Milton "Bags" Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) was an American j… Read Full Bio ↴Milton "Bags" Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his penchant for collaborating with several hard bop and post-bop players.

A very expressive player, Jackson differentiated himself from other vibraphonists in his attention to variations on harmonics and rhythm. He was particularly fond of the twelve-bar blues at slow tempos. He preferred to set the vibraphone's oscillator to a low 3.3 revolutions per second (as opposed to Lionel Hampton's speed of 10 revolutions per second) for a more subtle vibrato. On occasion, Jackson would also sing and play piano professionally.

He was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie, who hired him for his sextet in 1946. He quickly acquired experience working with the most important figures in jazz of the era, including John Coltrane, Woody Herman, Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker. In the Gillespie big band one of his jobs was to play in a quartet with John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke while the horn section took a break from the demanding high-register horn parts. This group became the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), which had a long independent career of 20 years until disbanding in 1974 over financial problems (though it reformed in 1981). Jackson then toured alone, performing in various small combos.

From the mid-70s to the mid-80s, Jackson recorded for Norman Granz's Pablo Records, including the classic, "Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company" (1983), featuring Jackson with J.J. Johnson on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, backed by Tom Ranier on piano, guitarist John Collins, and drummer Roy McCurdy.

He also guested on recordings by many leading jazz, blues and soul artists, such as B.B. King, Ray Charles, etc.

His composition "Bags' Groove" ("Bags" was his nickname, from the 'bags' under his eyes from staying up late) is a jazz standard. He has been featured on the NPR radio program Jazz Profiles.

A-Tisket A-Tasket
Milt Jackson Lyrics

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A-Tisket A-Tasket
A green and yellow basket
I bought a basket for my mommie
On the way I dropped it
I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And took it to the market

She was truckin′ on down the
Avenue without a single thing to do
She was peck, peck, peckin' all around
When she spied it on the ground
A-Tisket A-Tasket
She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn′t bring it back
I think that I shall die
(Was it red?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it brown?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it blue)

No, no, no, no
Just a little yellow basket

Overall Meaning

The song "A-Tisket A-Tasket" by Milt Jackson tells a story of a little girl who accidentally drops her mother's green and yellow basket while carrying it through the streets, and a passerby girl who picks it up and takes it to the market. The song follows the first girl's frantic search for the basket, and her fear that if it is not returned, she will "die." The repetitive nature of the lyrics and the upbeat swing melody combine to create a playful and lighthearted tune that masks the panic underlying the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

A-Tisket A-Tasket
I lost my basket

A green and yellow basket
My basket was green and yellow

I bought a basket for my mommie
I bought the basket for my mother

On the way I dropped it
I accidentally dropped the basket while I was walking

I dropped it, I dropped it
The basket fell out of my hands

Yes on the way I dropped it
I can confirm that the basket fell

A little girlie picked it up
A young girl picked up the basket

And took it to the market
The girl brought the basket to the market

She was truckin′ on down the
She was walking briskly down the street

Avenue without a single thing to do
She had no particular tasks to complete

She was peck, peck, peckin' all around
She was wandering aimlessly