Franz Jackson is still blowing up a storm at age 93. One of the few remaining survivors of the pre-Swing era, and one of only a handful of his contemporaries still playing, the tenor saxophonist/clarinetist/vocalist is, quite literally, a living jazz treasure.
Jackson is one of the last musicians to have learned Chicago jazz from its originators. His first professional gig in his 70-plus year career was with stride pianist Albert Ammons in 1929; he was 16. His career continued through the 30’s and 40’s with such jazz luminaries as Albert Ammons, Carroll Dickerson, Jimmy Noone, Walter Barnes, Roy Eldridge, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, Earl Hines, Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. He replaced icon Ben Webster in Henderson’s and Eldridge’s bands and also won attention for big band compositions and arrangements for Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and Jack Teagarden.
Between tenures in Chicago, Jackson lived in New York and Sweden, performing, composing, arranging and directing bands. Beginning in the late 40’s, Jackson embarked on tours entertaining U.S. troops abroad with his USO band. In 1957, he formed his own successful band, the Original Jass All-Stars, which had a 10-year stint at the Red Arrow nightclub in Stickney, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Jackson had become one of Chicago’s most popular bandleaders and recorded seven albums during this period on his own record label, Pinnacle Recordings. As his popularity grew, Jackson began touring the world with his band.
A hearty soloist in the Chicago tradition as well as a charismatic singer, Jackson’s emphasis has always been less on decorative or frivolous playing and more on the depth and sincere feeling of the music. Today, he continues to appear regularly at venues and festivals in Chicago and other Midwest cities. Jackson holds a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, which he achieved at the age of 76, and studies Oriental philosophy. He notes that his music is what sustains him these days: “That’s how I’m existing. I’m not giving in to rock and roll and I’m keeping my standards. People like what I’m doing and nothing’s really old if it’s done well. I’m not satisfied with today’s music because it has no melody. You need lyrics that can bring tears to your eyes and if the statement is strong, you win. I really miss big bands; now I have to do things by myself.â€
Jackson routinely devotes his time to providing a “living experience†education to music students at colleges and universities throughout the Midwest. He has received numerous awards and commendations for his long-standing and ongoing contribution to the music industry. Until very recently, he continued to travel overseas annually to perform for various events and festivals in Europe and Israel. Jackson has been nominated for the 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. He was honored with the Midwest Arts Jazz Master Grant in 1996, interviewed by Studs Terkel for Steppenwolf Theater’s TRAFFIIC series on improvised music in 1997, appeared on the Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keller in 2002 and was featured on the cover of Chicago Jazz Magazine in 2004. Franz Jackson has been credited by many as being one of the last survivors of a long-vanished era in American music and was honored in 2005 as one of the five world’s greatest living jazz saxophonists by the Jazz Institute of Chicago and received a lifetime achievement award. He has been nominated for the 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship and continues to keep this era alive in the spirit of all who are fortunate enough to hear him perform: young and old alike.
"A Night At Red Arrow" is a 1961 recording of Franz Jackson and his Original Jass All-Stars in their heyday at The Red Arrow nighclub in Stickney, Illinois. Franz and his band played as the house band at the Red Arrow for over a decade to critical acclaim.
This recording features sidemen Bob Shoffner on trumpet; John Thomas on trombone; Bill Oldham on tuba; Rozelle Claxton on piano; Lawrence Dixon on banjo; and Richard Curry on drums. This is a true slice of Chicago/New Orleans style traditional jazz and listeners will get a real feel for what it was like to hear the band in it's "natural habitat" of that time. As Franz says of this CD: "Let me take you back in time when we played some really wonderful, foot-tapping, finger-snapping, hand-clapping music."
Tracks Include: Red Arrow Blues, Clarinet Marmalade, St. James Infirmary, Ice Cream, Won't-Cha Come On Home, Weary Blues, Mack The Knife, Panama, Mr. Banjo Man
Check out the artist's website:
http://franzjackson.com
Track List:
1. Red Arrow Blues
2. Clarinet Marmalade
3. St. James Infirmary
4. Ice Cream
5. Won't-Cha Come On Home
6. Weary Blues
7. Mack The Knife
8. Panama
9. Mr. Banjo Man
Other Genres:
Jackson is one of the last musicians to have learned Chicago jazz from its originators. His first professional gig in his 70-plus year career was with stride pianist Albert Ammons in 1929; he was 16. His career continued through the 30’s and 40’s with such jazz luminaries as Albert Ammons, Carroll Dickerson, Jimmy Noone, Walter Barnes, Roy Eldridge, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, Earl Hines, Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. He replaced icon Ben Webster in Henderson’s and Eldridge’s bands and also won attention for big band compositions and arrangements for Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and Jack Teagarden.
Between tenures in Chicago, Jackson lived in New York and Sweden, performing, composing, arranging and directing bands. Beginning in the late 40’s, Jackson embarked on tours entertaining U.S. troops abroad with his USO band. In 1957, he formed his own successful band, the Original Jass All-Stars, which had a 10-year stint at the Red Arrow nightclub in Stickney, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Jackson had become one of Chicago’s most popular bandleaders and recorded seven albums during this period on his own record label, Pinnacle Recordings. As his popularity grew, Jackson began touring the world with his band.
A hearty soloist in the Chicago tradition as well as a charismatic singer, Jackson’s emphasis has always been less on decorative or frivolous playing and more on the depth and sincere feeling of the music. Today, he continues to appear regularly at venues and festivals in Chicago and other Midwest cities. Jackson holds a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, which he achieved at the age of 76, and studies Oriental philosophy. He notes that his music is what sustains him these days: “That’s how I’m existing. I’m not giving in to rock and roll and I’m keeping my standards. People like what I’m doing and nothing’s really old if it’s done well. I’m not satisfied with today’s music because it has no melody. You need lyrics that can bring tears to your eyes and if the statement is strong, you win. I really miss big bands; now I have to do things by myself.â€
Jackson routinely devotes his time to providing a “living experience†education to music students at colleges and universities throughout the Midwest. He has received numerous awards and commendations for his long-standing and ongoing contribution to the music industry. Until very recently, he continued to travel overseas annually to perform for various events and festivals in Europe and Israel. Jackson has been nominated for the 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. He was honored with the Midwest Arts Jazz Master Grant in 1996, interviewed by Studs Terkel for Steppenwolf Theater’s TRAFFIIC series on improvised music in 1997, appeared on the Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keller in 2002 and was featured on the cover of Chicago Jazz Magazine in 2004. Franz Jackson has been credited by many as being one of the last survivors of a long-vanished era in American music and was honored in 2005 as one of the five world’s greatest living jazz saxophonists by the Jazz Institute of Chicago and received a lifetime achievement award. He has been nominated for the 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship and continues to keep this era alive in the spirit of all who are fortunate enough to hear him perform: young and old alike.
"A Night At Red Arrow" is a 1961 recording of Franz Jackson and his Original Jass All-Stars in their heyday at The Red Arrow nighclub in Stickney, Illinois. Franz and his band played as the house band at the Red Arrow for over a decade to critical acclaim.
This recording features sidemen Bob Shoffner on trumpet; John Thomas on trombone; Bill Oldham on tuba; Rozelle Claxton on piano; Lawrence Dixon on banjo; and Richard Curry on drums. This is a true slice of Chicago/New Orleans style traditional jazz and listeners will get a real feel for what it was like to hear the band in it's "natural habitat" of that time. As Franz says of this CD: "Let me take you back in time when we played some really wonderful, foot-tapping, finger-snapping, hand-clapping music."
Tracks Include: Red Arrow Blues, Clarinet Marmalade, St. James Infirmary, Ice Cream, Won't-Cha Come On Home, Weary Blues, Mack The Knife, Panama, Mr. Banjo Man
Check out the artist's website:
http://franzjackson.com
Track List:
1. Red Arrow Blues
2. Clarinet Marmalade
3. St. James Infirmary
4. Ice Cream
5. Won't-Cha Come On Home
6. Weary Blues
7. Mack The Knife
8. Panama
9. Mr. Banjo Man
Other Genres:
- JAZZ: Dixieland
- JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo
- FEATURING SAXOPHONE