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.

For All We Know
Milt Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For all we know
We may never meet again
Before we go
Make this moment live again
We won't say goodbye
Until the last minute
I'll hold out my hand
And my heart will be in it

For all we know
This might only be a dream
We come and we go
Like the ripples, like the ripples in the stream
So baby, love me, love me tonight
Tomorrow was made for some
Oh, but tomorrow
But tomorrow may never, never come
For all we know

Yes, tomorrow may never, never come
For all we know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "For All We Know" by Milt Jackson are filled with a sense of urgency and a desire to make the most of every moment. The first two lines express the idea that we may never have the opportunity to meet again, so it is important to make the most of the time we have together. The next two lines emphasize the importance of living in the moment and making it count. The final four lines of the verse express a reluctance to say goodbye, and a desire to hold on to the moment for as long as possible. The second verse takes a more melancholy tone, emphasizing the transience of life and the fleeting nature of our existence. It implores the listener to love deeply and passionately in the present moment, as tomorrow may never come.

Line by Line Meaning

For all we know
We are uncertain about what will happen in the future

We may never meet again
This may be the last time we see each other

Before we go
Before we part ways

Make this moment live again
We should cherish this moment and make it memorable

We won't say goodbye
We won't use the word 'goodbye'

Until the last minute
We will part ways at the very end

I'll hold out my hand
I will offer my hand as a gesture of friendship

And my heart will be in it
I will truly mean it

This might only be a dream
What we are experiencing might not be real

We come and we go
Our existence is fleeting

Like the ripples, like the ripples in the stream
Our lives are like the ripples in a stream, here for a moment and then gone

So baby, love me, love me tonight
Let's make the most of this moment and express our love for one another

Tomorrow was made for some
Some people will have a tomorrow

Oh, but tomorrow
However,

But tomorrow may never, never come
We cannot be sure if there will be a tomorrow

Yes, tomorrow may never, never come
We should live in the present and not rely on the future

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J Fred Coots, Samuel M Lewis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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