Darrell Grant: A new album for and with Modern Jazz Quartet and Carlton Jackson CC#398

It has been three years since composer/pianist/educator Darrell Grant visited the Café at Artichoke Music. He’s so busy and prolific it seems like we could have him on once a month. Of course he is still a tenured professor of Jazz Studies and Associate Director of the School of Music at Portland State University, but I also like to think of him in the true New Orleans use of the word “professor,” when it comes to pianists, one of great respect. He released a new album this week called Our Mr. Jackson, honoring not only the Modern Jazz Quartet and Milt Jackson but beloved Portland drummer, the late Carlton Jackson who plays on the album along with Marcus Shelby and Mike Horsfall. The album release concert takes place at Hallowed Halls on Thursday October 12. It’s a beautiful album. Let’s find out all about it. Listen to Versailles from the album at the end of our conversation.