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 Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

, United States on November 1, 1912. "He received his first lessons on saxophone from

Jerome Don Pasquall Jerome Don Pasquall (September 20, 1902 – October 18, 1971) was an American jazz reed player. Early life Pasquall was born in Fulton, Kentucky, and grew up in St. Louis. As a child, he played the mellophone in brass bands. He served in ...

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 pi ...

's band. For much of the 1930s Jackson was based in Chicago. He toured with

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

in 1938, then played with

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from t ...

's band in New York, and in 1940 toured with

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

and then with

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

. Following small band work back in New York, he "joined

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

's big band (1942), played in Boston with

Frankie Newton Frankie Newton (William Frank Newton, January 4, 1906 – March 11, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter from Emory, Virginia, United States. He played in several New York City bands in the 1920s and 1930s, including those led by Sam Wooding, Chic ...

(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, Michigan, Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,879 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the South Bend, Indiana, South Bend–Mishawaka, Indiana, Mishawaka, ...

in 1975. He died in

Niles, Michigan Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana border city of South Bend. In 2010, the population was 11,600 according to the 2010 census. It is the larger, by population, of the two principal cities ...

, 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 Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader. She was the second wife of Louis Armstrong, with whom she collaborated on many recordings in ...

*''Lil Armstrong and her Orchestra'' (1961, Riverside) With James Carter *''

Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge ''Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge'' is a live album by saxophonist James Carter with guests David Murray, Johnny Griffin and Franz Jackson recorded at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in 2001, and released on the Warner Bros. label in 2004. Reception ...

'' (2001, Warner Bros.) With

Art Hodes Arthur W. Hodes (November 14, 1904 – March 4, 1993), was a Russian Empire-born American jazz and blues pianist. He is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist. Biography Hodes was born in Mykolaiv, in present-day Ukrain ...

*''Home Cookin' '' (1974, Jazzology) With Laura Rucker *''Something's Wrong/Swing My Rhythm'' (1936, Decca) With

Edith Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was the first lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 and the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during hi ...

*''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