Paul Jackson (bassist)

Paul Jackson (March 28, 1947 – March 18, 2021) was an American jazz electric bassist and composer. He was a founding member of the Headhunters and played on several of Herbie Hancock's albums, including "Head Hunters" and "Thrust". Jackson subsequently moved to Japan and started a voluntary concert called Jazz for Kids, with the intent of familiarizing students there with African-American history.
Early life.
Jackson was born in Oakland, California, on March 28, 1947. He was one of four children of Paul Sr. and Rosa Emanuel. His father was initially a heavyweight boxer, who subsequently worked as a contractor and was occasionally employed as a security guard at music venues. Jackson played piano and bassoon as a child, in addition to his primary instrument of bass, which he started playing when he was nine years old. At the age of 14, he performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and went on to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Career.
Jackson was a founding member of the Headhunters. The group was established in 1973 by Herbie Hancock, and also featured Bennie Maupin on saxophone and clarinet, Harvey Mason on drums, and Bill Summers playing percussion. Their first album, self-titled "Head Hunters", was released that same year. It became the best-selling jazz album of all time when it was released, selling over a million copies (the first jazz album to do so) and peaking to number 13 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. Jackson co-wrote "Chameleon", the album's lead track that later became a jazz standard. He subsequently played on "Thrust" (1974), "Man-Child" (1975), and the live album "Flood" (1975). Another two albums were released by the group, but were performed and recorded without Hancock: "Survival of the Fittest" (1975) and "Straight from the Gate" (1977). In the former, Jackson co-wrote "God Make Me Funky" and sang its lead vocals. He went on to release his first solo album, "Black Octopus", in 1978. It featured his bandmates Hancock and Maupin.
Later life.
Jackson resided in Japan from 1985 until his death. There, he became involved in its music scene. He wrote and arranged music for television advertisements and movies. He also performed with local artists such as Char, Tsutomu Yamashita, and Sadao Watanabe. Jackson established Jazz for Kids in 1987; this was a voluntary concert performed in schools around the country with the goal of familiarizing students with African-American history via music and presentation. He visited over 80 schools for this endeavor, and a documentary was produced by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology covering his band.
Jackson released his second solo album, "Funk on a Stick", in 2005. Nine years later, he collaborated with Xantoné Blacq and Tony Match – under the moniker "Paul Jackson Trio" – to release "Groove or Die". Jackson stopped touring in 2016 due to unspecified health concerns.
Personal life.
Jackson's first marriage ended in divorce. He had one son from that marriage who predeceased him. Jackson's second marriage was to Akiko Suzuki. They remained married until his death.
Jackson died on March 18, 2021, at a hospital near Tokyo, Japan. He was ten days short of his 74th birthday; he suffered from sepsis caused by complications with diabetes prior to his death.
Discography.
As sideman.
With Herbie Hancock
With the Headhunters
With others