ALBUMJavon & Nikki Go To The MoviesJavon Jackson & Nikki Giovanni
More albums from Javon Jackson
ALBUMJavon & Nikki Go To The MoviesJavon Jackson & Nikki Giovanni
ALBUMWith Peter Bradley (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)Javon Jackson
ALBUMThe Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (feat. Nikki Giovanni)Javon Jackson
ALBUMThe Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (Commentary) [feat. Nikki Giovanni]Javon Jackson
ALBUMDéjà VuJavon Jackson
ALBUMExpressionJavon Jackson
ALBUMLucky 13Javon Jackson
ALBUMCelebrating John ColtraneJavon Jackson & We Four
ALBUMBurnin' (feat. Kirk Lightsey, Christian McBride & Louis Hayes)Javon Jackson & Billy Pierce
ALBUMOnce Upon a MelodyJavon Jackson
ALBUMSugar Hill: Music of Duke Ellington and Billy StrayhornJavon Jackson
ALBUMNew York TimeCedar Walton, Christian McBride, Javon Jackson & Jimmy Cobb
ALBUMFor YouJavon Jackson
ALBUMNowJavon Jackson
ALBUMHave You HeardJavon Jackson
ALBUMEasy Does ItJavon Jackson
ALBUMPleasant ValleyJavon Jackson
ALBUMGood PeopleJavon Jackson
ALBUMA Look WithinJavon Jackson
ALBUMFor One Who KnowsJavon Jackson
ALBUMWhen The Time Is RightJavon Jackson
About Javon Jackson
Artist Biography
An adept saxophonist and educator, Javon Jackson is a gifted improviser with a warm tone and style that straddles aggressive, acoustic post-bop and funky soul-jazz. Born in Carthage, Missouri in 1965, Jackson grew up in Denver in a musical family, with a mother who played piano and a father who played trumpet. He first began playing alto saxophone around age ten and switched to the tenor sax in his teens. After high school, he attended both the University of Denver and the Berklee College of Music in Boston before dropping out to join drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, with whom he toured and recorded from 1988 to 1990.
Since then, he has toured and/or recorded with a bevy of name artists including Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Bobby Hutcherson, Stanley Turrentine, and many more. As a leader, he debuted in 1991 with the Criss Cross release Me and Mr. Jones, which featured drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Christian McBride, and pianist James Williams. On the heels of Me and Mr. Jones, he recorded his sophomore album, 1991's Burnin', with tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce, pianist Kirk Lightsey, bassist McBride, and drummer Louis Hayes. Jackson then signed with Blue Note and spent the next several years with the label, delivering such well-received albums as 1994's When the Time Is Right, 1996's Look Within, and 1999's Pleasant Valley. These albums found him exploring various aspects of the jazz tradition and collaborating with such luminaries as Kenny Garrett, Betty Carter, John Medeski, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, and others.
From there, he moved to Palmetto and further expanded his musical palette with investigations into funk, soul, and R&B on 2003's Easy Does It, which featured guest appearances by Fred Wesley, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lenny White, and Mark Whitfield. He returned with the similarly inclined Have You Heard in 2005, followed by 2006's Now. Since leaving Palmetto, Jackson has continued to balance his love of standards-based acoustic jazz and more funky sounds, as evidenced by albums like 2007's Sugar Hill: Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, 2008's Once Upon a Melody, and 2012's Celebrating John Coltrane. Also in 2012, he paired with legendary jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann for Lucky 13. In 2014, he delivered the live album Expression, recorded at New York's Smoke jazz and supper club. He then joined bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Drummond in the trio Three's Company for 2016's We'll Be Together Again.
Aside from performing and recording, Jackson is a devoted educator, having held teaching positions at Long Island University and the Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he also earned his master's degree. He also holds the position of professor and division director of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. ~ Matt Collar
Hometown
Carthage, MO, United States
Genre
Jazz
Javon Jackson: Member of
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