This fine 1956 date features
Jackson leading a session that moves with ease and authority through a relaxing eight-minute ride on
Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," an
Ellington ballad medley, and a pair of the vibist's own blues-based, hard bop compositions. The real treat here is
Lucky Thompson's tenor sax. The
Don Byas-influenced
Thompson has a sound that invites the listener to luxuriate in its grace and strength.
Thompson solos on "Mood Indigo" with a sublime, breathy legato, adding bite and rougher edges -- without sacrificing nuance or subtlety -- on
Jackson's "Minor Conception" and "Soul in 3/4." For his part,
Jackson reels off a fluid stream of shifting, seamless, advanced blues -- his time, phrasing, and execution all exquisite. In the rhythm section,
Hank Jones (piano),
Wendell Marshall (bass), and
Kenny Clarke (drums) support with the ego-free artistry expected of the Savoy house band of the day. Jackson's Ville is one of four Savoy CDs that pair
Jackson with
Thompson. The others are The Jazz Skyline,
Roll 'em Bags, and
Meet Milt Jackson. Each on its own is short measure (Jackson's Ville clocks in at 30 minutes). As a collection, though, they comprise a vital document that sits nicely alongside
Jackson's and
Thompson's work with
Miles Davis from this period.