Ronald Shannon Jackson began working professionally as a drummer in Texas alongside James Clay at age fifteen. Relocating to New York in 1966, he performed with Byard Lancaster, Charles Mingus, Betty Carter, Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Dorham, and, most significantly, Albert Ayler between 1966 and 1967. After a hiatus from active performance, he joined Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time from 1975 to 1979 and also appeared with Cecil Taylor from 1978 to 1979 as well as James “Blood” Ulmer from 1979 to 1980. Formed in 1979, Jackson’s Decoding Society drew inspiration from Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time and functioned as its direct continuation, presenting vibrant and raucous ensembles unafraid to absorb rock influences while generating rhythms that stayed funky, forceful, and erratic. Across subsequent years the ensemble incorporated numerous skilled and forward-thinking improvisers, the best known being Vernon Reid, Zane Massey, Billy Bang, and Byard Lancaster. Jackson additionally performed with the explosive group Last Exit beginning in 1986 and with Power Tools in the early 1990s. His music requires listeners with sturdy sensibilities. Jackson died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 19, 2013, while battling leukemia; he was seventy-three.
