-05-25, -26 Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company Pablo 1983 with J. J. Johnson
1983-11-30,
1983-12-01 		Soul Route Pablo 1984
1988-03-28, -30 Bebop EastWest 1988
1993? Reverence and Compassion Qwest/WB 1993
1994? The Prophet Speaks Qwest/WB 1994 with Joshua Redman and Joe Williams
1995 Burnin' in the Woodhouse Qwest/WB 1995
1997 Sa Va Bella (For Lady Legends) Qwest/WB 1997
1998-06-09, -10 Explosive! Qwest/WB 1999 with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
1998-11-24 – -26 The Very Tall Band Telarc 1999 live at Blue Note with Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown

Compilations

  • I/We Had a Ball (Limelight, 1965) – rec. 1964
  • All Star Bags (Blue Note, 1976)[2LP] – rec. 1952-1957
  • Milt Jackson (Quintessence Jazz Series) (Pickwick, 1979)
  • The Best of Milt Jackson (Pablo, 1980)

As leader of the Modern Jazz Quartet

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Jackson (left) in Seattle, Washington, c. 1980
Further information: Modern Jazz Quartet

As sideman

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With Miles Davis

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Oscar Peterson

With others

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 218. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ Heckman, Don; Oliver, Myrna (October 12, 1999). "Milt Jackson; Vibraphonist With Modern Jazz Quartet". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "Percy Heath | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company - Milt Jackson, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Mattingly, Rick. "Milt Jackson". PAS Hall of Fame. Percussive Arts Society. Pas.org; retrieved March 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955–1965. New York: Oxford University Press. 1992. ISBN 0-19-505869-0.
  7. ^ Owens, Thomas (2003). "Jackson, Milt(on) (jazz)". Oxfordmusiconline.com. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J219800. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (October 11, 1999). "Milt Jackson, 76, Jazz Vibraphonist, Dies". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Cotroneo, P. J. (January 2002). "Jackson, Milt". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1803666.
  10. ^ "Milt Jackson [Blue Note] - Milt Jackson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
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