Ok, so there are more than a few “Jacksons” on this list. Let’s start with Helen Hume…
Helen Hume – Talk of the Town – A swinging record that I almost passed up. My friend Charlie Kohlhase insisted that I but this record, and man, it’s totally great. Not A Love Supreme great, but for sure a solid record. Swing like crazy. Major Holley sounds fantastic on this, as do both Buddy Tate and Oliver Jackson, and George Benson even makes a very mellow appearance on this record. I wish I had heard Helen…
Chubby Jackson – Sextet and Big Band – I love Chubby Jackson. It’s weird because he’s not as burning as Mingus or Pettiford, and a lot of his music is downright silly. But he is a great writer and it seems like everything he touches sounds like joy. So, I love Chubby Jackson. The beat is on top, the sound is round and full, and his play-the-same-note-twice approach to bass lines makes me think about Charlie Haden, who I love. So, that’s it…well, and Billy Bauer, Conti Candoli, Howard McGhee, both J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, Zoot Sims, Georgie Auld, and some really swinging Gerry Mulligan. Great record.
Joe Jackson – When Joe Jackson is at his best, he’s amazing. Something about his not-quite-punk, very smart, complexity in its simplicity music really resonates with me.
Look Sharp – His debut, and it’s a killer. Great lyrics, simple melodies, interesting harmonic motion, cool arrangements. The whole record matches his suit on the back cover of the LP jacket. My favorite is “Fools in Love.” My least favorite is “(Do the Instant) Mash.” And “Pretty Girls” reminds me of the great Willie “Loco” Alexander.
Night and Day – A total classic. Great writing, arranging, playing, conception, the whole shebang.
Body and Soul – So he looks like he’s trying to be Sonny Rollins on the cover. So the LP jacket design seems like it is a classic jazz record. So he has a horn section. Yes, all of that is true, and yet, somehow it is not a knock-off, sad, second rate album of tired music poorly done like so many of those former rock stars’ Christmas albums or “jazz” records that are really just lavish productions of tunes from the American Standard Songbook. Instead, this is a great record full of interesting, original music that sits on a foundation of rock, punk, jazz and classical music, with a surprising amount of Cuban music thrown in for good measure. “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)” is the big hit, but tunes like “The Verdict” and “Go for It,” and the fantastic performance of Elaine Caswell on “Happy Ending” help to make this album well worth the listen.
Milt Jackson – Bags & Trane – Obviously a great record, with shredding Coltrane and killer swinging lines from Milt Jackson from start to finish. Some really burning Paul Chambers solos, too. Essential.