One wouldn’t find tenor saxophonist Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson (1932-1987) at such mainstream jazz strongholds as the Village Vanguard in New York or Shelly’s Manne-Hole in Los Angeles. But at a club in Harlem or North Philly, Jackson would draw crowds that would be three deep at the bar. For “The Gator”’s tight little band was a fixture on the chitlin circuit, where they cooked up a jazz, soul, blues, R&B, and gospel stew into the soul jazz that invariably left customers calling for additional helpings. These cuts--a baker’s dozen--add up to two typically crowd-pleasing sets and forecast a brilliant future for 19-year-old guitarist Pat Azzara, who would later light the skies as Pat Martino.

with Frank Robinson, Carl Wilson, Joe Hadrick