D. D. Jackson

Jackson was born on January 25, 1967, in Ottawa, Ontario. "D. D." comes from the word for "little brother" in Mandarin Chinese, which was used by his family. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. He started playing the piano at the age of six. After graduating with a degree in classical music from Indiana University in 1989, Jackson moved to New York, where he took a master's degree in jazz at the Manhattan School of Music. The pianist Don Pullen was his mentor, and Jackson also took private lessons with Jaki Byard. ==Later life and career==

Jackson first played with David Murray in the early 1990s. He also recorded Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for Summit Records in 2002. Jackson has been one of three main composers on the children's TV program Peg + Cat for many years, garnering him a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in 2016 and a second Emmy in 2019 for Outstanding Original Song, "A World Made By Friends" (shared with lyricist, Billy Aronson). He has received a total of five Emmy nominations during his time on the show. ==Playing style==

"Known for an energetic, even daring, approach to keyboard playing, Jackson routinely pushes his technical limits, using cross-rhythms or different meters in each hand, playing clusters with his palms or arms, and standing to sound thunderous chords at both ends of the piano simultaneously." ==Discography==

As leader As sideman With Billy Bang • Bang On! (Justin Time, 1997) With James Carter • Present Tense (EmArcy, 2008) With David Murray • Long Goodbye: A Tribute to Don Pullen (DIW, 1996) • Creole (Justin Time, 1998) • Octet Plays Trane (Justin Time, 2000) With ProMusica Chamber Orchestra • American Jazz Concertos (Summit, 2002) With the World Saxophone Quartet • ''M'Bizo'' (Justin Time, 1999) ==References==