Javon Jackson

Tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson is an adept improviser with a warm tone and style that straddle aggressive acoustic post-bop and funky soul-jazz. Jackson first gained attention as one of the final members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, before releasing his own albums, including 1991's Me and Mr. Jones on Criss Cross, 1996's A Look Within on Blue Note, and 2006's Now on Palmetto. Along with teaching at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School, he has recorded with Les McCann and in a trio with Ron Carter and Billy Drummond. Launching his own Solid Jackson Records, he released 2022's The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni and 2024's Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies, both featuring the acclaimed poet/activist herself. He also supplied the soundtrack to the art documentary With Peter Bradley and explored the music of Bob Dylan on 2026's Jackson Plays Dylan. Born in Carthage, Missouri in 1965, Jackson grew up in Denver in a musical family, with a mother who played piano and a father who played trumpet. He first began playing alto saxophone around age ten and switched to the tenor sax in his teens. After high school, he attended both the University of Denver and the Berklee College of Music in Boston before dropping out to join drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, with whom he toured and recorded from 1988 to 1990. Along with his early work as a Jazz Messenger, Jackson toured and/or recorded with a bevy of name artists including Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Bobby Hutcherson, Stanley Turrentine, and many more. As a leader, he debuted in 1991 with the Criss Cross release Me and Mr. Jones, which featured drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Christian McBride, and pianist James Williams. On the heels of Me and Mr. Jones, he recorded his sophomore album, 1991's Burnin', with tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce, pianist Kirk Lightsey, bassist McBride, and drummer Louis Hayes. Jackson then signed with Blue Note and spent the next several years with the label, delivering such well-received albums as 1994's When the Time Is Right, 1996's A Look Within, and 1999's Pleasant Valley. These albums found him exploring various aspects of the jazz tradition and collaborating with such luminaries as Kenny Garrett, Betty Carter, John Medeski, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, and others. From there, he moved to Palmetto and further expanded his musical palette with investigations into funk, soul, and R&B on 2003's Easy Does It, which featured guest appearances by Fred Wesley, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lenny White, and Mark Whitfield. He returned with the similarly inclined Have You Heard in 2005, followed by 2006's Now. Jackson continued to balance his love of standards-based acoustic jazz and more funky sounds on albums like 2007's Sugar Hill: Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, 2008's Once Upon a Melody, and 2012's Celebrating John Coltrane. Also in 2012, he paired with legendary jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann for Lucky 13. In 2014, he delivered the live album Expression, recorded at New York's Smoke jazz and supper club. He then joined bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Drummond in the trio Three's Company for 2016's We'll Be Together Again. Aside from performing and recording, Jackson is a devoted educator, having held teaching positions at Long Island University and the Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he also earned his master's degree. He also holds the position of professor and division director of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Launching his own Solid Jackson Records, he released 2022's The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, which found him celebrating and collaborating with acclaimed poet and activist Nikki Giovanni. Building upon their shared chemistry, the duo reunited for 2024's Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies, interpreting many of Giovanni's favorite standards and movie themes. Around the same time, Jackson supplied the soundtrack to director Alex Rappoport's documentary With Peter Bradley about the esteemed abstract painter. In 2026, the saxophonist returned with Jackson Plays Dylan, digging into jazz reimaginings of classic Bob Dylan songs. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi