Composer, pianist, and flautist Brian Jackson is best known for his
consciousness-expanding collaborations with Gil Scott-Heron in the 1970s, and
Jackson’s sonic foundations for Scott-Heron’s poetry and lyrics continue to be
appreciated and sampled decades later. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on October
11, 1952, Jackson studied music throughout his childhood, and eventually met Gil
Scott-Heron when both were attending Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Jackson initially appeared as pianist on Scott-Heron’s first two albums, but by
1974’s Winter in America, he was given equal b...