Carlton Jackson has played with every serious jazz musician in Portland.  Okay, that not be 100% true, but I would be pretty surprised if it weren’t true.  Tonight, he’s being inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame - an honor he truly deserves.  Carlton has a great post on his website/blog that references and thanks some of his mentors and heroes, such as Mel Brown, Ron Steen, and Bruce Carter.  While you’re at his site, be sure to check out some of his other blog entries as well - he’s a prolific writer and relates some great information and fun stories.

A while back, he posted an especially entertaining collection of videos that he’s been uploading to YouTube.  The videos feature performances that Jackson has been involved in over the years - what he calls some of his favorite musical moments.

The bizarre pick from that collection:  The Portland Trailblazers pretending to play in a big band - the music is actually Portland jazz musicians including Jackson on drums, Rich Cooper on trumpet, Michael Bard on sax, and others.