‘This Is Brian Jackson’

Legendary musician and writer, Brian Jackson, releases his first solo album in over 20 years.

Veteran American musician Brian Jackson announces his first solo album in over 20 years, produced by Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Daniel Collás and released on BBE Music. The sound of Jackson’s Rhodes electric piano performances and soaring flute solos helped to define a musical era. One half of the power duo Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, they recorded nine albums together in just nine years as well as completing numerous tours side by side. Jackson’s music has found itself on many cuts; Common’s ‘The People’, Kanye’s ‘My Way Home’ and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Poe Mans Dreams’ to name only a few. After their musical brotherhood came to an end, Jackson continued to produce and record with many artists such as Kool & The Gang, Will Downing, Roy Ayers, Stevie Wonder and Gwen Guthrie among others. 40 years on, Jackson doesn’t fear venturing into unknown territory and continues to work with a diverse range of artists and musical genres. 

‘This Is Brian Jackson’ epitomises Jackson’s warm jazz-funk style with the great man’s soulful vocals, distinctive flute and lyrical keys taking centre stage. Three of the tracks on the album are taken from demos he recorded in 1976 which never materialised at the time but with the help of producer Collás have been given a new lease of life. The other five tracks are new compositions, however it’s almost impossible to decipher the new from the old with Jackson’s timeless touch. Brian looks to both the present and the past for inspiration, honouring the origin of African American music, most notably in the track ‘Path to Macondo/Those Kind of Blues’. It seems only right that this unsung jazz hero is finally given the spotlight after a career sat in the co-pilot seat. 

Mastered with a lot of love by Frank Merritt, ’This Is Brian Jackson’ is available on LP, CD and digital here.