Ali Jackson (jazz drummer)

rdf:langString Ali Jackson (jazz drummer)

rdf:langString Ali Jackson Jr.

rdf:langString Ali Jackson Jr.

rdf:langString Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

rdf:langString Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Carlos Enriquez, Willie Nelson, Marcus Roberts, Buster Williams, Yes Trio, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jacky Terrasson

rdf:langString Ali Jackson, 2019

rdf:langString Jazz, Ancestral, Afro-Cuban

rdf:langString Drums, classical percussion, piano

rdf:langString BigWenzee

rdf:langString Musician, Composer, Arranger, Educator

rdf:langString Ali Jackson Jr. (born April 3, 1976) is an American drummer, musician, composer, arranger, educator, and percussionist. Son of Ali Jackson (jazz bassist). Ali Jr. started playing drums at the age of 2. Ali’s natural ability and passion for music bloomed and by the age of 11 his aptitude flourished as a result of a steady stream of lessons and mentoring from an all-star lineup of music legends, including Max Roach, Milt Hinton, Dr. Donald Byrd, Betty Carter, Aretha Franklin and James Mtume. During one lesson when he was 12, Ali met Wynton Marsalis and impressed the trumpet virtuoso and future collaborator with his maturity and his advanced knowledge of the piano and music theory — skills rare among drummers. Ali graduated as a music major with high honors from Detroit’s prestigious Cass Technical High School, a program with a rich legacy of consistently producing the country’s top musicians. As a student at the in New York City, he was privileged to study with Max Roach and Elvin Jones. He attended college on a full academic scholarship, earning an undergraduate degree in music composition. In 1994 Ali was selected as the guest soloist for the Beacons of Jazz program honoring legendary jazz drummer Max Roach. The Thelonious Monk Institute and Jazz Aspen selected him to participate in the first annual Jazz Aspen for gifted and talented musicians. Ali was also the first recipient of the state of Michigan’s prestigious Artserv Emerging Artist award in 1998, a program with a rich legacy of consistently producing the country’s top musicians. Jackson is from Detroit. A reviewer for The New York Times in 2009 wrote that "Jackson generates a subtle but irresistible force when he plays, making even the smallest gestures advance his agenda of locomotion."