 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
to Special Projects
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1923, Milt was attracted as a youngsters to all percussion instruments, studying drums, guitar and piano before concentrating on vibraharp, but first performed in public as a member of a Gospel Quartet, in which he sang tenor.
In 1945 Dizzy Gillespie heard him playing in a Detroit night club and brought him to New York to perform with, first his sextet, and later his big band. In the late forties, Milt worked with Howard McGee, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker and Woody Herman. he returned with Dizzy between 1950 and 1952, at the samt time recording some Quartet sides with John Lewis, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke.
By late 1952 the group was renamed The Modern Jazz Quartet, and for the next twenty-two years Miltīs career was centered around the MJQ. The quartet (with the replacement of Kenny Clarke by Connie Kay in 1955) recorded will over thirty albums and toured all over the world, becoming the outstanding small group in the field of Modern Jazz.
By 1974 the MJQ disbanded, and Jackson started a career as a leader of his own groups, performing blues and gospel-oriented Jazz, away from the musical policy of the MJQ. He became associated with producer Norwman Granz, and recorded some twenty albums with some of the finest musicians associated with the producerīs label, like Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, etc.
In 1981 the MJQ was reunited to perform in Japan and since then Jackson has been combining his own projects with occasional touring with the MJQ.
Jackson is the recipient of many international awards, including the New Star Award (Esquire Magazine, 1947), The National Music Award (1989), The Downbeat magazine Hall of Fame (1980), the French Bicentennial Award (1989), an Honorary Degree from the Berklee School of Music (1989) and the Jazz Masters Award (1996). He has also been placed at the top by some of the most prestigious polls, like Down Beatīs and Jazz Timesī.
Milt Jackson revolutionized and extended the limits of the vibraharp. He was the first to use a slow vibrato, which allowed him to create sudden outbursts of short notes as well as a better control of the dynamics. He discovered new possibilities in his instrument, influencing every vibraphonist to follow. With his gift for melodic improvisation Jackson is a master of ballad interpretation, and remains one of the most soulful players in the history of Jazz.
[ top of page ] [ Special Projects ] [ Special Projects photos ]