More than 25 years ago, I met tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson who was raised in Denver Colorado and that meeting made a wonderful memory and a deep impact that still resonates with me today. It impressed me that he took the time out of his very busy and impressive career to offer his time in a very giving manner to help a small-town, non-profit radio station. But that is just the kind of person he is, one who gives back and makes a difference. He is still doing that today as the Chair of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford since 2013.

Besides being a dedicated educator, Javon has also been a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers; he has recorded over two dozen albums as a leader and has also recorded with such jazz legends including Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Louis Hayes and of course, Art Blakey and others.

It was serendipity that led to Javon forming a friendship and collaboration with the influential poet and activist Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni was invited by Javon to lecture at the University. Discovering they had a shared love of jazz music which resulted in this duo recording an album together called ‘The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni.’ The relationship between the two has only deepened through the years, and from that, other shared passions have emerged. One of them, American cinema, is referenced in the title of their recent and much-anticipated follow-up album called ‘Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies.”

This is the subject of my conversation with Javon Jackson which begins with a reference to another one of Jackson’s musical influences...Sonny Rollins.