Alvin "AJ" Jackson was a jazz bassist. His first performances were in a high school band with his younger brother, Milt Jackson, Willie Anderson,

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

, Art Mardigan, and George Sirhagen, c. 1939–40. About 1947, he was playing with

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

’s trio with

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

, before briefly joining the house band led by

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

at Detroit's Blue Bird Inn, before leading it himself in 1955. The Billy Mitchell-led house band comprised Flanagan,

Tate Houston Tate Houston (November 30, 1924 – October 18, 1974) was a Detroit-based American baritone and tenor saxophonist. He played with Lionel Hampton's band and in 1946, he recorded with the Billy Eckstine band. In 1947, he played with Sonny Sti ...

and Milt Jackson, who had just returned from touring with Woody Herman.Björn, Lars Olof (2001) ''Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60'', p. 124. University of Michigan Press
At Google Books. Retrieved 9 July 2013. While Alvin Jackson was leading the house band at the Blue Bird in 1955 the line-up comprised

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

, Donald Byrd, Bernard McKinney,

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Life and career Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December ...

, and drummers Art Mardigan or

Frank Gant Frank Gant (born May 26, 1931- July 19, 2021) was an american jazz drummer. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Gant recorded with Donald Byrd, Sonny Stitt, and extensively with Yusef Lateef in the late 1950s and then Red Garland before becoming a me ...

. In September 1959, with house drummer Frank Gant, he backed

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

and

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Was ...

at Detroit's Club 12.Kelley, Robin (2009) ''Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original'', p. 273. Simon and Schuster
At Google Books. Retrieved 9 July 2013.

Discography

;As sideman *1948: ''Milt Jackson & his All Stars'' - Milt Jackson with

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, Alvin Jackson,

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

, and

Chano Pozo Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to age 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. ...

*1955: '' Byrd Jazz'' - Donald Byrd *1959: '' Pieces of Eighty-Eight'' - Evans Bradshaw *1964: ''

Vibrations Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. The word comes from Latin ''vibrationem'' ("shaking, brandishing"). The oscillations may be periodic, such as the motion of a pendulum—or random, such ...

'' (recorded 1960–1)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Alvin Living people American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Year of birth missing (living people)