Willis "Gator" Jackson's initial reputation was made as a honking and screaming tenor saxophonist with
Cootie Williams' late-'40s orchestra and on his own R&B-ish recordings. By 1959,
Jackson had de-emphasized some of his more extroverted sounds (although they occasionally popped up) and had reemerged as a solid swinger influenced by
Gene Ammons and (on ballads)
Ben Webster. This CD reissue from 1998 brings back in full two of
Jackson's 1959-60 LPs:
Blue Gator and
Cookin' Sherry. Some of the music (which often falls into the soul-jazz genre) is reminiscent of the funky groove music that would become popular in the late '60s.
Jackson sounds fine and is joined throughout by guitarist
Bill Jennings, organist
Jack McDuff, one of three bassists, one of two drummers, and sometimes
Buck Clarke on conga. The accessible music alternates between warm ballads and jump tunes. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide