Home » Jazz Musicians » Brian Jackson

Brian Jackson

Half of the power duo Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, Brian wrote, arranged and produced over 10 albums over an eight-year period. Time and time again that music has found its way onto over 100 cuts like Common's “The People” (from "We Almost Lost Detroit") and Kendrick Lamar's “Poe Mans Dreams” (from "Peace Go With You, Brother").

Almost 40 years later, Brian is still building with artists as diverse as Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Midnight Hour, A Tribe Called Quest) vocalist Gregory Porter, Christopher "Puma" Smith, (The Archives, Thievery Corporation), jazz violinist Scott Tixier and legendary bassist Charnett Moffett.

Brian looks to both the present and the past for inspiration in order to honor to the ancient tradition of the griot - the African troubadour of truth.

“This music isn’t really mine," Brian asserts. "I learned it from those who came before me. It’s my job to pass on what I've learned. That’s the Tradition.”

In the tradition of the African griot, Brian tells the stories of how many of his best-loved pieces came to light.

Bill Ortiz: Points of View

Read "Points of View" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
July 29, 2023

Long associated with Carlos Santana, with whom he had a 16-year stint, trumpeter Bill Ortiz steps into the spotlight here with an auspicious and highly entertaining session. Ten selections showcase Ortiz who is supported by some of the Bay area's best. The order of the day is energy, excitement, and an overall superb show. “Sunburst," an Eddie Henderson tune, launches things with a pulsing piano, driving bass, textured rhythms and Ortiz wailing, first using a Harmon mute ...

Album Review

Brian Jackson: Jazz Is Dead 8: Brian Jackson

Read "Jazz Is Dead 8: Brian Jackson" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
July 15, 2021

The Jazz is Dead series of recordings is neither trying to bury or resurrect the genre. It largely exists on the periphery where “jazz" is either a prefix or suffix. The project, launched by musician-producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad in 2020, is prolific and elastic in its choice of artists and styles. Younge and Muhammad's connections to jazz are purely inspirational. Muhammad's renowned hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, was known to sample from jazz. Younge holds ...

Interview

Brian Jackson: Winter In America Pt. 2

by Chris May
February 9, 2021

As Gil Scott-Heron's songwriting and performing partner during the 1970s, keyboardist, composer and arranger Brian Jackson was co-author of some of the most galvanising liberation music of the era. Inhabiting the intersection of jazz, soul and spoken word, Jackson and Scott-Heron, who met while they were both students at Lincoln University, were a team from Pieces Of A Man (Flying Dutchman, 1971) through Winter In America (Strata-East, 1974) and its breakout single “The Bottle," through six subsequent albums on major ...

Recording

Exotic International Singer Patrina Morris Released 'Up So Close' Featuring Brian Jackson

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
August 16, 2022

Patrina Morris brings a romantic summer dance feeling this month with the release of an upbeat single “Up So Close” the original 1966 vibe mix featuring Brian Jackson. Brazil meets a touch of Ibiza in this duet. Recorded in home studios, Brooklyn, Portugal, London and Brazil come together for the first time. Patrina: “We made this in an “old skool” way, before I had even met Brian in person and never released the original version, only an Ibiza remix. ...
read more

160

Performance / Tour

Onaje Allan Gumbs and Brian Jackson Perform in Benefit Concert, 1/1/06

Source: All About Jazz
December 31, 2005

ONAJE ALLAN GUMBS AND BRIAN JACKSON PERFORM AT THE CREOLE RESTAURANT SUNDAY, JANUARY 1

CRISIS ALERT: Jazz 4 AfriKa Concert Benefits SAREAD: Working for the Development of Rural Areas in South Africa

In-Joy Enterprises, Funkshunal Entertainment NYC, and SAREAD present CRISIS ALERT: Jazz 4 AfriKa, featuring jazz-soul giants Onaje Allan Gumbs and Brian Jackson performing with special guests at The Creole Restaurant on Sunday, January 1 at 9:00 p.m.

Harlem-born, Queens-raised, Onaje Allan Gumbs has enjoyed a career as first-call ...
read more