Jazz Drummer Ali Jackson to Open Rockport Jazz Festival

Jazz drummer Ali Jackson who has played concert halls around the world will hit the stage in Rockport to open the third annual Rockport Jazz Festival.

Ali Jackson, son of a great jazz bassist Ali Jackson Sr., has served for the past eight years as principal drummer with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

The festival opens Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 17.

Tony Beadle, executive director of Rockport Music, noted that the jazz festival series is now six performances, up from five last year.

“We have a stunning array of concerts featuring not only emerging artists such as Ali Jackson but also venerable legends like Bucky Pizzarelli and Kenny Barron,” he said.

The lineup for the rest of the week features a dynamic young singer Cyrille Aimée, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Donal Fox, an acclaimed jazz pianist Kenny Barron, a jazz bass master Christian McBride, as well as a swing guitar concert with Bucky Pizzarelli.

For the festival opening, Jackson comes to Rockport a week after performing at a jazz festival in Marciac, France with the Wynton Marsalis Quintet. There will be a JazzChat led by Ron della Chiesa at 7 p.m. for this concert.

Although born in New York City, Jackson’s family moved to Detroit. The son of a musician, his youth was immersed in jazz music. He began playing professionally on the streets of Detroit with his father at eight-years-old, according to his bio.

Jackson also fronts his own band, the the Ali Jackson Quartet. In addition to his talent as a versatile jazz drummer, he is a composer, arranger and educator.