“Life Isn’t Granted To Us Forever!” Brian Jackson Interviewed

Brian Jackson is living history – but then, history is still being written. The co-pilot on those stunning Gil Scott-Heron records in the 70s, he helped etch out the jazz-funk rulebook across a series of seminal albums that blended out-there musicianship with driving, deeply physical rhythms, and fiery polemical word-play that would presage rap music. Right now, though, Brian Jackson is in the middle of another purple spell – an album on vital LA imprint Jazz Is Dead signified his return, granted him the opportunity to tour the world anew. Sitting down with Clash in an East London hotel room hours before another performances, he’s a picture of contented serenity.

“We did what we set out to do,” he says simply, “and the reaction was pretty strong. Well, you never know, right? Some people might buy it, and some people won’t. But it was well-received.”

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Working with alacrity, his new album – the sagely titled ‘This Is Brian Jackson’ – continues his bountiful creative run, pointing to those 70s heights while embracing fresh innovation. “And now I’ve got another one out!” he laughs. “I don’t think I’m all that different from people, in terms of appreciating music that I like. So, I guess some other people will like this one as much as I do!”  

It’s remarkable that Brian Jackson’s current onward dash has coincided with the small matter of a global pandemic. “Well, those two were actually made before lockdown,” he explains. “And I’m actually finishing another one. So the time sequences are a little off, thanks to the pandemic. But I had a lot of energy – I’d been working a 9 to 5 for so many years, and once that stopped I could really focus on music again.”

But that’s not all. He’s also – very slowly, mind – writing a book, while a further album project allows the American artist free rein to indulge his passion for Brazilian culture. “I’m actually scheduled to go to Brazil this summer. Probably August! And work on a tribute album to one of my absolute heroes. It’s gonna be cool. Look, I’m 70 years old – I’ve got to take these opportunities when they come my way!”

He first encountered Brazilian music in the 60s, through composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and the bossa nova movement. “I’ve always been attracted to consuming music. Musically especially are really attracted to different chords, and if you look at classic Brazilian music, then that’s what attracted me.”

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Brian Jackson’s 30 year gap from the musical records – largely speaking – saw him focus on his family, working in computers. While his musical output may thrive on the groovy inexactness of the human touch, for three decades he dealt in digital perfection. “I’ve a long history with that. I remember when the first synthesiser hit the market, I was on it. I’ve always had a technical mind. I’m fascinated by technology. Of course, I then did it professionally, but now I have the time, I’m looking to merge the two.”  

“There are a number of producers whose goal is to make things sound more human,” he says. “And now technology has caught up to that. Now we can just lay down our own ideas, without worrying about the computer reinterpreting it for us. That’s been a big change: a computer will now, more or less, give you exactly what you put into it.”

Early retirement saw Jackson relocate to Portland, adoring the sudden rush of space in his life – particularly during lockdown. “The nature there is absolutely gorgeous,” he says. “I try to go out as much as I can.”

“I was actually about to go out on the road in March 2020. But as things came closer, I kept looking at the news, and looking at my family. And when it came down to it, I looked at my wife and said, I just can’t go. I dropped my bag and stayed there.”

The space allowed him to regroup, and to take stock of the situation. Seated mid European tour, he admits that these travels take on a new light following the events of the past two years. “A lot of people coming to the shows are wary about going out in the first place,” he says. “But at the end of the day, we all did it because we wanted to experience something. I decided it was time, time to do that. And people decided it was time to do it with me – to break that musical fast!”  

One of Brian Jackson and Gil-Scott Heron’s first UK tours took them to Birmingham, where a delay meant that they arrived at the venue later. “It was this university gymnasium,” he recalls. “And when we got there, we were like: where is everybody? I took a step in, and couldn’t see anybody. We took too long to get there – everybody was passed out! But they did wake up when we started!”

He adds: “London has always been kind to me. This is like my second home, musically.”

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As Clash points out, each generation of London clubbers has drawn their own influence from his work: ‘The Bottle’ was a Northern Soul and jazz-funk smash; rare groove adopted his Flying Dutchman sides; the jazzy end of DNB and broken beat adored his work; and virtually everyone on XL Recordings namechecks his archive. There’s an innate rebellion to what Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron achieved that makes their music so potent. “it’s a big part of music, isn’t it? That’s how we rebel. It’s how we keep ourselves linked in to our own priorities, the stuff that matters.”

“We were writing about addiction, for example. Or broken homes. That will always be relevant. Take a song like ‘Winter In America’ – now that shouldn’t be relevant! It shouldn’t. But we don’t have that much control over that.” – Were the two aware that what they were creating was going to live through the decades?

“Well, we hoped so. Because we certainly weren’t doing it for the money! We had a sense of wanting to make music that really meant something, that would mean something to people outside of our sphere. And it has – I mean, I just did my first show in Warsaw!”

“It was a beautiful venue. Just gorgeous. But people were oddly silent. And someone said to me afterwards, perhaps you expected them to respond? And I say, well, yeah! And they said: the reason they were quiet, was to try to keep from crying. It was just so emotional for them to finally hear this music live!”

Then and now, Brian Jackson seeks to express complex ideas in an open, accessible form; he’s inputting raw data, and receiving beautiful diagrams in exchange. “We were working class,” he points out. “What was the point of making music that was so erudite, nobody could understand it? We wanted to follow the tradition of the griot, which is exactly that: it’s about communicating with as many people as possible.”

With a year of tour dates, releases, and – potentially – finishing that book in front of him, Brian Jackson is a font of energy and optimism. Just being in his company leaves you feeling lifted, as though darkened possibilities are suddenly flushed with light. “I feel like I’ve got the time and inclination to do these things now,” he says. “But I’m 70 years old now… life isn’t granted to us forever.”

“I had 35 years in a 9 to 5 thinking about the ideas I wanted to express. Fortunately, the kind of music I want to make is being returned, and looked at, so that means I don’t have to change that much. Which is good, because I don’t want to!”

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‘This Is Brian Jackson’ is out now.

Words: Robin Murray
Photo Credit: Fabien Brennecke

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