David Nicholas George Jackson (born 15 April 1947), nicknamed Jaxon, is an English progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability. He has also worked with Peter Gabriel, Keith Tippett, Osanna, Judge Smith, David Cross and others. His playing is characterized by the frequent use of double horns, wielding two saxophones at the same time, a style he emulates from Rahsaan Roland Kirk (whose style and technique influenced Jackson). He also plays flutes and whistles. In the NME, reviewer Jonathan Barnett called David Jackson "the Van Gogh of the saxophone – a renegade impressionist, dispensing distorted visions of the world outside from his private asylum window".

Van der Graaf Generator

Jackson was a member of the English progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator for most of the 1970s and for their 2005 reunion tour. His speciality was then electric saxophones, using octave devices, wah-wah and powerful amplification.

Music projects

Jackson has collaborated with other musicians, frequently with other members of Van der Graaf Generator, as on The Long Hello project. He collaborated on a number of projects with VdGG co-founder Judge Smith, and performed with Peter Gabriel at the Reading Festival in 1979. Jackson works often with Italian rock musicians, most particularly Alex Carpani Band from Bologna and Osanna from Naples. In 2012 and 2013 he toured the European and American continents with the Alex Carpani Band.

Education and Therapeutic Work

Jackson attended the University of St Andrews, reading psychology, and University of Surrey, Roehampton, studying teaching. He has worked as a mathematics teacher for primary school children in the UK. He has also worked with physically and mentally disabled people, enabling them to make music through the use of a technology known as Soundbeam. He is also a Soundbeam trainer, system designer and builder. A documentary about his work with autistic children was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998. Tonewall is the name for his idea. Apart from Soundbeams this also features Echo-Mirrors and Jellybean Eye. Jackson works together with groups of people of all levels of ability and even profound disability to create music together on stage, accompanied by musicians from diverse styles, such as orchestral and jazz musicians, Caribbean music, and much more.

Personal life

David Jackson was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire. His daughter is singer Dorie Jackson, who works with Chris Difford, Francis Dunnery and William Topley among others. His son is recording engineer Jake Jackson. A characteristic hallmark is Jackson's black leather newsboy cap with its visor that clings to his forehead decorated with several pins, which he has worn on stage for more than 50 years.

Discography

Van der Graaf Generator

Solo

DVD

With Peter Hammill

With The Long Hello

With Judge Smith

With Kaprekar's Constant

Other collaborations