Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan

On the heels of his acclaimed two-album collaboration with the late poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson embarks on a new project paying tribute to one of America’s most revered songwriters, whose own work has been hailed for its intricate poetry and outspoken politics. With Jackson Plays Dylan, released on March 27, 2026 via his own Solid Jackson Records imprint in a collaboration with Palmetto Records, the saxophonist explores the music of the iconic singer-songwriter, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Dylan.

Jackson Plays Dylan finds the saxophonist delving into songs spanning more than three decades of the legendary songwriter’s career, from still-poignant folk anthems to incisive and timeless love songs. “I have a deep respect for Bob Dylan’s musicianship and his commitment to the craft,” Jackson says. “I’m a fan.”

Jackson’s fandom is not a lifelong one, however. The jazz-focused saxophonist had grown up with almost no awareness of rock music, unfamiliar with even a cultural icon on the level of Bob Dylan. That didn’t change until he was in his 20s and joined the ranks of the final incarnation of the Jazz Messengers. “Art Blakey's attorney was a big, big fan of Dylan,” Jackson recalls. “So he shared a lot of his music with me. Then I became even more aware of him when the film The Hurricane came out.”

That 1999 drama starred Denzel Washington as Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a black middleweight boxer who spent more than 18 years in prison for a murder that he didn’t commit. The film brought renewed attention to Dylan’s 1976 song “Hurricane,” which strongly denounces the criminal justice system and its use of racial profiling to falsely convict Carter. The song provided Jackson with a renewed insight into the bold strain of social justice that has illuminated so much of Dylan’s work.

“I became more aware of him as a person that has no problem speaking up for the underserved and underrepresented, and what he feels are the ills of society,” Jackson says.

In that sense, Dylan’s work parallels that of Nikki Giovanni, with whom Jackson formed a strong bond over the course of their two critically acclaimed collaborations: The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (2022) and Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies (2024). Though the idea of a Dylan tribute had been in the back of Jackson’s mind since he discovered “Hurricane,” the present project was conceived with Giovanni’s participation in mind, and she was planning to write new poetry in dialogue with Dylan’s songs. Those plans came to an unfortunate end on December 9, 2024, when Giovanni passed away from complications of lung cancer. Jackson Plays Dylan thus became a dual tribute – a celebration of Bob Dylan’s music and a posthumous continuation of the work that Jackson and Giovanni had embarked upon together.

Protest isn’t the only aspect of Dylan’s work that the saxophonist admires, and among the highlights of Jackson Plays Dylan are several indelible love songs. “I am attracted to the humanism aspect of his work,” Jackson explains. “He has an ability to speak truth to power and speak for those who may not have a voice, but there's always a vulnerability in Dylan’s music, especially in his love songs, and he's unapologetic about that.”

Missouri-born tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson left his studies at Berklee College of Music in 1986 to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he remained a fixture until Blakey’s passing in 1990. In 1991, Jackson made his recording debut with Me and Mr. Jones, featuring James Williams, Christian McBride, and master drummer Elvin Jones. He joined Jones’ group in 1992, appearing on the great drummer’s albums Youngblood and Going Home. Jackson’s 1994 Blue Note debut, When the Time Is Right, was a straight-ahead affair produced by iconic jazz vocalist and bandleader Betty Carter. His subsequent four Blue Note recordings featured wildly eclectic programs ranging from Caetano Veloso, Frank Zappa and Santana to Muddy Waters, Al Green and Serge Gainsbourg. For the Palmetto label he explored a blend of funk, jazz and soul with such stellar sidemen as organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitarists Mark Whitfield and David Gilmore, trombonist Fred Wesley and drummer Lenny White. In 2012, he launched his own Solid Jackson Records with Celebrating John Coltrane. His latest releases for the label include his two acclaimed collaborations with the renowned African American poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni, and the soundtrack to the 2023 documentary With Peter Bradley.

Javon Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Jeremy Manasia - Piano & Fender Rhodes

Isaac Levien - Upright Bass and Electric Bass

Tyson Jackson - Drums

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