Franz Jackson (November 1, 1912 – May 6, 2008) was an American saxophonist and clarinetist of the
Chicago jazz school.
Early life
Jackson was born in
Rock Island, Illinois, United States on November 1, 1912.
"He received his first lessons on saxophone from
Jerome Don Pasquall and later studied at the Chicago Musical College."
Later life and career
Early in his career, Jackson played with
Albert Ammons
Albert Clifton Ammons (March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of boogie-woogie, a blues style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.
Life and career
Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were ...
's band.
For much of the 1930s Jackson was based in Chicago.
He toured with
Fletcher Henderson in 1938, then played with
Roy Eldridge's band in New York, and in 1940 toured with
Fats Waller and then with
Earl Hines.
Following small band work back in New York, he "joined
Cootie Williams's big band (1942), played in Boston with
Frankie Newton (1942–3), toured with Eldridge (1944), and worked with
Wilbur De Paris at Jimmy Ryan's in New York (1944–5)".
Jackson formed his own band in Chicago in 1957, the Original Jass All Stars.
With this group, Jackson made overseas tours, including to play in Vietnam.
He formed another band, the Jazz Entertainers, in 1980.
He moved to
Dowagiac, Michigan
Dowagiac ( ) is a city in Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,721 at the 2020 census. It is part of the South Bend
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies ...
in 1975.
He died in
Niles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien and Cass County, Michigan, Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana state line city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. The population was 11,988 according to the 2020 Unit ...
, on May 6, 2008.
A son and daughter survived him.
"The Franz Jackson Collection at the Chicago Jazz Archive contains his papers and oral history material".
Discography
As leader/co-leader
*''No Saints'' (1957, Replica)
*''A Night at the Red Arrow'' (1961, Pinnacle)
*''Franz Jackson's Original Jass All-Stars Featuring Bob Shoffner'' (1961, Riverside)
*''Let's Have a Party'' (1981, Pinnacle)
*''Swing Thing'' (1984, Pinnacle)
*''Snag It'' (1990, Delmark)
*''Live at Windsor Jazz Festival III'' (1994, Parkwood)
*''I Is What I Is'' (1997, Pinnacle)
As sideman
With
Lil Armstrong
*''Lil Armstrong and her Orchestra'' (1961, Riverside)
With
James Carter
*''
Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge'' (2001, Warner Bros.)
With
Art Hodes
*''Home Cookin' '' (1974, Jazzology)
With Laura Rucker
*''Something's Wrong/Swing My Rhythm'' (1936, Decca)
With
Edith Wilson
*''He May Be your Man (But He Comes to See Me Sometimes)'' (1974, Delmark)
References
External links
The Franz Jackson Collection at the Chicago Jazz Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Franz
1912 births
2008 deaths
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
Delmark Records artists
Riverside Records artists
20th-century American saxophonists
People from Dowagiac, Michigan
Jazz musicians from Michigan
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians