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Javon Jackson

Javon Jackson was born in Carthage, Missouri and raised in Denver, Colorado. Music captivated the young Javon who was exposed to some of the greatest musicians in jazz through his parents' record collection. Gene Ammons and Ahmad Jamal were early favorites. As he matured, Javon soon became captivated by the work of Sonny Stitt. Stitt, known for his prowess on both the alto and tenor saxophone, was considered one of Charlie Parker's most avid disciples early in his career but later developed a distinctive voice of his own. Like so many other horn players today, Stitt's music inspired Javon to pick up his first saxophone, an alto, at a young age.

More musical discoveries followed: Rollins, Henderson, Coltrane. The work of these legends eventually led Javon to favor the tenor. Honing his craft, Jackson began working professionally in local jazz clubs at age 16, playing with former Max Roach Quintet pianist Billy Wallace. In high school he also performed in the McDonald's All-American Band. During this time, Javon met and was befriended by Branford Marsalis. It was Marsalis who encouraged Javon to attend Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music.

Two of Javon's instructors at Berklee were saxophonist Billy Pierce and pianist Donald Brown, two former members of Art Blakey's legendary Jazz Messengers. One of the seminal groups of the hard bop movement of the 50's and 60's, the Messengers provided a training ground for the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and Javon's early mentor, Branford Marsalis.

Donald Brown helped secure Javon an audience with the legendary Blakey one night at Mikell's, a New York City club. After sitting in one night, Javon's skill on the tenor earned him an invitation to join the group. Those years under the tutelage of Blakey involved intensive study of both interplay and improvisation. Performing alongside Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney and Benny Green, Javon appeared on several recordings with Blakey, including Not Yet (Soul Note), One For All (A&M) and Chippin' In (Timeless).

Javon remained with the Messengers for over three years until Blakey's death in 1990. Looking back on that time, Javon said, "I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Blakey taught me to be a man; he taught me how to be a leader."

Javon earned his degree from Berklee while continuing to tour with Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Charlie Haden and Cedar Walton. His debut as a leader came quickly, in 1991, when he released Burnin' and Me and Mr. Jones on the Criss Cross Label.

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Radio & Podcasts

Javon Jackson Gives Peter Bradley's Art a Swinging Soundtrack

Read "Javon Jackson Gives Peter Bradley's Art a Swinging Soundtrack" reviewed by Lawrence Peryer


Today, the Spotlight shines On saxophonist and composer Javon Jackson. Javon spoke with us about his film score for the art-world documentary With Peter Bradley (Solid Jackson Records). Peter Bradley has had a 50-year career as an abstract artist, but one that saw him getting little acclaim until the last few years. In addition to his work as an artist, the daily practice of which is documented in the film, Bradley was a mover and shaker in various ...

Album Review

Javon Jackson: The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni

Read "The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Nikki Giovanni è una delle scrittrici afro-americane più note al mondo. Emersa alla fine degli anni sessanta come innovativa poetessa della Black Revolution entro il Black Arts Movement (c'erano anche Amiri Baraka e Ishmael Reed) ha pubblicato numerose raccolte di poesie e opere su questioni sociali, insegnando al contempo in varie università statunitensi. Giunta alla soglia degli ottant'anni ha un enorme curriculum di riconoscimenti prestigiosi. L'idea d'incidere quest'album col gruppo del sassofonista Javon Jackson nasce nel ...

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Live Review

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022

Read "San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022" reviewed by Walter Atkins


Plaza De Cesar Chavez Park San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 San Jose CA August 12-14, 2022 San Jose Jazz's Summer Fest 2022 provided a vibrant spectrum of diverse music genres at multiple venues in historic Plaza De Cesar Park, conveniently located in downtown San Jose. This year's robust lineup included: Charlie Wilson, Stanley Clarke, Lelah James, Omar Sosa, Javon Jackson's Charlie Parker at 100 with Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson & Donald Harrison, Howard Wiley, ...

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Interview

Javon Jackson: Wading In Spiritual Waters

Read "Javon Jackson: Wading In Spiritual Waters" reviewed by R.J. DeLuke


Saxophonist Javon Jackson, he of the sonorous tenor tone and the inquisitive musical mind, embarked last year on a musical project with a different twist. Jackson, a follower of Sonnys Stitt and Rollins, is known as a a jazz fiend, one of the dauntless players of his era. His superb playing is marked by his tenure with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (a band he energized from 1987 until the legendary drummer died in 1990), and his ...

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Radio & Podcasts

An Eclectic Mix Featuring Javon Jackson, Vasco Trilla, Eric Dubois, And More

Read "An Eclectic Mix Featuring Javon Jackson, Vasco Trilla, Eric Dubois,  And More" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this week's show we feature an eclectic variety of newly released music, exploring new sounds, from Javon Jackson, Tom Bourgeois & Fil Caporali, Vasco Trilla, Tony Karapetyan, Eric Dubois, Soheil Peyghambari, and Amanda Ekery.Playlist Javon Jackson “Night Song" from The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (Solid Jackson) 00:00 Tom Bourgeois and Fil Caporali “Konvoy" from Moanin' Birds (Hypnote) 08:43 Vasco Trilla “Acoustic Mask #1 (for aquaspring)" from Acoustic Masks (577 Records) 16:07 Tony Karapetyan Trio “East West" ...

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Album Review

Jimmy Cobb: Remembering U

Read "Remembering U" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


The death of Jimmy Cobb earlier in 2020 at 91 years of age marked the end of a singular era in jazz, as well as the career of one of the tastiest drummers in the field. Beginning in the 1950s, Cobb participated in numerous seminal recordings stretching from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959), John Coltrane's Giant Steps (Atlantic, 1960), Wes Montgomery's Full House (Riverside, 1962), through to a number of stellar trio sessions with pianist Wynton Kelly and ...

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Beauty, Love and Justice: Living A Coltranian Life

Javon Jackson: Finding Uplift in the Guiding Tradition of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane

Read "Javon Jackson: Finding Uplift in the Guiding Tradition of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane" reviewed by Christine Passarella


It was a bitterly cold day in January 2013, I had endured a move from Long Beach, Long Island in October 2012 having to leave my beach house for good after the unsettling nature of Super Storm Sandy came down hard on the barrier island. I longed to get back into the city as the new year began, yearning for normalcy which includes listening to great live jazz. I decided to traverse into Manhattan, the traffic was heavy due to ...

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Event

Thailand International Jazz Conference 2023 - The 14th Year Of The TIJC With The Extensive Program

Thailand International Jazz Conference 2023 - The 14th Year Of The TIJC With The Extensive Program

Source: Thailand International Jazz Conference

The moment of happiness for jazz lovers is coming back with the Thailand International Jazz Conference 2023 or TIJC 2023, the most fantastic Thailand jazz event that includes many world-renowned artists such as Javon Jackson & Delfeayo Marsalis, Emmet Cohen Trio, Laurent de Wilde Trio, Sketchbook Quartet, etc. Don't miss out on Jazz with Thailand Phil Featuring Javon Jackson & Delfeayo Marsalis, Pomelo Town. And also highlight the works of Sonny Rollins, an American genius and legendary saxophonist to exhibit ...

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Interview

Jazz "Messengers" Spread The Word At 2014 Jazz In The Valley

Jazz "Messengers" Spread The Word At 2014 Jazz In The Valley

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations

By Charley Rosen On a glorious summer day in August, the fifth and final set of the 14th Annual Jazz in the Valley Festival was thrilling, nostalgic, even historic; transporting the seven musicians and hundreds of enraptured witnesses into Jazz Heaven. Six of the jazzmen had been members of various editions of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenger, and they were all world-class artists. Calling themselves “The Message, ” the lineup had Javon Jackson playing tenor sax, Gary Bartz on either soprano ...

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Performance / Tour

Remembering The Miles Davis Classic "Kind Of Blue" Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band Featuring Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring Javon Jackson, Larry Willis & Buster Williams

Remembering The Miles Davis Classic "Kind Of Blue" Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band Featuring Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring Javon Jackson, Larry Willis  & Buster Williams

Source: Michael Ricci

Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00PM in the Science Center Theater on the Campus of Montgomery County Community College (Blue Bell, PA) Blue Bell, PA—A highlight of the Lively Arts Series Transitions will be a performance of “Kind of Blue: Remembering the Miles Davis classic featuring Jimmy Cobb's So What Band. They will be presented in concert, Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00PM in the Science Center Theater on the Campus of Montgomery County Community College, Route 202 and Morris ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Les McCann and Javon Jackson, Fran Landesman, Cooper-Moore, TKT Memorial Scholarship Concert, and More

Jazz This Week: Les McCann and Javon Jackson, Fran Landesman, Cooper-Moore, TKT Memorial Scholarship Concert, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

There's lots going on in jazz and creative music this week in St. Louis, and so we bring you StLJN's weekly highlights post slightly earlier than usual to perhaps better help facilitate some advance planning.One of the week's major attractions is the team-up of pianist and singer Les McCann (pictured) and saxophonist Javon Jackson, who will perform Wednesday through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Both men previously have led their own bands at the Bistro, but their ...

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Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Les McCann and Javon Jackson

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Les McCann and Javon Jackson

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's videos feature keyboardist Les McCann and saxophonist Javon Jackson, who will be in St. Louis next week to perform Wednesday, October 22 through Saturday, October 25 at Jazz at the Bistro. Their team-up is billed as “Swiss Movement Revisited," a reference to McCann's collaboration with the late saxophonist Eddie Harris and the famous live album the two recorded in 1969 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. In part because ...

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Radio

The Jazz Session #45: Javon Jackson

The Jazz Session #45: Javon Jackson

Source: All About Jazz

On the new episode of The Jazz Session, Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Javon Jackson. On his new recording for Palmetto Records, Once Upon A Melody, Jackson pays tribute to the people and songs that have influenced him, from Wayne Shorter to Sonny Rollins to Ramsey Lewis to Corinne Bailey Rae. During this interview, Javon leads a track-by-track tour of the record, and you’ll hear excerpts from every composition. He’s joined on the album by pianist Eric Reed, bassist Corcoran Holt ...

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Recording

CD: Javon Jackson

CD: Javon Jackson

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

Once Upon A Melody (Palmetto). Whether as the result of marketing gambits or of press stereotyping, Jackson's name rarely appears without the word “funk" nearby. In truth, from the time of his early beginnings with Art Blakey, his tenor saxophone playing has had fuller stylistic and emotional range that of a funkmeister. This CD is satisfying evidence of Jackson's breadth, from the sensitivity of his respectful treatment of the melody of “My One and Only Love" to the engaging energy ...

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Festival

Les McCann & Javon Jackson to Replace McCoy Tyner at 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration June 6 & 7

Les McCann & Javon Jackson to Replace McCoy Tyner at 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration June 6 & 7

Source: MFA - Mitchell Feldman Associates

Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Withdraws On Physician's Advice As High Altitude of Festival In Colorado Mountain Resort Poses Threat To Tyner's Health

The Telluride Society For Jazz today announced that pianist McCoy Tyner has upon medical advice withdrawn from the 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration (TJC) as his physician is concerned that the high altitude of the alpine resort in Colorado's San Juan Mountains where the festival takes place poses a threat to Tyner's health. The acclaimed pianist suffers from high blood ...

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Performance / Tour

Javon Jackson/Benny Green Project w/Wallace Roney (Fri-Sun) Annette Sanders (Sun Jazz Brunch) at the Iridium Jazz Club

Javon Jackson/Benny Green Project w/Wallace Roney (Fri-Sun) Annette Sanders (Sun Jazz Brunch) at the Iridium Jazz Club

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB 1650 BROADWAY (Corner of 51st) NEW YORK, NY 10023 RESERVATIONS: 212-582-2121 Sets At 8:00 & 10:00PM Effective immediately, minimums are $10/person/set for all show except Les Paul - $15 mins. EVERY MONDAY LES PAUL AND HIS TRIO JOHN COLIANNI - PIANO - LOU PALLO - GUITAR, NICKI PARROTT - BASS EVERY TUESDAY MINGUS LEGACY Every Sunday The Iridium Jazz Brunch

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Performance / Tour

Les Paul (Mon) Rondi Charleston (Tues) Michael Wolff (Wed) Javon Jackson/Benny Green (Thu-Sun) at the Iridium Jazz Club

Les Paul (Mon) Rondi Charleston (Tues) Michael Wolff (Wed) Javon Jackson/Benny Green (Thu-Sun) at the Iridium Jazz Club

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB 1650 BROADWAY (Corner of 51st) NEW YORK, NY 10023 RESERVATIONS: 212-582-2121 Sets At 8:00 & 10:00PM Effective immediately, minimums are $10/person/set for all show except Les Paul - $15 mins. EVERY MONDAY LES PAUL AND HIS TRIO JOHN COLIANNI - PIANO - LOU PALLO - GUITAR, NICKI PARROTT - BASS EVERY TUESDAY MINGUS LEGACY Sets at 8:00 & 10:00PM ...

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

With Peter Bradley

Palmetto Records
2023

buy

Thank You, Joe! –...

Arkadia Records
2022

buy

The New Young Lions...

Arkadia Records
2022

buy

Popsicle Illusion

Arkadia Records
2021

buy

Remembering U

Jimmy Cobb World
2019

buy

Never Let Me Go

From: With Peter Bradley
By Javon Jackson

Wade in the Water

From: The Gospel According to Nikki...
By Javon Jackson

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