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.

Smile
Milt Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn

Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I

Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring

I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Overall Meaning

"The Shadow of Your Smile" is a love ballad that discusses the impact that love has on one's life, even after it has ended. The lyrics speak of how the memories of a loved one, captured in the "shadow of your smile," linger long after they have left. The singer reminisces about the times they spent with their partner and yearns for those moments again. The line "look into my eyes my love and see" expresses the singer's desire for their partner to recognize how much they mean to them.

The idea of a "wistful little star" being "far, too high" represents the challenges and obstacles that the couple faced during their time together. The singer mentions a teardrop kissing their partner's lips and kisses them as well, revealing the passion and depth of their love. The final stanza concludes with a bittersweet reflection on the memories of spring and love. The singer is resigned to the fact that the shadow of their partner's smile will color all their dreams, and they will always remember the joys that love once brought them.

Line by Line Meaning

The shadow of your smile
The memory of your smile

When you have gone
When you are not here with me

Will color all my dreams
Will fill my dreams with your presence

And light the dawn
And bring hope to my mornings

Look into my eyes my love and see
When you look into my eyes, you will see

All the lovely things you are to me
All the wonderful qualities that make you special to me

Our wistful little star
Our small and longing star

It was far, too high
It was unreachable and beyond our grasp

A teardrop kissed your lips
You shed a tear that touched your lips

And so did I
And I shared that emotion with you

Now when I remember spring
When I recall the season of new beginnings