The legendary Brian Jackson releases first solo album in 20 years

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The legendary Brian Jackson releases first solo album in 20 years

Throughout the seventies and into the early eighties, jazz-funk legend Brian Jackson collaborated with the late great Gil Scott-Heron on some of the most forward-thinking and socially conscious music of our time, releasing tracks like “The Bottle”, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, “Johannesburg” and numerous others. Following up on last year’s collaborative effort with Jazz Is Dead, Jackson returns with his first solo album in over 20 years, titled This Is Brian Jackson on BBE.

Produced by Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Daniel Collás in a series of twice weekly sessions over 11 months, this eight track recording features brand new songs and fully realized material spawned from demos that that were recorded back in 1976 when Jackson embarked on a solo project. This was around the same time that he and Gil recorded the Bridges album. Musically, the record is remarkable, bringing together Jackson’s soul jazz vocals and instrumental approach with a more modern approach. Some of the highlights include the soulful dance floor groovers “All Talk” and “Little Orphan Boy”, the Afrobeat-inspired dreamscape “Mami Wata”, and the more cosmic/balearic leaning “C’est Cette Comète” and “Path to Macondo / Those Kind of Blues”.

Contributors to the album range from Jackson’s guitarist, bassist and longtime friend Binky Brice (Billy Ocean, Evelyn Champagne King, Roy Ayers), Collás’s occasional writing partner Morgan Phalen, Latin Grammy-winning flautist Domenica Fossati, drummers Moussa Fadera and Caito Sanchez, and Phenomenal Handclap Bandmates Juliet Swango and Monika Heidemann.

Often overshadowed by Gil Scott-Heron’s presence on those collaborative recordings in the seventies, Brian Jackson is now out in front and continuing to push the boundaries all on his own, while building on what was already an incredible legacy.