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Willis "Gator" Jackson

Willis “Gator” Jackson originally established himself as a honking R&B tenor saxophonist before modifying his style and becoming a success in hard bop/soul-jazz. Jackson was born in Florida, where he played as a teen- ager with the celebrated trumpeter Fats Navarro and other future jazz stars. He turned down offers of employment from Lionel Hampton and Andy Kirk in order to complete a college education at Florida A&M. Jackson initially played locally until he got his big break and joined Cootie Williams in 1948. Jackson was showcased honking and screaming throughout the two-sided recording “Gator Tail” which earned him the nickname of “Gator” and led to him making his first records as a leader in 1950. Willis Jackson was a popular attraction in the R&B field throughout the first half of the 1950s before rock and roll took over. He was married to Ruth Brown and appeared on many of her recordings of the era. Besides backing Ruth on many of her hits, he became a regular Atlantic session musician and also recorded under his own name. But by 1959 he had wisely altered his approach, eliminating some of the more excessive shrieks but still playing in a highly expressive style that fit in well with organ combos and in soul-jazz settings. During 1959-1968, Jackson recorded constantly for Prestige, making a couple of dozen albums. Among the sets that are currently available are “Please Mr. Jackson,” “Legends of Acid Jazz,” “Keep on a Blowin,” “Gentle Gator,” “At Large,” “Gravy,” “Soul Night Live, With Pat Martino,” and “Nuther’n Like Thuther’n.” Several of these CDs feature guitarist Pat Martino when he was a talented teenager. In the late 70s he led a tenor-organ combo featuring Carl Wilson (organ), and Pat Martino (guitar). He enjoyed a long and fruitful association with the organist Jack McDuff. In his last years Jackson was heard frequently at various Harlem nightspots and at the West End Cafe near Columbia University, where he traded solos with George Kelly, an early friend from Miami, in a band called Two Tenor Boogie. Willis Jackson continued playing in prime form up to the time of his 1987 death. Willis Jackson left an imposing legacy of recordings covering all of his active period from 1950 up through the ‘80’s. Many are still available and are prime examples of high energy soul jazz played by one of its masters.

Source: James Nadal

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 ...

Festival

PJ Morton, Will Downing, Paul Jackson Jr, Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, Tito Puente Jr, Maysa & More At The 6th Annual Dymally Jazz Festival

Source: Daryl Sweeney
April 6, 2025

The 6th Annual Dymally International Jazz & Arts Festival is being held at Dignity Health Sports Park on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills on April 26th, 2025 with two stages, a visual arts pavillion and specialty retail and food vendors. The event is set to please jazz lovers from around the globe. The festival is co-produced by Rainbow Promotions, producers of the Long Beach and San Diego Jazz Festivals. This year's festival lineup will include Grammy Winner ...
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Award / Grant

Saxophonist/Composer Javon Jackson And Poet Nikki Giovanni Nominated For NAACP Image Award In 'Outstanding Jazz Album' Category

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
January 12, 2025

Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies, a collaboration between the groundbreaking poet and activist Nikki Giovanni and saxophonist/composer Javon Jackson, has been nominated for a 56th NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album. Recognized as the nation’s preeminent multicultural awards show from an African American point of view, the NAACP Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances in the arts, as well as individuals and groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. The ...
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Recording

Yes! Trio: with Ali Jackson, Aaron Goldberg and Omer Avital release 'Spring Sings'

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
February 8, 2024

Four years after the success of Groove du Jour, named best album of the year in 2019 by the French Academie du Jazz, Yes! Trio is finally back! Strengthened by their differences, these musicians, who never seemed predisposed to meet—a drummer, scion of the great African-American jazz family; a hippie bassist with Yemenite and Moroccan roots; a bon ton Bostonian with a Harvard degree pianist—united by thirty years of love of swing continue to embrace jazz with the same happiness, ...
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Performance / Tour

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With A Free Concert Featuring The Music Of Two Iconic American Singers: Chris Connor And Mahalia Jackson

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
February 3, 2024

New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Musical Arts Department pays tribute to two of the most iconic and creative American singers of the 20th century in Night and Day: The Music of Chris Connor and Mahalia Jackson on Wednesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m. at Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. The program is curated by faculty members Hankus Netsky and Ran Blake. Admission is free, but tickets are required. For information visit https://necmusic.edu. The title of this Valentine’s Day concert, Night and ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Larry Willis

Source: Michael Ricci
December 20, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Larry Willis' birthday today!

Pianist Larry Willis has had an important and distinguished 40-year career in jazz. Since making his recording debut on Jackie McLean’s landmark 1965 album “Right Now!,” the New York-born Willis has played everything from free jazz to fusion to rock while performing as a valued sideman with such jazz titans as Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey and Woody Shaw. Larry was born in 1942 in Manhattan’s Harlem. Surprisingly, ...
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Event

An Empty Room - An Episodic / Live Stream & Podcast Series Continues With Tyrone Jackson Watch Party On November 6, 2022

Source: Cyber PR
November 4, 2022

An Empty Room, the six part original series that explores the connective tissue between six uniquely influential artists from the Atlanta music scene, which debuted on Volume.com continues with composer, performer, and educator Tyrone Jackson on Sunday November 6. Being born in the New Orleans, he embodies the spirit of the Crescent City. His boundless creativity coupled with harmonic mastery, he utilizes the piano as a blank canvas. The blends of jazz, funk and Afro-Caribbean melodies are ever present in ...
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Recording

Exotic International Singer Patrina Morris Released 'Up So Close' Featuring Brian Jackson

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
August 16, 2022

Patrina Morris brings a romantic summer dance feeling this month with the release of an upbeat single “Up So Close” the original 1966 vibe mix featuring Brian Jackson. Brazil meets a touch of Ibiza in this duet. Recorded in home studios, Brooklyn, Portugal, London and Brazil come together for the first time. Patrina: “We made this in an “old skool” way, before I had even met Brian in person and never released the original version, only an Ibiza remix. ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Larry Willis

Source: Michael Ricci
December 20, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Larry Willis' birthday today!

Special Offers

Whirlwind Recordings Announces 5x Customer-Voted New Vinyl Reissues: Jensen Sisters, Paul Jackson, City Of Poets (Jason Palmer & Cedric Hanriot), John Escreet & Mike Gibbs

Source: Emma Perry Publicity
April 10, 2021

Exciting news for vinyl fans: Whirlwind Recordings announced (in January) five brand-new reissues of celebrated back-catalog releases, available on LP for the first time. The new reissues come from a range of artists, featuring releases many customers have requested on LP for some time. The first five all ship in May 2021—look out for more reissues coming later in the year. These limited edition printings are a one-off and limited to 300 copies, making them a unique collector's item, grab ...
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