Keep on a Blowin

Willis "Gator" Jackson's powerhouse tenor saxophone was one of the essential sounds in American music of the '50s, wailing on numerous R&B recordings including those of his wife, singer Ruth Brown. Along with Gene Ammons and Sam "the Man" Taylor, he was at the forefront of a generation of big-toned, hard-driving tenor players, "honkers" and "bar walkers" whose ferocious energy bridged the worlds of big-band swing, small-group jazz, and early rock & roll. This CD combines two Prestige LPs recorded between 1959 and 1962, and it places Jackson at the heart of the soul-jazz movement. He could take a subtle approach, reminiscent of Coleman Hawkins's, to a ballad like "How Deep Is the Ocean," but the music is more often spirited, playful, and ebullient. "The Man I Love" is a tightly arranged collection of riffs and phrases with enough interpolations--including "American in Paris" and "Lullaby of Birdland"--to suggest sampling, while "Keep on a Blowin'" has infectious call and response between the leader's horn and the chanting band. Jackson's regular associates, including organists Jack McDuff and Freddie Roach, guitarist Bill Jennings, and conguero Ray Barretto, provide solid backup for some elemental music. --Stuart Broomer