Willis Jackson - Cool "Gator" (1959-1960) [re-rip]

Raw early stuff by Willis Jackson – and an album that has hard wailin' soul jazz solos by Brother Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar! Those two, plus Gator, make up the core of the combo that features additional backing by bass and drums, but you won't need to worry about the additional players, because the triple threat of tenor/organ/guitar will hold all your attention. Tracks are long, and as usual, the best ones are the originals, including "Blue Strollin", "A Smooth One", and "Keep On A Blowin". © Dusty Groove, Inc.

A tenor sax ought to sound like a tenor, Willis Jackson has said, and he is here to prove it. In this album he has put together for the first time in half a young lifetime on the horn a collection of tunes that he wanted to blow. The musicians who work with him here have been caught up in the mood of 'Gator's musical dream and they turn in performances of rare musicianship. ~ Extract from Liner Notes by Dale Wright.

Prestige Records, PRLP 7172, 1960

Recorded 25th May (#A2,B2,B3) & 9th November (#A3,B1) 1959;

26th February (#A1) 1960 At Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey

Personnel:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Jack McDuff - Organ

Bill Jennings - Guitar

Tommy Potter - Bass (#A2,B2,B3)

Wendell Marshall - Bass (#A3,B1)

Milt Hinton - Bass (#A1)

Alvin Johnson - Drums

Buck Clarke - Conga Drum (#A1)

Tracks:

A1. Keep On A Blowin' {Jack McDuff, Willis "Gator" Jackson} (10:23)

A2. How Deep Is The Ocean {Irving Berlin} (4:04)

A3. On The Sunny Side Of The Street {Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh} (3:29)

B1. Blue Strollin' {Willis "Gator" Jackson} (7:44)

B2. The Man I Love {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (7:12)

B3. A Smooth One {Benny Goodman} (5:23)

Credits:

Producer - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Design - Don Schlitten

Liner Notes - Dale Wright

Note:

Also issued on Prestige [PR 7830] entitled Keep On A Blowin'