Quentin Jackson

A fixture with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in the 1950s, Quentin Jackson was Duke’s best “wa-wa” trombonist (a specialist using the plunger mute) post-Tricky Sam Nanton. His brother-in-law Claude Jones (who used McKinney’s Natural cotton Pickers) trained him trombone. Jackson used Zack Whyte (1930), McKinney’s Natural cotton Pickers (1931), Don Redman’s Orchestra (1932-1940), Cab Calloway (1940-1948), and Lucky Millinder. He required periodic solos with those organizations, and in the first times was a ballad vocalist. But most significant were his efforts to Duke Ellington’s music (1949-1960), both like a soloist and in the ensembles. After departing Ellington, he toured European countries with Quincy Jones (1960), used Count number Basie (1961-62), documented with Charles Mingus (1962), came back to Ellington (1963), and caused the big rings of Louie Bellson and Gerald Wilson. Quentin Jackson was using the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra (1971-1975) close to the end of his existence. His only program as a innovator led to four game titles, in 1959, which were reissued by Golf swing.