D.D. Jackson

I am a two-time Emmy Award-winning composer, producer, and Juno Award-winning jazz pianist and educator. As a composer, I specialize in writing, arranging, and producing memorable, custom-made music for t.v., film & other media. I consider myself an "artistic problem solver": I strive to get to the essential conceptual truth of what the client is looking for - and to express it in a creative and supportive way. [READ MORE] or [BIO]

Hamiet Bluiett's Strange Second Set

October 28, 1998  /  D.D. Jackson

Rather surreal performance on this day at Dominican Community College in Columbus, Ohio with my collective group Bluiett/Jackson/Thiam. We had a comfortable turnout of a few hundred people, and the first half went so well that we already received a standing ovation. Primed for an even stronger 2nd set, Bluiett announced to Mor and me "I’ve got it" and went out to open the set with one of his characteristically crazy and adventurous, yet earthy solos. Unfortunately, he didn’t get beyond the first note before some mechanism on his baritone saxophone broke down – and amazingly, he was forced to play the remainder of the concert, an entire hour or so of music, without the use of his main axe. I’ve never had so much respect for Bluiett as I had that day, watching him blow the hell out of his ethnic flute, and his contra alto bass clarinet; at one point he even invited the audience to clap their hands; he talked to them; he rapped (anything but playing the baritone). So it was quite a memorable affair.