It was confusing enough that Willis Jackson, with Jack McDuff as sidekick, recorded first an album titled Together Again!, and then a different album with the similar title Together Again, Again. Combining both of these on a single-CD reissue, and titling the whole caboodle Together Again!, is downright pitiless. But to preface appraisal of the music with a gotta-make-this-clear explanation, this 2003 reissue, though titled Together Again!, is not the same as the original album Together Again!, though it contains every track from that LP. Instead, it collects every track from Together Again! and Together Again, Again, though not presented in their original running orders. Rather, the 13 tracks are sequenced in the chronological order in which they were recorded, from May 1959 to December 1961…

Here's the bad news: A lot of worthwhile soul-jazz albums that were recorded for small, obscure labels in the '60s are likely to remain out of print. If the rare organ/tenor date that you're longing to hear came out on a tiny label that someone was operating out of his/her two-bedroom rowhouse in South Philadelphia, you had best do a lot of searching at your favorite vinyl gathering. Now, here's the good news: A lot of great soul-jazz was recorded for Prestige in the '60s, and Fantasy (which owns the Prestige catalog) is quite good about reissuing Prestige titles. In 2002, Fantasy reissued two more Willis "Gator" Jackson titles (1963's More Gravy and 1964's Boss Shoutin') back to back on the 67-minute CD Nuther'n Like Thuther'n. Neither album is unique or revolutionary, but both are excellent, highly rewarding examples of the type of groove-oriented soul-jazz/hard bop that Jackson was recording for Prestige in the early '60s…

Willis "Gator" Jackson's initial reputation was made as a honking and screaming tenor saxophonist with Cootie Williams' late-'40s orchestra and on his own R&B-ish recordings. By 1959, Jackson had de-emphasized some of his more extroverted sounds (although they occasionally popped up) and had reemerged as a solid swinger influenced by Gene Ammons and (on ballads) Ben Webster. This CD reissue from 1998 brings back in full two of Jackson's 1959-60 LPs: Blue Gator and Cookin' Sherry. Some of the music (which often falls into the soul-jazz genre) is reminiscent of the funky groove music that would become popular in the late '60s. Jackson sounds fine and is joined throughout by guitarist Bill Jennings, organist Jack McDuff, one of three bassists, one of two drummers, and sometimes Buck Clarke on conga. The accessible music alternates between warm ballads and jump tunes.