Denver native and sax innovator Javon Jackson bringing “The Gospel” back home

Tenor saxophonist and educator Javon Jackson, who grew up in Denver, currently chairs the Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz Studies at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. That could be considered a lofty title, especially when taking into account the influence of McLean himself, a dedicated innovator on the sax.

“I knew Jackie,” Jackson tells me. “He was a friend and mentor. I learned from Art Blakey (Jackson was a member of the drummer’s late-period and legendary Jazz Messengers) to try and not make things bigger than life, because if you do, you’ll be too nervous to walk out of the room.”

Jackson has established relationships with numerous jazz greats in his career. He mentions Sonny Rollins and the late Charlie Haden in our conversation. And he’s made an admirable effort to bring various artists and performers to speak with his students at the McLean Institute.

That’s how he got to meet celebrated poet Nikki Giovanni, and her appearance at the school provided the inspiration for Jackson’s deeply felt new album, “The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni.”

After a couple of conversations, Giovanni provided Jackson with a list of spirituals and hymns to cover in a jazz style. The mostly instrumental release is meditative. It’s also quite beautiful, particularly when Jackson and his quartet explore the nuances of the music in a way that’s rarely been heard. Jackson’s warm tone makes these pieces glow. Giovanni also appears, performing with utter vulnerability on “Night Song.”

“She asked if she could sing on it,” says Jackson. “It was very fragile and poignant. I just appreciated it. It was moving.”

The quartet on “The Gospel” plays with the authority of individuals who are familiar with the material.

“I do come from a family of devout Christians, so that’s a big part of my ancestral stream. I wanted us to perform it in a way as if we were in a church in front of a congregation. I always had an appreciation for spirituals and what we call gospel … sacred music. There’s a legacy of folks like Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and others who made these dedications to the spirit.”

While Jackson won’t be performing material from the new album for a planned appearance with the Denver Pops Orchestra at the Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church on Feb. 12 (he will play composer David Chesky’s “Harlem Landscapes” on that date), he hints that his quartet very well may play in Colorado later this year. And even though he resides across the country, he still appreciates his Denver jazz roots.

“My father had a massive, pretty good collection of music. I heard a lot of Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. When I was 8 or 9 and playing the saxophone, I was gravitating to Mr. Stitt. He was more “notey,” and that intrigued me more. When I was maybe 13, my father took me to a place called Clyde’s Pub. I think it was out on Kipling. Sonny Stitt was playing, and we went backstage. I had these (Stitt) records, and he signed them. Then he went out and played.