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Javon Jackson

Javon Jackson was born in Carthage, Missouri and raised in Denver, Colorado. Music captivated the young Javon who was exposed to some of the greatest musicians in jazz through his parents' record collection. Gene Ammons and Ahmad Jamal were early favorites. As he matured, Javon soon became captivated by the work of Sonny Stitt. Stitt, known for his prowess on both the alto and tenor saxophone, was considered one of Charlie Parker's most avid disciples early in his career but later developed a distinctive voice of his own. Like so many other horn players today, Stitt's music inspired Javon to pick up his first saxophone, an alto, at a young age.

More musical discoveries followed: Rollins, Henderson, Coltrane. The work of these legends eventually led Javon to favor the tenor. Honing his craft, Jackson began working professionally in local jazz clubs at age 16, playing with former Max Roach Quintet pianist Billy Wallace. In high school he also performed in the McDonald's All-American Band. During this time, Javon met and was befriended by Branford Marsalis. It was Marsalis who encouraged Javon to attend Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music.

Two of Javon's instructors at Berklee were saxophonist Billy Pierce and pianist Donald Brown, two former members of Art Blakey's legendary Jazz Messengers. One of the seminal groups of the hard bop movement of the 50's and 60's, the Messengers provided a training ground for the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and Javon's early mentor, Branford Marsalis.

Donald Brown helped secure Javon an audience with the legendary Blakey one night at Mikell's, a New York City club. After sitting in one night, Javon's skill on the tenor earned him an invitation to join the group. Those years under the tutelage of Blakey involved intensive study of both interplay and improvisation. Performing alongside Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney and Benny Green, Javon appeared on several recordings with Blakey, including Not Yet (Soul Note), One For All (A&M) and Chippin' In (Timeless).

Javon remained with the Messengers for over three years until Blakey's death in 1990. Looking back on that time, Javon said, "I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Blakey taught me to be a man; he taught me how to be a leader."

Javon earned his degree from Berklee while continuing to tour with Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Charlie Haden and Cedar Walton. His debut as a leader came quickly, in 1991, when he released Burnin' and Me and Mr. Jones on the Criss Cross Label.

On Burnin', the new leader was joined by his former Berklee instructor, tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce, as well as with pianist Kirk Lightsey, bassist Christian McBride, then still a teenager, and drummer Louis Hayes. All Music Guide's Greg Turner writes "Jackson has the bigger sound, Pierce has the more aggressive attack, and the first-rate rhythm section keeps the proceedings heated…this is [a] recommended set of 'tenor madness' from two of the instrument's best-known practitioners."

Me and Mr. Jones found Javon in the company of yet another group of exceptional talents. A return visit from McBride, pianist James Williams and legendary drummer Elvin Jones pushed Javon to new heights on this energetic recording. Cited as one of the year's best releases, reviewer Greg Turner called Me and Mr. Jones "exceptional", adding the recording is a "powerful musical statement that bridges the generations."

Not long after, Javon was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records. His first effort for the label, When the Time Is Right (1994), was produced by Betty Carter and released to more critical acclaim as was its follow-up, For One Who Knows (1995), and later, A Look Within (1996). As a leader or co-leader, Javon recorded six discs in total for Blue Note, including 1996's Blue Spirit with the Blue Note All-Stars, performing with label mates Tim Hagans, Greg Osby, Kevin Hays, and Bill Stewart.

His fourth recording as a leader for Blue Note, Good People, found Javon moving away from his hard bop roots into a more organic, groove-based sound. The Boston Globe's Bob Blumenthal praised the work, noting that Javon was "one of the best young tenor saxophonists to emerge in the last decade. Since teaming up with [producer] Craig Street...Jackson has become one of the more unpredictable as well when it comes to assembling bands and programs."

In 1999, Javon returned to that winning formula on Pleasant Valley. Offering several new tunes, the saxophonist worked on a broad canvas, reinterpreting classics from Duke Ellington and Cannonball Adderley and reworking pop tunes from Stevie Wonder and Al Green. The disc was met with great interest from fans and critics alike. The Boston Herald hailed it "another Javon Jackson triumph!" 52 Street Jazz pronounced the recording "an adventurous, crisp, high-energy album that fairly bristles with enthusiasm and high spirits," while the Washington Post exclaimed Pleasant Valley was "...brimming with subtle harmonic and rhythmic touches."

Javon spent several years touring with a host of jazz greats, as well as his own groups, concentrating on technique and composition. He earned his master's degree in music and a position as Assistant Professor of Jazz Education at SUNY Purchase College. Javon returned to the studio in 2003 with drummer Lenny White, guitarist Mark Whitfield, trombonist Fred Wesley (best known for his work with James Brown) and the master of the groove, organist Lonnie Smith. The resulting sessions became known as the aptly named Easy Does It.

Maintaining a seemingly effortless groove, Easy Does It quickly became a radio favorite and garnered respect from both peers and journalists. Marcus Miller said, "This is the way to get your 'old-school' funk groove on! Javon and the cats really lay it down on this one" while Lou Donaldson called it "One for the masses! A little sweet and a little hot." Javon's old friend Branford Marsalis noted, "Javon adds a modern twist to the music we grew up with. Everybody get ready for a funky good time." Karl Stark of The Philadelphia Inquirer raved, "Saxophonist Javon Jackson plays funk with a slow hand...[he] doesn't beat matters to a froth but allows them to come to fruition in their own time. This approach to groove calls for the clear arrangements that focus the senses nicely on Jackson's titillating tenor and Dr. Lonnie Smith's snaky organ...A good funkin' time is had by all."

From a jazzed-up reading of "Right On" by Marvin Gaye to the tender ballad "Diane", Easy Does It formed a cohesive set displaying the range of Javon's gifts, from soloist to composer to bandleader, serving up yet another "fine saxy stew..." (Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap).

In 2005, after more touring and the completion of a two-week residency at the Quad City Visiting Artist Series. Javon returned to the studio with Smith and Whitfield, bringing along drummer Terreon Gully, bassist Kenny Davis and vocalist Lisa Fisher to record his second effort for Palmetto, entitled Have You Heard. Don Williamson, JazzReview.com noted, "Jackson has recruited Dr. Lonnie Smith to back him up...[he and Smith] feed off each other to develop the grooves of each song into deeper and deeper soulfulness...which not only allows Jackson to stretch out with fluidity and passion, but also showcases Smith’s one-of-a-kind dynamics..."The album lays down a rock-solid groove from the very start, and builds on that base with creative electric guitar colors by Mark Whitfield and Dr. Lonnie Smith's warm, earthy organ." raves John Matouk, About.com.

2006 brings Now (Palmetto), another collection of funk-meister sounds from Javon, the good Dr. Smith, and Kenny Davis with David Gilmore supplying the guitar licks and drummer Greg Hutchinson keeping the groove going. Vocalist Lisa Fisher is back too, fresh from her long stint on the road with the Rolling Stones. Now has something old, a little something new and a little James Brown too. “I want to make my audience feel the way I feel when I’m playing with this band… we’re having a great time!” The group's chemistry can be heard on originals and covers alike. Javon's tunes include “South Side Eddie,” “Richard’s R.A.P.,” and “In the Sticks.” “South Side Eddie” is an homage to the great saxophonist Eddie Harris and unique brand of funk jazz. Bassist Richard Davis was the inspiration for “Richard’s R.A.P.” and “In the Sticks” is Javon's loving ode to the countryside. Now also includes compositions by Roberta Flack, Johnny Mercer, Kenny Garrett and more, including Lisa Fisher bringing it home with James Brown's "Give It Up, Turn It Loose."

Javon continues to tour extensively with his group, the Javon Jackson Band (featuring Benny Green on piano, bassist Jeff Chambers and Carl Allen on drums) or sometimes the Javon Jackson Superband (which also features Jimmy Cobb), and performs as a special guest with various artists, including Curtis Fuller and Donald Byrd. Look for him on the road and on MySpace.
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Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan

Read "Jackson Plays Dylan" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 9, 2026

On Jackson Plays Dylan, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, an admirer of Bob Dylan, aims his jazz arsenal toward the iconic singer and songwriter in hopes of reworking Dylan's folk/pop music into a framework that jazz enthusiasts might consider creative and pleasing. So how does that play? For the most part, rather tediously, which is surely not what Jackson's quartet had in mind. As it turns out, Dylan's themes sans lyrics do not lend themselves readily to the jazz ...

Radio & Podcasts

Jackson Plays Dylan & Dylan Plays Dylan

by Katchie Cartwright
May 9, 2026

Spinning Javon Jackson's extraordinary album Jackson Plays Dylan (Solid Jackson Records, 2026) on this edition of Caminhos do Jazz. His outstanding bandmates on the project include Jeremy Manasia on piano and Fender Rhodes, Isaac Levien on bass/electric bass, and Ryan Sands at the drums. Jackson wrote the opener, “One for Bob Dylan." The rest are Bob Dylan classics. As a reminder of the source, Dylan tracks are included where Jackson's are instrumental (all but two on the Jackson ...

Album Review

Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan

Read "Jackson Plays Dylan" reviewed by Katchie Cartwright

by Katchie Cartwright
April 29, 2026

Bob Dylan without the lyric? Javon Jackson's Jackson Plays Dylan makes a strong case. With two exquisite exceptions, the arrangements are purely instrumental, but Jackson manages to draw us in past the words (he knows we can hear most of them in our heads) to the emotional heart of each piece. More than that, he turns the program into a sort of film score. Each song (scene) dissolves into the next via a snippet of its intro. Starting ...

Radio & Podcasts

Javon Jackson, Renown Saxophonist, Channels Dylan In New Release

by Doug Hall
April 19, 2026

Today our musical guest artist is American saxophonist Javon Jackson, renown horn player, composer and bandleader. A protege of both Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, Jackson has been actively recording and performing around the globe for decades. He now shares his personal journey to his Dylan tribute in a compelling conversation about his latest project, Jackson Plays Dylan (Solid Jackson Records, 2026).Following his acclaimed collaborations with poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Jackson turns his focus to the music ...

Album Review

Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan

Read "Jackson Plays Dylan" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
March 27, 2026

With Jackson Plays Dylan, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson delves into one of the great sources of modern song, the work of Bob Dylan. He treats it with reverence, imagination, and a strong respect for jazz tradition. This is not a clever concept album but a heartfelt musician's dialogue with timeless material, influenced by tradition and deep musical listening. Jackson is joined on this release by pianist and keyboardist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Isaac Levien, drummer Ryan Sands, and Grammy-winning guest vocalists ...

Radio & Podcasts

Javon Jackson, Jack McDuff, and Brian Landrus

by Jerome Wilson
March 25, 2026

This episode features new music from Javon Jackson and Brian Landrus as well as older music by Tom Skinner and Brother Jack McDuff. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Laura Jurd “Pirates" from Human Spirit (Chaos Collective) 00:52 George Russell “Round Johnny Rondo" from Jazz Workshop (RCA) 4:49 Beto Paciello “Mediterranean Sea" from The Stoic Suite (11 Moons Arts) ...

Album Review

Javon Jackson & Nikki Giovanni: Javon & Nikki go to the movies

Read "Javon & Nikki go to the movies" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 10, 2024

Javon & Nikki go to the movies is a charming and soulful collaboration that brings together the poetic eloquence of Nikki Giovanni and the masterful tenor saxophone stylings of Javon Jackson. The album is a delightful journey through some of the standards of the Great American Songbook, featuring songs famously associated with classic Hollywood movies. The repertoire also draws from a broader range of sources, including three Jackson originals and one from the pen of Sonny Rollins. Jackson is accompanied ...

Award / Grant

Saxophonist/Composer Javon Jackson And Poet Nikki Giovanni Nominated For NAACP Image Award In 'Outstanding Jazz Album' Category

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
January 12, 2025

Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies, a collaboration between the groundbreaking poet and activist Nikki Giovanni and saxophonist/composer Javon Jackson, has been nominated for a 56th NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album. Recognized as the nation’s preeminent multicultural awards show from an African American point of view, the NAACP Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances in the arts, as well as individuals and groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. The ...
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Event

Thailand International Jazz Conference 2023 - The 14th Year Of The TIJC With The Extensive Program

Source: Thailand International Jazz Conference
January 17, 2023

The moment of happiness for jazz lovers is coming back with the Thailand International Jazz Conference 2023 or TIJC 2023, the most fantastic Thailand jazz event that includes many world-renowned artists such as Javon Jackson & Delfeayo Marsalis, Emmet Cohen Trio, Laurent de Wilde Trio, Sketchbook Quartet, etc. Don't miss out on Jazz with Thailand Phil Featuring Javon Jackson & Delfeayo Marsalis, Pomelo Town. And also highlight the works of Sonny Rollins, an American genius and legendary saxophonist to exhibit ...
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Interview

Jazz "Messengers" Spread The Word At 2014 Jazz In The Valley

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
September 10, 2014

By Charley Rosen On a glorious summer day in August, the fifth and final set of the 14th Annual Jazz in the Valley Festival was thrilling, nostalgic, even historic; transporting the seven musicians and hundreds of enraptured witnesses into Jazz Heaven. Six of the jazzmen had been members of various editions of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messenger, and they were all world-class artists. Calling themselves “The Message, ” the lineup had Javon Jackson playing tenor sax, Gary Bartz on either soprano ...
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192

Performance / Tour

Remembering The Miles Davis Classic "Kind Of Blue" Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band Featuring Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring Javon Jackson, Larry Willis & Buster Williams

Source: Michael Ricci
January 28, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00PM in the Science Center Theater on the Campus of Montgomery County Community College (Blue Bell, PA) Blue Bell, PA—A highlight of the Lively Arts Series Transitions will be a performance of “Kind of Blue: Remembering the Miles Davis classic featuring Jimmy Cobb's So What Band. They will be presented in concert, Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00PM in the Science Center Theater on the Campus of Montgomery County Community College, Route 202 and Morris ...
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123

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Les McCann and Javon Jackson, Fran Landesman, Cooper-Moore, TKT Memorial Scholarship Concert, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 23, 2008

There's lots going on in jazz and creative music this week in St. Louis, and so we bring you StLJN's weekly highlights post slightly earlier than usual to perhaps better help facilitate some advance planning.One of the week's major attractions is the team-up of pianist and singer Les McCann (pictured) and saxophonist Javon Jackson, who will perform Wednesday through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Both men previously have led their own bands at the Bistro, but their ...
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155

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Les McCann and Javon Jackson

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 19, 2008

This week's videos feature keyboardist Les McCann and saxophonist Javon Jackson, who will be in St. Louis next week to perform Wednesday, October 22 through Saturday, October 25 at Jazz at the Bistro. Their team-up is billed as “Swiss Movement Revisited," a reference to McCann's collaboration with the late saxophonist Eddie Harris and the famous live album the two recorded in 1969 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. In part because ...
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Radio

The Jazz Session #45: Javon Jackson

Source: All About Jazz
October 1, 2008

On the new episode of The Jazz Session, Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Javon Jackson. On his new recording for Palmetto Records, Once Upon A Melody, Jackson pays tribute to the people and songs that have influenced him, from Wayne Shorter to Sonny Rollins to Ramsey Lewis to Corinne Bailey Rae. During this interview, Javon leads a track-by-track tour of the record, and you’ll hear excerpts from every composition. He’s joined on the album by pianist Eric Reed, bassist Corcoran Holt ...
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Recording

CD: Javon Jackson

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
September 30, 2008

Once Upon A Melody (Palmetto). Whether as the result of marketing gambits or of press stereotyping, Jackson's name rarely appears without the word “funk" nearby. In truth, from the time of his early beginnings with Art Blakey, his tenor saxophone playing has had fuller stylistic and emotional range that of a funkmeister. This CD is satisfying evidence of Jackson's breadth, from the sensitivity of his respectful treatment of the melody of “My One and Only Love" to the engaging energy ...
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213

Festival

Les McCann & Javon Jackson to Replace McCoy Tyner at 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration June 6 & 7

Source: MFA - Mitchell Feldman Associates
May 29, 2008

Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Withdraws On Physician's Advice As High Altitude of Festival In Colorado Mountain Resort Poses Threat To Tyner's Health

The Telluride Society For Jazz today announced that pianist McCoy Tyner has upon medical advice withdrawn from the 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration (TJC) as his physician is concerned that the high altitude of the alpine resort in Colorado's San Juan Mountains where the festival takes place poses a threat to Tyner's health. The acclaimed pianist suffers from high blood ...
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165

Performance / Tour

Javon Jackson/Benny Green Project w/Wallace Roney (Fri-Sun) Annette Sanders (Sun Jazz Brunch) at the Iridium Jazz Club

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
November 9, 2007

IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB 1650 BROADWAY (Corner of 51st) NEW YORK, NY 10023 RESERVATIONS: 212-582-2121 Sets At 8:00 & 10:00PM Effective immediately, minimums are $10/person/set for all show except Les Paul - $15 mins. EVERY MONDAY LES PAUL AND HIS TRIO JOHN COLIANNI - PIANO - LOU PALLO - GUITAR, NICKI PARROTT - BASS EVERY TUESDAY MINGUS LEGACY Every Sunday The Iridium Jazz Brunch
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