Willis Jackson with Jack McDuff - Cookin' Sherry (1959-60) [vinyl]

Seminal early work from Willis Jackson - Cookin' Sherry is solid-sending soul jazz from the great Willis Jackson! The album features Gator blowing in a group that includes Jack McDuff and Wild Bill Jennings on all cuts - plus bass by either Milt Hinton or Wendell Marshall, drums by Bill Elliott or Al Johnson, and some tasty added conga by Buck Clarke on a few cuts! The album's got a tight, yet laidback feel to - perfect kickback jam session material, in that classic Prestige soul jazz mode. Titles include "Contrasts", "Cookin Sherry", "Mellow Blues", and "Sportin". ~ Dusty Groove.

Prestige Records, PR 7211, 1961

Recorded 9^th November, 1959 (#A3); 26^th February, 1960 (#A2,B2)

& 16^th August, 1960 (#A1,B1,B3) at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Brother Jack McDuff - Organ

Bill Jennings - Guitar

Wendell Marshall - Bass (#A1,A3,B1,B3)

Milt Hinton - Bass (#A2,B2)

Bill Elliot - Drums (#A1,B1,B3)

Alvin Johnson - Drums (#A2,A3,B2)

Buck Clarke - Conga (#A2,B2)

Track Listing:

A1. Mellow Blues {Willis Jackson, Bill Jennings, Jack McDuff} (9:02)

A2. Sportin' {Willis Jackson, Bill Jennings} (4:49)

A3. When I Fall In Love {Edward Heyman, Victor Young} (4:03)

B1. Cookin' Sherry {Willis Jackson} (8:15)

B2. Where Are You? {Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh} (5:42)

B3. Contrasts {Jimmy Dorsey} (5:48)

Credits:

Supervision, Photography - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Howard Cook

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

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'

Willis Jackson - Blue Gator (1959,60) [vinyl]

Blue Gator is the third album led by saxophonist Willis Jackson featuring organist Jack McDuff and guitarist Bill Jennings which was recorded in 1959 and 1960 and released on the Prestige label. ~ Wikipedia.

Seminal early work from Willis Jackson. Blue Gator is a massive early Prestige set from tenorist Willis - and just the kind of record that set him firmly in the soul jazz camp for the 60s! By the time of the set, Jackson had already won plenty of fame for his R&B-tinged work - but here, he stretches out a bit more, and really gets creative on his solos - working with a very hip group that includes Jack McDuff on organ and Wild Bill Jennings on guitar - both players making a similar shift in their music at the time. The tracks are lively, recorded with a bold, loud tone, and have lots of those great open-mouthed tones from Jackson - quite possibly a good reason for his "Gator" nickname! Tracks include "Blue Gator", "East Breeze", "The Gator Jumps", and "Try A Little Tenderness". ~ Extract from Dusty Groove Inc.

Prestige Records, PRST 7850, 1972 [Reissue]

Recorded 25^th May (#A3,B3), 1959 at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey;

9^th November (#B2), 1959; 25^th February (#B1) & 16^th August (#A1,A2), 1960

at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Willis Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Jack McDuff - Organ

Bill Jennings - Guitar

Wendell Marshall - Bass (#A1,A2,B2)

Tommy Potter - Bass (#A3,B3)

Milt Hinton - Bass (#B1)

Bill Elliot - Drums (#A1,A2)

Alvin Johnson - Drums (#A3-B3)

Buck Clarke - Congas (#B1)

Tracks:

A1. Blue Gator {Willis Jackson} (9:13)

A2. Try A Little Tenderness {Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Harry Woods} (5:59)

A3. The Gator Jumps {Willis Jackson} (3:40)

B1. This Nearly Was Mine {Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers} (4:32)

B2. East Breeze {Esmond Edwards} (10:02)

B3. She's Funny That Way {Neil Moret, Richard Whiting} (5:12)

Credits:

Supervisor - Esmond Edwards

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Tom Curry (January 1971)