
Artist: Brian Jackson
Album: This is Brian Jackson
Label: BBE Music
Year Of Release: 2022
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Tracklist:
1. All Talk (4:16)
2. Force of Will (4:15)
3. C’est Cette Comète (4:57)
4. Nomad (5:17)
5. Mami Wata (9:21)
6. Path to Macondo / Those Kind of Blues (6:12)
7. Hold On (4:41)
8. Little Orphan Boy (4:20)
Legendary American musician Brian Jackson announces his first solo album in over 20 years, âThis Is Brian Jacksonâ, produced by Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Daniel CollaĚs and released on BBE Music.
Brian Jackson earned mythic status among music fans thanks to his pioneering work with Gil Scott-Heron in the 70âs, where his flute and electric piano performances on âPieces of a Manâ and âWinter In Americaâ virtually defined the sound of an era. From the 80s onwards he went on to record with Kool & The Gang, Will Downing (whose debut album he produced), Roy Ayers and Gwen Guthrie among many others, and while many veteran musicians tend to stick with the sounds they know best at some point in their careers, Jackson remains an unusually adventurous, vital and broad-minded artist to this day.
When the Phenomenal Handclap Bandâs Daniel CollaĚs first met Brian Jackson at a performance in New York, right off the bat he said âI think I could produce youâ. âI wasnât sure why he thought that,â says Jackson âbut I considered it a challenge to find out. Turns out that he was right.â
Early on in their friendship, Brian mentioned that heâd embarked on a solo project right around the time he recorded âBridgesâ with Gil Scott-Heron in 1976. There were even some unfinished demos, but the album had never materialised. Daniel leapt on the idea, asking âwhat would a Brian Jackson album sound like if the 21st century Brian were to complete that 1976 album today?â Completed in a series of twice weekly sessions over 11 months in Danielâs Williamsburg studio, âThis Is Brian Jacksonâ provides the answer.
âWe sketched out musical ideas, drank way too much coffee, consumed way too many tacos and sampled perhaps a few too many exotic whiskeys while talking about things that were important to both of us personally. The lyrics for the songs are a result of those conversationsâ says Jackson.
Contributors to the album range from Jacksonâs guitarist, bassist and longtime friend Binky Brice (Billy Ocean, Evelyn Champagne King, Roy Ayers), CollaĚsâs 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.
And the music? Vintage, soul-stirring Brian Jackson, with the great manâs warm vocals, distinctive flute and lyrical keys taking centre stage. The songwriting feels timeless, the arrangement effortless, the production human and analogue. From golden-era soul-funk opener âAll Talkâ, through soaring Afrobeat-inspired dreamscape âMami Wataâ to compact groover âLittle Orphan Boyâ which closes the album, âThis Is Brian Jacksonâ is simply some of the veteran artistâs best work yet, subtly and lovingly framed by Daniel CollaĚs.






