Milt Jackson didn’t simply elevate the vibraphone — he permanently altered its role in jazz. Before Jackson, the instrument was often framed as ornamental or novelty-driven. He stripped that away, grounding the vibes in the blues and treating them with the phrasing, weight, and urgency of a horn player. His attack, use of space, and deeply relaxed time feel gave the instrument a human, vocal quality that reshaped how it was heard and written for. As a founding voice of the Modern Jazz Quartet, J