Vibraphone, Piano, Vocals (1923-1999)

Born Milton Jackson on 1 January 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. He took up the vibraphone at 16 after seeing Lionel Hampton play with Benny Goodman's band at the Michigan State Fair in 1940, earning the nickname "Bags" from the pouches under his eyes. Drafted in 1942, he served two years in the army, returning to Detroit in 1944 to form The Four Sharps. Dizzy Gillespie heard him in a Detroit club and encouraged him to move to New York in 1945, joining Gillespie's sextet and larger ensembles. He quickly acquired experience with Woody Herman, Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker, recording with Monk's band from 1947 to 1952, performing with Woody Herman from 1949 to 1950, and rejoining Gillespie from 1951 to 1952. In Gillespie's big band he formed the rhythm section with pianist John Lewis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Kenny Clarke. Around 1950 they formed the Milt Jackson Quartet, becoming the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) in 1952. The MJQ ran until 1974 when Jackson left, reformed in 1981, and continued until 1993. Jackson differentiated himself through his attention to harmonics and rhythm variations, setting his vibraphone's oscillator to a slow 3.3 revolutions per second for subtle tremolo. He composed jazz standards including "Bags' Groove" and "Bluesology", won Esquire's New Star Award in 1947, was inducted into the Down Beat Hall of Fame in 1980, and was named an NEA Jazz Master. He died 9 October 1999 in New York City.