Fred Jackson Jr. (he/him) is a Chicago-based saxophonist born in 1974 in Fort Worth, Texas. He became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) In 2010. Alongside his musical ventures he has expanded into musical directing for theater with American Myth Crossroads (Jerrell L.Henderson) and Little Carl (Michael Montenegro). Jackson is currently working with Sitarist Shanta Nurullah (AACM), Mai Sugimoto Quartet, The Great Black Music Ensemble (AACM), Adam Zanolini’s Heliacal Rising of Sothis, his own Erudition Project ensemble, and the experimental ensemble "Where's Charlie?"
His music publishing label Spacetonic Music was created in 2017. He was awarded the 2020-21 "New Works, Fresh Voices" grant from the Jazz Institute of Chicago. His album Genre was released in 2022. In addition, Jackson founded the group Double Helix Quartet with the self-titled album (recorded in 2022 and released in 2024). You can find Fred Jackson Jr's sound on Erez Dessel's Look Both Days and Lily Finnegan's Heat On. Stay tuned for more releases to come!
Featured Artworks
Magic Carpet (World Music Group), 2018
Album Cover by Ha Tran
AACM 60th Anniversary Series / Fred Jackson Jr Ensemble, 2026
Image by Leah Naomi
Where’s Charlie?, 2025
Image by Todd Carter
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Three Rhythmic Existences, 2025
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Double Helix Quartet Live at Elastic Arts, 2025