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Joe Jackson

Rock

Joe Jackson Tickets

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About

Joe Jackson was born on August 11 1954 in Burton-on-Trent, England, but grew up in the South Coast naval port city of Portsmouth.

At age 16 Joe played his first paying gig, as pianist in a pub next door to a glue factory just outside of Portsmouth.  This was followed by other pub gigs (in which he was often trying to entertain crowds of drunken, bottle-throwing sailors) and  accompanying a bouzouki player in a Greek restaurant.

At age 18 Joe won a scholarship to study Composition, Piano, and Percussion at London's Royal Academy of Music.

By 1978 Joe was living in London and hawking an album-length demo, with his own band (Graham Maby, Bass; Dave Houghton, Drums; Gary Sanford, Guitar) standing by.  That demo  -  already called Look Sharp  - eventually found its way to American producer David Kershenbaum, who was in London in the capacity of talent scout for A&M Records.  Joe was immediately signed and Look Sharp more professionally re-recorded in August '78.  The Joe Jackson Band finally started to play regular gigs and the album was released in January 1979.

Joe Jackson's story up to this point is much more fully, fascinatingly, and hilariously recounted in his book A CURE FOR GRAVITY.  From here on, though, it becomes more a matter of public record.  Look Sharp was followed within a year by the very similar I'm The Man, and in 1980 by the darker, more reggae-influenced Beat Crazy. At the end of 1980, drummer Houghton decided to quit, and Joe decided to dissolve the band and try something new.

In 1981 Jackson recorded Jumpin' Jive, a 'musical vacation' paying tribute to Swing and Jump Blues artists such as Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway.  Returning to songwriting, Joe spent a large chunk of 1982 in New York.  The result was Night and Day, a more sophisticated and melodic record built around keyboards and Latin percussion, rather than guitars.  With a new guitar-less band, Jackson hit the road for a whole year, and the album became his biggest success, going platinum in the US.  During the tour Joe also somehow found time to write his first film score, for James Bridges'Mike's Murder.  (He would go on to write several more, including most notably for Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker in 1988).

Jackson's next album Body and Soul(1984) was in a similar vein to Night and Day but featured a horn section (which, along with the Blue Note-inspired cover art, led many people to wrongly assume he'd made a jazz record).  For Big World (1986) Jackson stripped everything down to a 4-piece again, and recorded live, direct to 2-track master.  In 1989 he went in the opposite direction with the majestic, semi-autobiographical Blaze of Glory, and toured with an 11-piece band.  Laughter and Lust (1991) was more like a mainstream (though still idiosyncratic) rock record, but yet another lengthy world tour left Jackson exhausted and at a creative dead end.  As he sees it, his workaholic phase  -  which also included several film scores, a live album (Live 1980-86), an instrumental album (Will Power, 1987), guest appearances with Suzanne Vega, Ruben Blades and Joan Armatrading, and endless touring  -  was over.

The 1990s brought some of his most challenging and eclectic works: the gentle, soul-searching Night Music (1994), the ambitious and original song-cycle based on the Seven Deadly Sins, Heaven and Hell (1997), and the album Joe considers his best (and most underrated): Night and Day II (2000).  The turn of the century saw a burst of creativity: Jackson won his first Grammy (Best Pop Instrumental Album for the non-traditional, non-orchestral Symphony No.1) and published his book A Cure For Gravity.

In 2003 Joe re formed the original Joe Jackson Band for a stunning new album, Volume 4, and a lengthy tour.  The reunion was always intended as a one-off, but it also produced a live album, Afterlife, in 2004.

By this time Jackson was living mostly back in London. He made quite a few solo appearances, including on an unusual triple-bill tour with Todd Rundgren and the string quartet Ethel.  He sang and played piano on Rickie Lee Jones' It's Like That and William Shatner's Has Been (produced, arranged and co-written by Ben Folds). He was also awarded a Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Music and an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Portsmouth.

In 2006 Joe turned his attention back to pure songwriting and did a short Trio tour with Graham Maby and Dave Houghton. Having failed to happily re-establish himself in London, he moved to Berlin, where his next album Rain was recorded in 2007. Consisting of ten powerful, timeless new songs, Rain creates a surprisingly epic sound with just voices, piano, bass and drums. The trio toured for the next three years. A live album, Live Music, was released in 2011.

In 2012 Joe  released a tribute to one of his greatest musical heroes, Duke Ellington. The Duke is an often radical re-interpretation of fifteen Ellington classics, arranged into ten tracks, and featuring an eclectic roster of guest artists including Iggy Pop, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and other members of The Roots, Sharon Jones, Steve Vai, and jazz violin star Regina Carter, who joined Joe on the subsequent tour.

In 2015, Jackson announced the completion of his follow-up to The Duke via his official website. The album's title, Fast Forward, and track list were confirmed in addition to North American tour dates. The titular first single was released for streaming via his official SoundCloud page.

On 18 January 2019, Jackson released the album Fool. Jackson said about the album on his website: "One of my inspirations for this album was the band I've been touring with on and off for the last 3 years. I've had many different line-ups but this one is special." Jackson and the band performed "Fabulously Absolute" on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show on 21 January 2019.[20] Fool debuted in the top 20 album charts in Holland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. In the US, it debuted at No. 25 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart. In the UK, it entered the Indie Albums Chart at No. 13.

After a Covid induced layofff Joe toured the US and Europe in 2022 for a tour named "Sing, You Sinners!" featuring songs from his catalog plus a few select covers. The tour featured his band Graham Maby on Bass, Teddy Kumpel on Guitar and Doug Yowell on Drums.

Nov 24th 2023 saw the release of  "Mr Joe Jackson Presents "What A Racket": The Music Of Max Champion", a collection of songs written by the long forgotten Music Hall performer Max Champion.

Joe will be out on the road during 2024 touring both the US and Europe performing a 2 part set. First part will be solo performances from his catalog. The second part will feature songs from the "What A Racket" album performed with a 9 piece band.

Jackson splits his time between New York, Portsmouth UK and Berlin.

Reviews

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 559 reviews
  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Joe Jackson @ Charleston Music Hall

    by Matt on 6/29/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    As always, Charleston Music Hall didn't disappoint. Neither did Joe! Was a tight band, that played a good mix of older and newer songs. No set break. Creative presentation of some oldies as well. A good walk down a lane of memories for me.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Excellent Show

    by Robert on 6/29/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    Took my teenage son to see Joe Jackson at the Charleston Music Hall. Fantastic venue with wonderful acoustics as usual. He was very impressed with Mr. Jackson as well as with the other members of the band. Everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves and it came through in their performance. There were quiet moments, raucous moments and moments where you stood up and started to dance. So glad they chose to make a stop in the Holy City. Would definitely look forward to seeing them again.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Joe Jackson - Charleston Music Hall

    by stan on 6/29/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    Terrific show, Joe Jackson and band were wired and really into the performance. Appreciated the conversation with the audience. Sound system could use somw tweaking but otherwise, EXCELLENT.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Great show, excellent venue

    by Jerry D on 6/29/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    Joe Jackson put on an excellent show. He played a number of old favorites and some lesser known numbers. It all worked well together. He even had a couple of sing-a-longs. He sounded great and his ban was tight. Charleston music hall is a great place to see a show. It’s intimate and the sound was great.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Wonderful!

    by Mel on 6/28/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    Joe Jackson was wonderful as always! Great show, I hope he does another tour soon.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Still one of the best performers out there..

    by Sis on 6/28/22Center Stage Theater - Atlanta

    Joe has tested the waters on countless musical formats, so you never know what type of show you are going to get. You do know, that it’s going to be great. From his acapella version of ‘is she really going out with him’ to the classical lean of Rain, everything is so soul stirring and honest. He is a musical treasure, and a secret to all of us who treasure his music…

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Joe Jackson Perfection

    by Darrah G. on 6/28/22The Charleston Music Hall - Charleston

    He was just as good or better than I remember!! Amazing. And the Charleston Music Hall is the neatest small venue I have ever been in. This won’t be my last visit.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    Joe Jackson

    by JMac on 6/27/22Center Stage Theater - Atlanta

    The show was very good, the venue is great, being an intimate setting at Center Stage in Atlanta. The sound quality was good, it was great to see him. However, how do you show up for a concert and not play one of your biggest hits of all time… Breaking Us In Two… Was able to play it in the car on the way home, but that’s not what I paid hundreds of dollars for… I get it, we need to hear some of your new stuff too, but you can’t desert your fans when it comes to hearing the all-time favorites, I don’t care how tired you are of playing them … And to not play another big hit, Be my number Two, was another big miss…

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Joe still the Man

    by Mulazo on 6/27/22Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker - Ft Lauderdale

    I seen over 5000 ,concerts in my life, Joe is always in top 5 ,lately top 3

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Fantastic Show!

    by Jim F on 6/27/22Center Stage Theater - Atlanta

    Joe Jackson never fails to deliver. A great performer who consistently changes arrangements to keep his songs fresh. If you can see him live, do it!