Before the electric guitar became the most popular instrument for rocking teens, the tenor sax was the instrument of choice, able to swing with the jazzers and wail with the R&Bers. One of the gents with the biggest, boomiest and bodacious of sounds was Willis Jackson, who burned like a Cubano cigar, as demonstrated by these 8 albums he released in the 1950s-60s
His 1959 debut, after leaving Cootie Willams’ orchestra, sets the tone with an organ team of Jack McDuff/org, Bill Jennings/g, Tommy Potter/b and Alvin Johnson/dr. He swoons on standards like “Come Back To Sorrento” and digs in on “Cool Grits” . Next year with the addition of Buck Clark/cong, “Gator” smoulders n “Keep On A Blowin’” and “Blue Strollin’”, with another album of the same team bopping on “The Gator Jumps”. 1961 has him with Juan Amalbert/cong, Gus Johnson-Mickey Roker/dr and Wendell Marshall/b for a blues-fest on “A Twist of Blues” and “Careless Love”, with a couple minor changes on the subsequent release that features an emotively blue “ Where Are You” and lyrical “When I Fall In Love”. Back with Bill Jennings/g, and Freddie Roach/org alongside Frank Shea/dr, Marshall/b and Ray Baretto/cong, Jackson caresses “Body and Soul” and swings through “Lady Be Good”. Finally, a 1964 release with Pat Azzara/g, Joe Hadrick/dr and George Tucker/b has the tenorist bear down on “Shoutin’” and “Boss St. Louis Blues” .
This kind of soul jazz has been lost on today’s generation of ears, who desire either screaming cacophony, or mellow yellow ‘chill’ sounds as a background for text messaging. This is when the sax was smoulding like lava.