David Nicholas George Jackson (born 15 April 1947), nicknamed Jaxon, is an English

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He is best known for his work with the band

Van der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith. They were the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much ...

and his work in Music and Disability. He has also worked with

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

, Keith Tippett, Osanna, Judge Smith, David Cross and others. His playing is characterized by the frequent use of double horns, wielding two saxophones at the same time, a style he emulates from

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Grove Music Online''. ''Grove Dictionary of M ...

(whose style and technique influenced Jackson). He also plays flutes and whistles. In the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', reviewer Jonathan Barnett called David Jackson "the Van Gogh of the saxophone – a renegade impressionist, dispensing distorted visions of the world outside from his private asylum window".

Van der Graaf Generator

Jackson was a member of the English progressive rock band

for most of the 1970s and for their 2005 reunion tour. His speciality was then electric saxophones, using octave devices, wah-wah and powerful amplification.

Music projects

Jackson has collaborated with other musicians, frequently with other members of Van der Graaf Generator, as on '' The Long Hello'' project. He collaborated on a number of projects with VdGG co-founder Judge Smith, and performed with

at the

Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...

in 1979. Jackson works often with Italian rock musicians, most particularly Alex Carpani Band from Bologna and Osanna from Naples. In 2012 and 2013 he toured the European and American continents with the Alex Carpani Band.

Education and Therapeutic Work

Jackson attended the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

, reading psychology,Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator – The Book", page 52. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005. and

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

, Roehampton, studying teaching. He has worked as a mathematics teacher for primary school children in the UK. He has also worked with physically and mentally disabled people, enabling them to make music through the use of a technology known as Soundbeam. He is also a Soundbeam trainer, system designer and builder. A documentary about his work with autistic children was broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

in 1998. Tonewall is the name for his idea. Apart from Soundbeams this also features Echo-Mirrors and Jellybean Eye. Jackson works together with groups of people of all levels of ability and even profound disability to create music together on stage, accompanied by musicians from diverse styles, such as orchestral and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musicians, Caribbean music, and much more.

Personal life

David Jackson was born in Stamford,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

. His daughter is singer Dorie Jackson, who works with Chris Difford, Francis Dunnery and William Topley among others. His son is recording engineer Jake Jackson. A characteristic hallmark is Jackson's black leather

newsboy cap The newsboy cap, newsie cap, gatsby, jeff cap, or baker boy hat (British) is a casual-wear cap similar in style to the flat cap. It has a similar overall shape and stiff peak (visor) in front as a flat cap, but the body of the cap is rounder ...

with its visor that clings to his forehead decorated with several pins, which he has worn on stage for more than 50 years.

Discography

Van der Graaf Generator

* '' The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other'' (1970) * '' H to He, Who Am the Only One'' (1970) * ''

Pawn Hearts ''Pawn Hearts'' is the fourth album by English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator, released on 12 November 1971 on Charisma Records. The original album features just three tracks, including the side-long suite "A Plague of Lighthouse ...

'' (1971) * '' Godbluff'' (1975) * ''

Still Life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

'' (1976) * ''

World Record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

'' (1976) * '' The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome'' (1977) * '' Vital'' (1978) * '' Time Vaults'' (1982) * ''

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road. It is part of the City of Westminster and is northwest of Charing C ...

'' (1994) * ''

Present The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplan ...

'' (2005) * '' Real Time'' (2007)

Solo

*''Savages'' (cassette) (1990) *''Hazard Dream Sequence'' (EP) (1991) *''Tonewall Stands'' (1992) *''Fractal Bridge'' (1996)

DVD

*''Guastalla – Live Tonewall & Soundbeam'' (2003)

With Peter Hammill

*'' Fool's Mate'' (1971) *'' Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night'' (1973) *'' The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage'' (1974) *'' Nadir's Big Chance'' (1975) *'' The Future Now'' (1978) *'' pH7'' (1979) *'' A Black Box'' (1980) *'' Sitting Targets'' (1981) *'' Enter k'' (1982) *''

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

'' (1983) *''

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

'' (1986) *''

Out of Water ''Out of Water'' is the 17th studio album by Peter Hammill, originally released on Enigma Records in 1990 and subsequently re-released on Hammill's own Fie! label. Hammill himself considers this album to be a turning point from his mid-eighties s ...

'' (1990) *'' Fireships'' (1992) *'' The Noise'' (1993) *''

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerlies, westerly winds that occur in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40th parallel south, 40° and 50th parallel south, 50° south. The strong eastward air currents are caused by ...

'' (1994) *'' X My Heart'' (1996) *'' This'' (1998) *'' What, Now?'' (2001) *''

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

'' (2002) *'' Incoherence'' (2004)

With The Long Hello

*'' The Long Hello'' (

Hugh Banton Hugh Robert Banton (born 25 April 1949) is a British musician and electronic Organ (music), organ builder, most widely known for playing organ and keyboards with the group Van der Graaf Generator. Career Banton was born in April 1949 in Yeovil, ...

, Guy Evans, David Jackson; 1973) *'' The Long Hello Volume Two'' ( Nic Potter, Guy Evans; 1981) *''The Long Hello Volume Three'' (David Jackson, Guy Evans; 1982) *''The Long Hello Volume Four'' (David Jackson, Guy Evans, Life of Riley; 1983)

With Judge Smith

*''DemocraZy'' (1991) *''The House That Cried'' (live choral work, premiere 28 October 1993) *'' Curly's Airships'' (2000) *''Twinkle'' (stage musical, premiere 11 July 2007) *"The Light of the World/I Don't Know What I'm Doing" (single, as The Tribal Elders, 2007) *'' Orfeas'' (2011)

With Kaprekar's Constant

*''Fate Outsmarts Desire'' (2017) *''Depth of Field'' (2019) *''The Murder Wall'' (2022)

Other collaborations

*''Come un vecchio incensiere all'alba di un villaggio deserto'' (with Alan Sorrenti, 1973) *''Dinner at the Ritz'' (with City Boy, 1976) *"The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" / "Something Tells Me" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1982) *"Straining Our Eyes" / "Fall To Pieces" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1982) *"Grab What You Can" / "Tell Me" / "Would I Be The Same" / "I'd Never Have Known" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1982) *"Dangerous Dreams" / "Opening Doors" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1983; Stiff Records BUY 183) *"I Can't Stand This Pressure" / "Living on the Edge" / "Cover Up" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1984) *"Who's Fooling Who" / "A Grown Man Immersed in Tin-Tin" (single with Jakko Jakszyk, 1984; Stiff Records SBUY 193) *''Gentlemen Prefer Blues'' (Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, David Jackson) (1985) *''Sarah Jane Morris'' (with Sarah Jane Morris, 1988) *''Eyes of the Angel'' (with Magic Mushroom Band, 1989) *''Spaced Out'' (with Magic Mushroom Band, 1991) *''The Single (Grand Opening Song / Minutes of Peace)'' (cassette single with the Wildridings Primary School Choir, 1991) *''Beams & Bells: Live at the QEH'' (live with Treloar School & Ballard School, 2001) *''A to Z Healthy Choices'' (with St. John's CE (Aided) Primary School, 2003) *''Batteries Included'' (live with René van Commenée, 2003) *'' The Music That Died Alone'' (with The Tangent, 2003) *'' Re-Collage'' (with Tony Pagliuca and Massimo Donà Quintet, 2004) *''Lycanthrope'' (with Mangala Vallis, 2005) *''The Courting Ground'' (with Dorie Jackson, 2007) *''Distress Signal Code'' (with Lüüp, 2008) *''Prog family'' (with Osanna, 2008) *''Live in Italy'' (with Nic Potter, 2008) *''Down in Shadows'' (with N.y.X, 2009) *''Meadow Rituals'' (with Lüüp, 2011) *''Jaxon Faces the Jury'' (with Le Jury, 2012) *''Gridlock'' (with Mr Averell, 2012) *''Playing the History'' (with Marco Lo Muscio, John Hackett and Carlo Matteucci, 2013) *''In Hoc Signo'' (with Ingranaggi Della Valle, 2013) *''Live!'' (with ReaGente 6, 2014) * David Cross and David Jackson: '' Another Day'' (2018) *''Ellesmere II - From Sea and Beyond'' (with Ellesmere, 2018) *

Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

: ''Weltschmerz'', 2020 *''Wyrd'' (with Ellesmere, 2020)

References

External links

*
Van der Graaf Generator fan site
* Live at the Mantova Nu Prog Fest II – Italy, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, David 1947 births Living people Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Surrey People from Stamford, Lincolnshire Musicians from Lincolnshire English rock saxophonists English male saxophonists Van der Graaf Generator members English rock flautists The Tangent members 21st-century English saxophonists 21st-century English male musicians 21st-century British flautists