Willis Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Willis Jackson April 25, 1932 Miami, Florida, United States |
| Died | October 25, 1987 (aged 55) New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Saxophonist |
| Years active | 1948-1984 |
Willis "Gator" Jackson (April 25, 1932 – October 25, 1987)[1] was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Born in Miami, Florida,[1] Jackson joined Cootie Williams's band in 1948 as a teenager, and was part of it on and off until 1955.[2] He toured as leader of the backing band of singer Ruth Brown whom he married.[1] Jackson joined Prestige Records in 1959, making a string of albums.[2]
Jackson died in New York City one week after heart surgery, in October 1987, at the age of 55.[1]
Discography
As leader
- Please Mr. Jackson [also released as Cool Grits] (Prestige, 1959)
- Cool "Gator" [also released as Keep On A-Blowin' ] (Prestige, 1959–1960)
- Blue Gator (Prestige, 1959–1960)
- Cookin' Sherry (Prestige, 1959–1960 [rel. 1961])
- Together Again! (Prestige, 1959–1960 [rel. 1965]) with Jack McDuff
- Really Groovin' (Prestige, 1961)
- In My Solitude (Moodsville, 1961)
- Together Again, Again (Prestige, 1959–1961 [rel. 1966]) with Jack McDuff
- Thunderbird (Prestige, 1962)
- Johnny "Hammond" Cooks with Gator Tail (Prestige, 1962) with Johnny "Hammond" Smith
- Bossa Nova Plus [also released as Shuckin' ] (Prestige, 1962)
- Neapolitan Nights (Prestige, 1962)
- Loose... (Prestige, 1963)
- Grease 'n' Gravy (Prestige, 1963)
- The Good Life (Prestige, 1963)
- More Gravy (Prestige, 1963)
- Boss Shoutin' (Prestige, 1964)
- Jackson's Action! Recorded Live (Prestige, 1964)
- Live! Action (Prestige, 1964 [rel. 1966])
- Soul Night/Live! (Prestige, 1964 [rel. 1966])
- Tell It... [live] (Prestige, 1964 [rel. 1967])
- 'Gator Tails [also released as Willis Jackson] (Verve, 1964)
- Smoking with Willis (Cadet, 1965)
- Soul Grabber (Prestige, 1967)
- Star Bag (Prestige, 1968) with Trudy Pitts, Bill Jennings
- Swivelhips (Prestige, 1968)
- Gator's Groove (Prestige, 1968 [rel. 1969])
- Mellow Blues (Upfront, 1970)
- Gatorade (Prestige, 1971 [rel. 1982])
- Recording Session (Big Chance, 1972) [also released as Plays Around With The Hits on Trip in 1974]
- West Africa (Muse, 1973)
- Headed and Gutted [live] (Muse, 1974)
- Funky Reggae (Trip, 1974)
- The Way We Were (Atlantic, 1975)
- Plays with Feeling (Cotillion, 1976)
- In the Alley (Muse, 1976)
- The Gator Horn (Muse, 1977)
- Bar Wars (Muse, 1977 [rel. 1978])
- Single Action (Muse, 1978 [rel. 1980])
- Lockin' Horns [live] (Muse, 1978 [rel. 1981]) with Von Freeman
- Nothing Butt... (Muse, 1980 [rel. 1983])
- In Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1980 [also released as Ya Understand Me?] (Black & Blue, 1980; Muse, 1984)
Compilations
- The Best of Willis Jackson With Brother Jack McDuff (Prestige, 1969)
- The Best of Willis Jackson/Soul Stompin' (Prestige, 1970)
- On My Own (Whiskey, Women, And... , 1986) (compilation of early Atlantic recordings 1950–1955)
- Gator's Groove: The Best of Willis Jackson, Volume One (Ace, 1988) (compilation of Prestige recordings)
- Call of The Gators (Delmark, 1992) (compilation of early Apollo recordings 1949–1950)
- Gentle Gator (Prestige, 1995) (compilation drawn from four different Jackson albums)
- Willis Jackson With Pat Martino (Prestige, 1995) (compilation of Jackson's Action! Recorded Live + Live! Action)
- Willis...With Pat (32 Jazz, 1998) (compilation of three Muse albums: Headed And Gutted [4 tracks], Bar Wars [2 tracks], Single Action [2 tracks])
- Legends of Acid Jazz: Willis Jackson (Prestige, 1998) (compilation of Blue Gator + Cookin' Sherry)
- Legends of Acid Jazz: Willis Jackson – Keep On A-Blowin' (Prestige, 1999) (compilation of Keep On A-Blowin' + Thunderbird)
- At Large (Prestige, 2000) (compilation drawn from five different Jackson albums)
- Willis Jackson With Pat Martino – Gravy (Prestige, 2001) (compilation of Grease 'N' Gravy + The Good Life)
- Nuther'n Like Thuther'n (Prestige, 2002) (compilation of More Gravy + Boss Shoutin' )
- Willis Jackson With Pat Martino – Soul Night Live! (Prestige, 2002) (compilation of Soul Night/Live! + Tell It... )
- Willis Jackson With Jack McDuff – Together Again! (Prestige, 2003) (compilation of Together Again! + Together Again, Again)
- After Hours (Prestige, 2004) (compilation of Loose... + Soul Grabber)
- The Chronological Willis Jackson 1950–1954 (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' 5135, 2005)
- The Remaining Willis Jackson 1951–1959 (Blue Moon 6048, 2005)
- Later For The Gator (Acrobat 4203, 2005) (compilation/retrospective of Jackson's early career years)
- A One-Day Session 05/25/59: Willis Jackson Quintet with Jack McDuff and Bill Jennings (Fresh Sound, 2012)
- Doin' The Gator Tail (Tenor Sax Blasting 1949–1959) (Jasmine, 2018)
As sideman
- George Benson, Erotic Moods (Paul Winley, 1978)
- Bo Diddley, Big Bad Bo (Chess, 1974)
- Don McLean, Homeless Brother (United Artists, 1974)
References
- ^ a b c d Doc Rock. "The 1980s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Willis "Gator" Jackson". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2020.