Milt Jackson started on guitar when he was seven, and piano at 11; a few years later, he switched to vibes. He actually made his professional debut singing in a touring gospel quartet. After
Dizzy Gillespie discovered him playing in Detroit, he offered him a job with his sextet and (shortly after) his innovative big band (1946). Jackson recorded with
Gillespie, and was soon in great demand. During 1948-1949, he worked with
Charlie Parker,
Thelonious Monk,
Howard McGhee, and
the Woody Herman Orchestra. After playing with
Gillespie's sextet (1950-1952), which at one point included
John Coltrane, Jackson recorded with a quartet comprised of
John Lewis,
Percy Heath, and
Kenny Clarke (1952), which soon became a regular group called
the Modern Jazz Quartet. Although he recorded regularly as a leader (including dates in the 1950s with
Miles Davis and/or
Thelonious Monk,
Coleman Hawkins,
John Coltrane, and
Ray Charles), Milt Jackson stayed with
the MJQ through 1974, becoming an indispensable part of their sound. By the mid-'50s,
Lewis became the musical director and some felt that Bags was restricted by the format, but it actually served him well, giving him some challenging settings. And he always had an opportunity to jam on some blues numbers, including his "Bags' Groove." However, in 1974, Jackson felt frustrated by
the MJQ (particularly financially) and broke up the group. He recorded frequently for Pablo in many all-star settings in the 1970s, and after a seven-year vacation,
the MJQ came back in 1981. In addition to
the MJQ recordings, Milt Jackson cut records as a leader throughout his career for many labels including Savoy, Blue Note (1952), Prestige, Atlantic, United Artists, Impulse, Riverside, Limelight, Verve, CTI, Pablo, Music Masters, and Qwest. He died of liver cancer on October 9, 1999, at the age of 76. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi