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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZJACKSON, Ronald Shannon(b 12 January 1940, Fort Worth TX; d there 19 October 2013, of leukemia) Drums, composer. Began with R&B bands in Dallas, but he went to university in St Louis, where he played professionally with Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill and pianist John Hicks. He moved to New York in the mid-'60s, recorded with Charles Tyler, worked with Betty Carter, Charles Mingus etc. He recorded with Albert Ayler at the end of the 1960s, worked with Ornette Coleman's Prime Time '75-6, also Cecil Taylor and James 'Blood' Ulmer (late '60s); he was almost the only musician to have worked with Coleman, Taylor and Ayler, the monsters of the avant-garde. He said that Ayler allowed him to play the way he wanted to play, the way he played in Dallas when he played for himself, and also that Coleman told him that he was hearing his music in the piccolo range, and encouraged him to compose on the flute. He formed his own Decoding Society c.1979, the music described as free funk. His Decode Yourself '85 on Island summed up his earlier explorations of the avant-garde and popular music; Among 15 Decoding Society albums were Eyes On You '80, Barbeque Dog and Mandance on Antilles, Raven Roc on DIW; they toured the world for the Voice of America. Other Jackson entries were Taboo on Caroline (with guitarist Vernon Reid), Red Warrior on Axiom, A Guitar Thing on Muse, Ronald Shannon Jackson And Bertrand Gallaz on Plainisphare. He was part of the fearsomely loud avant-rock band Last Exit '85-6 with Peter Brötzmann, Sonny Sharrock and Bill Laswell. In the 1990s nerve damage to his left arm limited his playing, but he refused surgery and relied on physical therapy. Meanwhile he was also composing classical music, including string quartets, and joined Wadada Leo Smith in the Golden Quartet in 2005, and formed Encryption, a trio with Reid and Melvin Gibbs, in 2011. He incorporated elements of whatever music he needed; Reid said that he didn't hate pop music for being popular, like many of his generation did. He played on about 50 albums as leader, sideman, arranger, composer. |