Calvin Jackson

American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader (born: May 26, 1919 in Philadelphia, PA -- died: December 08, 1985 in Encinitas, CA). Jackson played piano from childhood and studied at Juilliard and New York University. He worked early in his career with Frankie Fairfax, then worked in Hollywood from 1943-47 as an assistant director of music for MGM Studios. In 1947 he recorded with Phil Moore (2) and under his own name as a solo pianist for Discovery Records (4). He played with Mildred Bailey in New York in 1948, then moved to Toronto in 1950, where he often played on television and radio. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s he released several LPs for labels such as Columbia Records. In 1957 he returned to Los Angeles, where he continued to work as a composer for film and television and also arranged for Ray Charles at one point.