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.

I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
Milt Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Never thought I'd fall,
But now I hear love call,
I'm getting sentimental over you

Things you say and do,
Just thrill me through and through,
I'm getting sentimental over you.

I thought I was happy,
I could live without love
Now I must admit,
Love is all I'm thinking of

Won't you please be kind,
And just make up your mind
That you'll be sweet & gentle,

Be gentle with me
Because I'm sentimental over you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Milt Jackson's "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" speak to the transformative power of love. Initially, the singer states that they "never thought [they'd] fall" in love, but now they have and are answering its call. The feelings expressed are intense and overwhelming, as evidenced by the repeated line "I'm getting sentimental over you." The things the object of their affection says and does "just thrill" the singer, and they can't stop thinking about love. The opening verses chronicle a progression from disbelief and unawareness of love's power to full acceptance and adoration of it.

The song's plea for the object of the singer's desire to "be sweet & gentle" with them speaks to the vulnerability that comes with love. In admitting their sentimentality, the singer is acknowledging their susceptibility to being hurt. They implore their love interest to treat them with kindness and make up their mind, likely indicating fears of rejection or indecision. The final line of the song, "Because I'm sentimental over you," serves as a sort of refrain to reiterate the singer's emotional state and encapsulate the song's central theme of falling deeply in love.

Line by Line Meaning

Never thought I'd fall,
I never expected to fall in love.

But now I hear love call,
But now I feel like I'm being pulled towards love.

I'm getting sentimental over you
I'm feeling nostalgic, romantic and affectionate towards you.

Things you say and do,
The things you say or do make me super excited.

Just thrill me through and through,
Your actions or words make me feel ecstatic all over.

I'm getting sentimental over you.
I'm getting very emotional and attached to you.

I thought I was happy,
I believed I was content and satisfied without being in a relationship.

I could live without love
I thought I could function well on my own without love or affection.

Now I must admit,
But I must confess that I was wrong.

Love is all I'm thinking of
Because now I can't stop thinking about love and affection.

Won't you please be kind,
Can you please be gentle and considerate?