Jazz Articles about Willis "Gator" Jackson

like 241

Willis Jackson w/ Pat Martino: Gravy

by Derek Taylor
May 1, 2001

A celebrity in Rhythm & Blues circles since his late teens Willis Jackson fought an uphill battle trying to earn acceptance among the jazz intelligentsia. He and many of his peers including King Curtis and Fred Jackson were saddled with the barwalker stigma from the moment they tried to establish themselves as serious improvisers. Dates like the two collected on this Prestige two-fer were often a double-edged prospect for while they afforded Jackson the chance to prove his chops they ...