Planting Seeds of Jazz Appreciation in Kids

Drummer Duffy Jackson calls himself the “Johnny Appleseed of Jazz.” Renowned for his performances with bands led by Count Basie, Illinois Jacquet, Monty Alexander and others, Jackson likes entertaining at schools, getting youngsters excited about music.

“About three weeks ago, for example, I went to the Lindenbrook School in Valley Village, and I had the little kids dancing and scatting to ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ and other songs they knew,” says Jackson, a native of Long Island who currently resides in Studio City. “I want to plant the seeds of groove and love of happy swinging jazz into little kids’ hearts.”

Jackson knows what can happen when you feel that groove--the rhythmic pulse and energy that comes from a swinging beat--early in life. As the son of ex-Woody Herman bass notable Chubby Jackson, he started playing drums at age 4, was taught by the likes of Swing Era great Gene Krupa, and led his own band at age 12. He had his first major professional gig in Los Angeles in 1970, appearing with a quintet co-led by bass great Ray Brown and saxman Teddy Edwards. Later, he came to work with Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Basie and others.

“I’ve had a fantasy dream life with jazz,” he says. “It’s made me so dedicated to trying to keep alive this slice of Americana, this happy swing music. I say I aim a beat at your feet, put the grin on the groove.”

Jackson, whose latest album is 1995’s “Swing! Swing! Swing!” (Milestone), tonight brings his vibrant sounds to Chadney’s in Burbank. (He’ll also play Sundays at La Ve Lee in Studio City beginning in May.) At Chadney’s, he’ll lead a quartet with Matt Otto (saxes), Steve Cotter (guitar) and Jim DiJulio (bass) and promises to take listeners on “a musical journey that will explore many different grooves.”

“You might hear bebop, like Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘Groovin’ High,’ ” he says, “or we might play Thelonious Monk’s ‘Well, You Needn’t’ with a funk beat. We play soft ballads and wild sambas.” All of this is underpinned by the groove, says Jackson, a pulse “that feels so good when I’m playing, it takes away all the stress and pain. Sometimes I’m swinging so hard, I start to laugh.”

Interspersed in Jackson’s busy career have been performances and clinics in schools, starting when he was 12 and appearing with his father. “When I sit down and play a groove, I love to see that gleam in kids’ eyes that I’ve had all my life,” he says.

* Duffy Jackson’s quartet plays tonight, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Chadney’s, 3000 W. Olive St., Burbank. No cover, one drink minimum per show. (818) 843-5333.

Big Tenor Sound: When you hear saxophonist Roger Neumann play his tenor, you hear a bold, large tone that harks back several decades, when greats like Ben Webster and Lester Young were considered the kings of the instrument.

“I love Ben. I think he had the greatest sound in the world,” says Neumann, who plays tonight through Saturday with Danny Pucillo’s trio at Monty’s Steakhouse in Woodland Hills. (He also leads his Rather Large Band at the Moonlight Tango Cafe in Sherman Oaks on April 13.)

“I remember one time I was driving in some hills, and two stations kept cutting back and forth. One had Ben and the other had a rock tenor player who had a brittle, edgy sound. The rock player sounded like a kid with a toy, Ben sounded like a man with a musical instrument. I guess I’ve been trying to be a man with a musical instrument.”

Like Webster and other past greats, such as Zoot Sims and Stan Getz, Neumann likes to tell a story when he plays--a pretty story. “I want my solos to be melodic, to have a beginning, middle and an end,” says the musician, whose latest album is 1995’s “This is My Lucky Day” (SeaBreeze). “I try to make sense, have the notes follow one another, hopefully playing something you can remember when I’m done.”

* Roger Neumann performs with Danny Pucillo’s trio, tonight through Saturday at Monty’s Steakhouse, 5371 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. Show times: 7:30 to 11:30 tonight, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. No cover, no minimum. (818) 716-9736.