His first performances were in a high school band with his younger brother, Milt Jackson, Willie Anderson, Lucky Thompson, Art Mardigan, and George Sirhagen, c.
[1] About 1947, he was playing with Tommy Flanagan’s trio with Kenny Burrell,[2] before briefly joining the house band led by Billy Mitchell at Detroit's Blue Bird Inn,[3] before leading it himself in 1955.
[4] The Billy Mitchell-led house band comprised Flanagan, Tate Houston and Milt Jackson, who had just returned from touring with Woody Herman.
[4] While Alvin Jackson was leading the house band at the Blue Bird in 1955 the line-up comprised Yusef Lateef, Donald Byrd, Bernard McKinney, Barry Harris, and drummers Art Mardigan or Frank Gant.
[5] In September 1959, with house drummer Frank Gant, he backed Thelonious Monk and Charlie Rouse at Detroit's Club 12.