FRED JACKSON

Fred Jackson was born in 1929, a Flautist and saxophonist, he only released one album and played on a handful of sessions for Blue Note before disappearing from the jazz scene in the mid-'60s. He deserved a better fate. Although he wasn't a wildly original tenor saxophonist, he was a solid journeyman who found a successful common ground between hard bop and earthy soul-jazz on his jazz sessions. His R&B-inflected style worked well on uptempo ravers and slow blues alike, and he had a nice, robust tone. Despite his attributes, he quietly faded away from jazz in the mid-'60s, after his lone album Hootin' 'N Tootin' failed to sell. Toward the end of the '50s, he gained his experience playing with such popular artists as Paul Williams, Lil’ Green, Paul Gayton, Chuck Willis and also Lionel Hampton. He later was invited to join the supporting band for R&B vocalist Lloyd Price read more...