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.

Stairway to the Stars
Milt Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let's build a stairway to the stars
And climb that stairway to the stars
With love beside us to fill the night with a song
We'll hear the sound of violins
Out yonder where the blue begins
The moon will guide us as we go drifting along
Can't we sail away on a lazy daisy petal
Over the rim of the hill?

Can't we sail away on a little dream
And settle high on the crest of a thrill!

Let's build a stairway to the stars
A lovely stairway to the stars

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Milt Jackson's song "Stairway to the Stars" speak of a desire to create something magical, to build a stairway to the stars and climb that stairway with love by their side. The staircase they build will be filled with music and their hearts will be filled with joy as they drift along guided by the moon. The song paints a vivid picture of a romantic escape, where the couple can forget about the world and sail away on a "lazy daisy petal" or a "little dream," settling high on the crest of a thrill.

The lyrics create a dream-like quality, with the imagery of stars, violins and the moon guiding the way. It is a song about longing for something more, something transcendent, something beyond the mundane. The lyrics suggest that, with love, anything is possible and the stars are well within reach.

Line by Line Meaning

Let's build a stairway to the stars
Let's create a path that leads us to reach the sky and the beyond

And climb that stairway to the stars
Let's journey through and explore the vastness beyond our reach

With love beside us to fill the night with a song
Together, we will ignite our hearts, and embrace the journey with a melody of love

We'll hear the sound of violins
As we enter the realm of the unknown, music will accompany us

Out yonder where the blue begins
We will venture towards the edge of the horizon where the vast sky meets the sea

The moon will guide us as we go drifting along
The moon will be our beacon, and guide us as we navigate through the darkness

Can't we sail away on a lazy daisy petal
Can we not indulge in the simple pleasures of life, and let ourselves float away with the whims and fancies of nature?

Over the rim of the hill?
And allow ourselves to cross the threshold of the unknown, beyond the boundaries of our horizon?

Can't we sail away on a little dream
Can we not find solace in our dreams, and let them take us to a place of peace and tranquility?

And settle high on the crest of a thrill!
Let us not be afraid to let ourselves be consumed by excitement and passion, and experience life in all its glory

Let's build a stairway to the stars
Let's create a life filled with endless adventure, where the possibilities are limitless

A lovely stairway to the stars
A path that is beautiful, and fills our hearts with hope and wonder as we reach for the stars

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Frank Signorelli, Matt Malneck, Mitchell Parish

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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