Franz Jackson, seven-decade jazz master
Talk about a legendary career: Chicago saxophonist and clarintest Franz Jackson, who died at age 95 on May 6, spanned American vernacular music from the Roaring '20s to the postmodern present. He began as a 16-year-old professional with stride and boogie woogie pianist Albert Ammons, starred as a featured soloist in the the hottest Depression Era big bands, entertained WWII troops under USO auspices, popularized Midwestern neo-traditional "jass" in the '50s and '60s and kept playin' in essentially uncategorical situations up until a couple of weeks of his demise.
Among Jackson's recent high visibility gigs were his turn at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival of 2007, and also last year's "Tribute to Fletcher Henderson" commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago for the Great Black Music Ensemble, performed at the Frank Gehry bandshell in Millenium Park, where he sat amid creative musicians less than half his age, not revisiting the past but rather carrying it forward.
Jackson was also a participant in the Jazz Journalists Association's panel discussion of King Oliver at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2005. Jackson heard Oliver play at the Royal Garden Inn, where Louis Armstrong joined him, in the mid '20s, and had sharp recall of that experience. His music from his salad days is heard on recordings with the always hardswinging, often groundbreaking Earl "Fatha" Hines big band and some editions of Fats Waller's small groups.
Jackson was born in Rock Island, IL, lived in Europe for a time, and was beloved in Chicago, where he was based for most of his life.
photo of Franz Jackson, 2002, courtesty of Bob Cook; from the saxophonist's performance at Quad City Arts, Black Hawk College, for the Jazz & Blues Restoration Project, part of the Illinois Mississippi River Valley Project.
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Jazz Beyond Jazz
Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz
Howard Mandel
I'm a Chicago-born and New York-based writer, editor, author, arts producer for National Public Radio -- for more than 30 years, a freelance arts journalist
working on newspapers, magazines and websites, appearing on tv and radio, teaching at New York University and elsewhere. I'm president of the Jazz Journalists Association.
Jazz Beyond Jazz Essentials
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What if there's more to jazz than you suppose? What if jazz demolishes suppositions and breaks all bounds? What if jazz - and the jazz beyond, behind, under and around jazz - could enrich your life?
Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz
about my new book
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Howard Mandel
I'm a Chicago-born and New York-based writer, editor, author, arts producer for National Public Radio -- for more than 30 years, a freelance arts journalist
working on newspapers, magazines and websites, appearing on tv and radio, teaching at New York University and elsewhere. I'm president of the Jazz Journalists Association. Jazz Beyond Jazz Essentials
a few recordings basic to stretching the definition of jazz.
Contact me Click here to send me an email...
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Over the course of three decades, I've been privileged to get behind the scenes and meet heroic creators of jazz as well as up-and-comers, innovators and exemplars of many other genres. Please enjoy these archival interviews and articles.
more A & I
Over the course of three decades, I've been privileged to get behind the scenes and meet heroic creators of jazz as well as up-and-comers, innovators and exemplars of many other genres. Please enjoy these archival interviews and articles.
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Jazz Beyond Jazz
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Michael J. West's Pop Musicology
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Kazue Yokoi's exblog (in Japanese)
Jazz.com
Bob Lewis' Jazz My Two Cents Worth
Jazz Journalists Association's Jazzhouse
Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz
James Hale's Jazz Chronicles
The Bad Plus' Do The Math
Larry Blumenfeld's Listen Good
Fred Kaplan's Jazz Messenger
Doug Ramsey's Riffides
Hank Shteamer's Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches
Michael J. West's Pop Musicology
Tim Posgate's Canadian 'jazzlife'
David R. Adler's Lerterland
Dean Minderman's St. Louis Jazz Notes
Carl Wilson's cross-genre Zoilus
Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
David Ryshpan's Settled in Shipping
Dave Douglas's Greenleaf Music Blog
Pamela's Bebopified
Andrea Cantor's JazzInk
Kazue Yokoi's exblog (in Japanese)
Jazz.com
Bob Lewis' Jazz My Two Cents Worth
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Program Notes
the blog of the National Performing Arts Convention
culture
the blog of the National Performing Arts Convention
About Last Night
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
Artful Manager
Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture
Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture
blog riley
rock culture approximately
rock culture approximately
CultureGulf
Rebuilding Gulf Culture after Katrina
Rebuilding Gulf Culture after Katrina
diacritical
Douglas McLennan's blog
Douglas McLennan's blog
Flyover
Art from the American Outback
Art from the American Outback
Mind the Gap
No genre is the new genre
No genre is the new genre
Rockwell Matters
John Rockwell on the arts
John Rockwell on the arts
Straight Up |
Jan Herman - arts, media & culture with 'tude
Jan Herman - arts, media & culture with 'tude
dance
Foot in Mouth
Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance
Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance
Seeing Things
Tobi Tobias on dance et al...
Tobi Tobias on dance et al...
jazz
Jazz Beyond Jazz
Howard Mandel's freelance Urban Improvisation
Howard Mandel's freelance Urban Improvisation
ListenGood
Focus on New Orleans. Jazz and Other Sounds
Focus on New Orleans. Jazz and Other Sounds
Rifftides
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
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Out There
Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology
Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology
Serious Popcorn
Martha Bayles on Film...
Martha Bayles on Film...
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The Future of Classical Music?
Greg Sandow performs a book-in-progress
Greg Sandow performs a book-in-progress
On the Record
Exploring Orchestras w/ Henry Fogel
Exploring Orchestras w/ Henry Fogel
Overflow
Harvey Sachs on music, and various digressions
Harvey Sachs on music, and various digressions
PostClassic
Kyle Gann on music after the fact
Kyle Gann on music after the fact
Sandow
Greg Sandow on the future of Classical Music
Greg Sandow on the future of Classical Music
Slipped Disc
Norman Lebrecht on Shifting Sound Worlds
Norman Lebrecht on Shifting Sound Worlds
publishing
book/daddy
Jerome Weeks on Books
Jerome Weeks on Books
Quick Study
Scott McLemee on books, ideas & trash-culture ephemera
Scott McLemee on books, ideas & trash-culture ephemera
theatre
lies like truth
Chloe Veltman on how culture will save the world
Chloe Veltman on how culture will save the world
Stage Write
Elizabeth Zimmer on time-based art forms
Elizabeth Zimmer on time-based art forms
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Aesthetic Grounds
Public Art, Public Space
Public Art, Public Space
Artopia
John Perreault's art diary
John Perreault's art diary
CultureGrrl
Lee Rosenbaum's Cultural Commentary
Lee Rosenbaum's Cultural Commentary
Modern Art Notes
Tyler Green's modern & contemporary art blog
Tyler Green's modern & contemporary art blog
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