Javon Jackson is one of many amazing New York players that few outside of the USA have heard of, but we should have!
I first heard of Javon when a students Dad, (a MAJOR jazz) fan used to arrive at my door with his son, saxophone and a handful of CDs (this was around 2008) for me to listen to. What I loved about Javon’s playing was his understated, clean tone and a wonderful clarity of ideas. I could listen to Javon all night and try and emulate his approach to standards.
In this transcription project we are going to be looking at one chorus of Duke Ellington’s ‘In A Mellow Tone’. The harmony is relatively simple, but really rich and you will get some fantastic Dominant 7th lines down if you give this course the application it deserves.