Interview with keyboardist Brian Jackson. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.com: – When did you realize that this was a passion you could make a living out of? How has your sound evolved over time? What have you been doing to find and develop your own sound?

Brian Jackson: – I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I began studying piano at age seven and I’ve been studying ever since. Before I was about to go to college, my music teacher told me: “Keep practicing; you might find opportunities to put some money in your pockets playing music in school.”

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I heeded her advice and ended up in three bands while in college. We all start out emulating our favorite musicians. I had a bunch. In the end, if you’re lucky, you begin to branch off from the ideas of others and your own sound develops.

JBN: – What routine practices or exercises have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical proficiency, in terms of both rhythm and harmony? Have you changed through the years? Any charges or overall evolution? And if so why?

BJ: – I continue to play, which is what I love to do. I don’t follow a routine, but I try to sit down and the keyboard whenever I can. I don’t compartmentalize rhythm and harmony anymore. I don’t know if I ever did. Of course I have changed. We all change. Change is inevitable, like it or not. The trick is to accept the changes and work with them.

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JBN: – In your opinion, what’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

BJ: – Spirit and intellect are intertwined. There cannot be one without the other. We must find the balance within our own selves, there is no formula. The balance continues to change, depending on what is happening in the moment. There are times when no words can be found and there are times when a concept or a thought needs to be
expressed. Other times, both are useful for expression. It all depends on the situation.

JBN: – If you could change one single thing in the musical world and that would become reality, what would that be? Whom do you find yourself listening to these days?

BJ: – I don’t think changing any one single thing in the musical world would make a difference. There are many things that need to be changed – how music is marketed, how musicians are – or are not compensated for it, how certain artists are put on pedestals and how artists are seen by big industry as disposable commodities – the limiting boxes that the industry tries to put music into – again, for marketing purposes. I could go on and on. But because so much music is available outside of that system, I find myself listening to music of all kinds – as much as I can. I am influenced by it all, even if I can’t name names of all of the artists.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Festivals 2023

JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine: where and why would you really want to go?

BJ: – I try to promote unity through music. Music being the universal language that everyone understands, it makes sense to try and unite all living beings around music. And I’m absolutely fine living in the present. What choice do I have?

Interview by Simon Sarg

Note: https://jazzbluesnews.com/2023/03/19/useu-jazz-blues-association-festivals/ You can express your consent and join our association, which will give you the opportunity to perform at our Jazz and Blues festivals, naturally receiving an appropriate royalty. We cover all expenses. The objectives of the interview are: How to introduce yourself, your activities, thoughts and intellect, and make new discoveries for our US/EU Jazz & Blues Association, which organizes festivals, concerts and meetings in Boston and various European countries, why not for you too!! You can read more about the association here. https://jazzbluesnews.com/2022/11/19/useujba/