Willis Jackson • More Gravy

Review by Alex Henderson

When Willis "Gator" Jackson was recording for Prestige from 1959-1971, many jazz critics tended to dismiss his soul-jazz/hard bop as too simple and basic -- the same critics who felt that Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane were too radical and left of center faulted Jackson for not being left of center enough. The same critics who claimed that Jackson was unchallenging tore Archie Shepp apart because he dared to be challenging. So how did Jackson respond to jazz critics? He ignored them (presumably) and kept cranking out the sort of funky, groove-oriented soul-jazz/hard bop that his fans adored. Recorded in 1963, More Gravy may not have received an abundance of glowing reviews from jazz critics but is still a fine example of his Prestige output. This LP never goes out of its way to be difficult and abstract -- quite the opposite. Jackson wanted to be accessible, and he is exactly that on a program of funky jazz-blues ("Pool Shark," the title song) and heartfelt ballads ("Somewhere Along the Way"). The big-toned tenorman also provides a Latin-flavored number titled "Nuther'n Like Thuther'n," which successfully combines Brazilian and Afro-Cuban elements -- the tune has one foot in the bossa nova and the other in Latin jazz (which, in most cases, means Afro-Cuban jazz, although technically, you could argue that combining jazz with Colombian Cumbia or Dominican merengue is a form of Latin jazz). Thankfully, Jackson has rock-solid backing in trumpeter Frank Robinson, guitarist Pat Martino, organist Carl Wilson (an obvious Jimmy Smith admirer), bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Joe Hadrick. Martino was only 19 when this album was recorded, and he had already developed a fairly distinctive sound. Clearly, the Philadelphia guitarist had spent a lot of time in the shed. More Gravy is among the many Jackson albums that is well worth hearing.

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Reseña de Alex Henderson

Cuando Willis "Gator" Jackson grababa para Prestige entre 1959 y 1971, muchos críticos de jazz tendían a descartar su soul-jazz/hard bop como demasiado simple y básico - los mismos críticos que pensaban que Ornette Coleman y John Coltrane eran demasiado radicales y dejaban de lado el centro culpaban a Jackson por no ser lo suficientemente centrado. Los mismos críticos que afirmaban que Jackson era indiscutible, destrozaron a Archie Shepp porque se atrevió a desafiarlo. ¿Cómo respondió Jackson a la crítica de jazz? Los ignoró (presumiblemente) y siguió haciendo el tipo de soul-jazz/hard bop funky y orientado al groove que sus fans adoraban. Grabado en 1963, More Gravy puede no haber recibido abundantes críticas de la crítica de jazz, pero sigue siendo un buen ejemplo de su producción de Prestige. Este LP nunca se esfuerza por ser difícil y abstracto, sino todo lo contrario. Jackson quería ser accesible, y es exactamente eso en un programa de funky jazz-blues ("Pool Shark", la canción del título) y baladas sinceras ("Somewhere Along the Way"). El tenorista de gran tono también ofrece un número con sabor latino titulado "Nuther'n Like Thuther'n", que combina con éxito elementos brasileños y afrocubanos: la melodía tiene un pie en la bossa nova y el otro en el jazz latino (que, en la mayoría de los casos, significa jazz afrocubano, aunque técnicamente, se podría argumentar que combinar el jazz con la cumbia colombiana o el merengue dominicano es una forma de jazz latino). Afortunadamente, Jackson tiene un respaldo sólido como el del trompetista Frank Robinson, el guitarrista Pat Martino, el organista Carl Wilson (un obvio admirador de Jimmy Smith), el bajista Sam Jones y el baterista Joe Hadrick. Martino tenía sólo 19 años cuando se grabó este álbum, y ya había desarrollado un sonido bastante distintivo. Claramente, el guitarrista de Filadelfia había pasado mucho tiempo en el cobertizo. More Gravy es uno de los muchos discos de Jackson que vale la pena escuchar.

Tracks
A1 Pool Shark 3:50
A2 Somewhere Along The Way 4:15
A3 Stuffin' 7:20
B1 Nuther'n Like Thuther'n 7:30
B2 More Gravy 4:05
B3 Fiddlin' 5:05

Willis Jackson - tenor saxophone
Frank Robinson - trumpet
Carl Wilson - organ
Pat Martino - guitar
Sam Jones - bass
Joe Hadrick - drums

Recorded at :
Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs,
New Jersey on October 24, 1963




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