Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson's output amounted to a single album plus scattered Blue Note dates before he left the jazz world in the mid-'60s. Greater recognition would have been warranted. Although he never emerged as a strikingly distinctive tenor saxophonist, Jackson operated as a dependable craftsman who bridged hard bop and grounded soul-jazz on his recordings. His R&B-rooted phrasing suited both brisk, driving numbers and measured blues selections, supported by a full, resonant sound. After Hootin' 'N Tootin' met with weak sales, he stepped away from jazz and returned to the R&B and soul field where his career had originated.

His first major opening came through membership in Little Richard's band from 1951 to 1953. Late in the decade he joined the backing unit for R&B vocalist Lloyd Price. He toured steadily with Price during the singer's strongest commercial period, when singles such as "Stagger Lee," "Personality," and "I'm Gonna Get Married" reached the top of the charts. Jackson entered the studio for the first time in 1961 on a B.B. King date. Shortly thereafter he made his jazz debut, appearing with organist Baby Face Willette on Face to Face. Blue Note responded to that performance by granting him a leader date; on February 2, 1965, he brought in his Price band colleagues—guitarist Willie Jones, organist Earl Vandyke, and drummer Wilbert Hogan—to cut Hootin' 'N Tootin'. Two months later he returned to Van Gelder Studios with the same trio and bassist Sam Jones for a second session. The material remained unreleased, reportedly because of disappointing sales of the first album or, as Alfred Lion noted, because the tape ran short. The recordings finally surfaced in 1998 as bonus tracks on the compact-disc reissue of Hootin' 'N Tootin'.

Although no additional leader sessions were offered, Jackson continued to appear on jazz dates for a while. In June 1962 he recorded an unreleased single with John Patton on piano. The next year he participated in Patton's Along Came John, which led to his presence on the 1964 album The Way I Feel.