Ali Jackson (jazz bassist)

For Ali Jackson Jr., American jazz drummer (born 1976), see Ali Jackson (jazz drummer). For Alistair Jackson, known as Ali (born 1988), Northern Irish racing driver, see Alistair Jackson.

Ali Muhammad Jackson (1931–1987), also known as Ali Jackson, was a jazz bassist and composer. Jackson spent most of his life as a professional jazz bass player in New York City. He performed live with artists such as Billie Holiday, John Coltrane,[1] Elvin Jones, Thad Jones, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk,[2] James Moody, and Mary Lou Williams.

Early life

Jackson was born was in Detroit, Michigan[3] on 29 March 1931.[4] His brother was Oliver "Bops Jr."Jackson.[5] Another relative was the vibraphonist Milt "Bags" Jackson.[6]

Career

In the late 1940s, Jackson was a member of a quartet, the AHJOs, named after the initials of each musician: Ali Jackson, Roland "Hac" Hanna, tenor saxophonist, Joe Alexander and, Jackson's brother, Oliver Jackson.[5]

In the 1950s, Jackson played in a jazz trio, the Bu Bu Jackson Trio,[7] with his brother, Oliver (drums) and Bu Bu Turner (piano)[5] for a number of years. He was also briefly in the house band at the Blue Bird Inn, led by Billy Mitchell (together with his brother).[5]

His composition "Prayer to the East" was the title track of Yusef Lateef's 1957 album.[8]

Jackson returned to Detroit in 1970 to teach music at Wayne State University, Oakland University and the Metropolitan Black Arts Project funded by HUD. He also taught at Oberlin College[3] and Greenwich House.

Jackson formed a musical group named Ali, the Chosen and Beloved and the Silver Flutes Flourish[3] with his students. Randy Harp played bass, Michael Layne, Eddie Tann and Kathy Ceasar were on flutes, Marcia Miller played the tambourine, Junior Hill played the golden shofar (a kind of trumpet), and Tony Pantoja played the conga drums. The group played for free for anyone under 10 or over 60.

In the 1980s, Jackson performed in his brother's quintet, which toured and recorded in Europe. The line-up of the Oliver Jackson Quintet that performed in Switzerland in 1984 comprised Oliver Jackson on drums, Arnett Cobb on saxophone, Irvin Stokes on trumpet, Claude Black on piano, and Ali Jackson on bass.[9]

Personal life

His son, Ali Jackson Jr., is a jazz drummer, who used to perform with the Lincoln Center Orchestra.[6] Another son, Khalil Jackson is a Wall Street executive.[6]

Jackson died in 1987.[6]

Discography

References

  1. ^ "No Door Charges: Gay Crosse Goes Large at Ebony". Cleveland Call and Post. 6 December 1952. pp. 7B. Retrieved 13 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Music Review: The Monk and the Folk". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Aug 10, 1964. p. 11. Retrieved 13 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Brown Garner, June (January 18, 1972). "Ali Muhammed: The Sounds of a Jazzman Who is 41 Years of Rage". Detroit News.
  4. ^ "Entry for Ali Mohammed Jackson". FamilySearch. United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007. 1987. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Björn, Lars Olof (2001) Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60, pp. 126-131. University of Michigan Press At Google Books. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Time keeper: "Drummer Ali Jackson [Jr.] is the man in the hot seat, with the stories to prove it" Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Metro Times. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  7. ^ Jackson, Oliver; Tobin, Brazzle (8 August 1957). "We Play With Rhythm and Soul Plus Emphasizing Good Diction". The Louisville Defender. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 13. Retrieved 13 December 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Fitzgerald, Michael. "Wilbur Harden Discography" Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  9. ^ Jazz in Yverdon 1984 Concert: Oliver Jackson Quintet Archived 2013-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  • Media related to Ali Muhammad Jackson at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.