supersonic
Artist Information
Biography
Guitarist, singer and composer Michael Gregory Jackson’s (nee Michael Gregory) unique style and sonic innovations have changed the face of jazz guitar and influenced acclaimed guitarists and musicians across genres. Rolling Stone magazine raved, "By the time (Jackson) was twenty-one he was already one of the most original jazz guitarists to emerge since the sixties."
Michael has tread a winding musical path over his 30-plus year career, embracing everything from creative music, jazz, blues, rock and electronica soundscapes to harmonically rich and lyrically-deep vocal tunes, with the complex arrangements and subtleties that are a signature of his music. His ability to span musical genres was best captured by one reviewer’s moniker, “Musical Mercury.”
Early in his career, Michael Gregory Jackson, the guitarist barely out of his teens was second in command of the mighty Oliver Lake Trio, one of the most critically acclaimed and far-traveling ensembles working jazz’s outer fringes. Michael pioneered the use of atmospheric volume pedal swells and distorted quicksilver leads that darted in and around Lake’s full-throated alto like a post-modern Bird and Dizzy, along with uniquely harmonic, folk fingered accompaniments on the acoustic guitar, as evidenced on the Oliver Lake release “Life Dance Of Is” (Arista Novus) Michael Gregory Jackson’s “Clarity, Circle, Triangle and Square” (ESP), Jackson’s “Karmonic Suite” (IAI) and the Oliver Lake Trio live set “Zaki” (Hat-Hut).
All of Michael’s recordings have garnered international critical acclaim. Robert Palmer wrote in Rolling Stone that Jackson’s “Heart and Center, with it’s completely original synthesis of influences ranging from Stravinsky to Duke Ellington, to Hendrix to Earth, Wind, and Fire is unlike anything that’s been heard before.”
Down Beat magazine called Michael "One of the most lyrical musicians working today...singularly personal and arresting and one of contemporary music's few genuine poets... Jackson’s daring, darting vocal is so serene yet intense that one is hard-put naming a contemporary vocalist of similar grace and power."
Michael Gregory Jackson’s latest release is “LIBERTY Art Ensemble Syd with Michael Gregory Jackson” (Embla/Gateway). “LIBERTY” includes seven of Jackson’s original compositions and it was recorded in Denmark. Notably “LIBERTY” is the first recording released under his full name Michael Gregory Jackson since 1983. Between 1983 and 2012 Michael’s music was released under Michael Gregory.
Michael’s ensembles have included musical luminaries Wadada Leo Smith, Marty Ehrlich, Pheeroan aKLaff, Oliver Lake, Baikida Carroll, Will Calhoun, Anthony Davis, Julius Hemphill, David Murray, Mark Helias, Jerome Harris and Mark Trayle to name a few.
P E R F O R M E D A N D / O R R E C O R D E D W I T H ( S E L E C T E D):
Julius Hemphill, Mick Jagger, Wadada Leo Smith, Nels Cline, Oliver Lake, Nile Rodgers, Henry Threadgill, Baikida Carroll, Will Calhoun, David Murray, Steve Winwood, Walter Becker, Kenwood Dennard, Vernon Reid, Anthony Davis, Jack Dejohnette, Archie Shepp, Obie Award Winner Ntozake Shange, Amina Claudine Myers, Henry Threadgill, David Sancious, Marcus Miller, Chaka Khan, Olu Dara, Jimmy Giuffre, John Tchichai, Niels Praestholm, Karl Berger, Jimmy Guiffe, Will Calhoun, Jerry Marotta, Jay Hoggard, Stephen Stewart, Lee Konitz, Ed Blackwell, Rodney Holmes, Nona Hendryx, Pulitzer Prize Winner Paul Muldoon, Omar Hakim, Dwight Andrews, Jessica Hagedorn, Ed Blackwell, Anthony Jackson, Marty Ehrlich, Karl Berger, Victor Lewis, Carlos Santana, Anthony Braxton
R E C E N T P E R F O R M A N C E S (S E L E C T E D):
Michael Gregory Jackson Ensemble recordings and concerts with Art Ensemble Syd,
Various Venues, Denmark
Guest artist and composer Northhampton Jazz Workshop, Northampton, MA,, Collaboration with Daphna Naphtali and Ras Moshe, The Spectrum, NYC
Guest artist with Wadada Leo Smith and Mark Trayle, Mills College, Oakland, CA
Michael Gregory Trio with Andrew Drury, Carl Testa, Uncertainty Music Series, New Haven CT
Michael Gregory Jackson Ensemble with Andrew Drury, Chris Stover and Niels Praestholm, Douglas Street Music Collective Brooklyn, NY
Guitarist with Wadada Leo Smith's Organic at Roulette, Brooklyn, NY
Guitarist with Wadada Leo Smith's Organic Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon Portugal
Guitarist with Wadada Leo Smith's Organic Teatro Manzoni, Milan, Italy
Michael Gregory Jackson new works and poems for small ensemble and improvisers, featuring Terry Jenoure and Wes Brown Northampton Center for the Arts, Northampton MA
Michael Gregory Jackson Trio featuring Gene Lake and Fima Ephron, Blue Curtain Concerts, Princeton N.J.
Guitarist with The Oliver Lake Trio, Saalfelden Festival, Saalfelden Austria
R E V I E W S ( S E L E C T E D):
On Michael Gregory Jackson’s new work •June 13, 2013 •
“Liberty” by Art Ensemble Syd with Michael Gregory Jackson
Embla Music & Experience (EME) 1302
I’m always interested in hearing music that reminds me that we are all somehow “Children of Ornette Coleman.” What I mean is musicians who may reflect differing aesthetic sensibilities yet share a common principle: multiple events can take place at the same time–not necessarily linked through shared harmony or pulse. In this musical world, players can share musical space, finding a way to conceptually if not literally remain “in tune.” From this perspective the idea of playing in unison might be taken non-literally, allowing each musician to start on a different pitch, each one expressing her or his individuality yet doing so in service of the collective. This is the democratic impulse of playing together as a group yet never sacrificing one’s unique voice.
As a general principle, I don’t write reviews of recordings. I think of myself as a musician who is interested in exploring the musical history of my colleagues. But when I received a writer’s copy of Michael Gregory Jackson’s new CD “Liberty,” performed by Jackson and Art Ensemble Syd, I thought that I might make an exception to honor such fine work that is indeed a “child of Ornette.” “Liberty” is alternately delightful and somber, sometimes displaying both qualities at the same time. The music is deeply touching and even heart breaking. It defies category (yay!).
Michael Gregory Jackson’s aesthetic brings together such an eclectic array of styles and approaches that it is hard to imagine anyone not finding something here to love. And I cannot stop listening to this recording. It is that good.
The recording opens with the infectious energy of an anthem “Liberty part one.” As the tune unfolds, four band members simultaneously play interwoven solos, all sharing the same musical space. Guitarist Michael Gregory Jackson, saxophonist Simon Spang-Hanssen, and violinist Heine Steensen, and flutist Thorstein Quebec Hemmet deliver what might be thought of as one part New Orleans early jazz, another part Ornette Coleman “harmolodic” synchronicity, and a third part jam band party. This collective solo section gives way to a slow, dreamy violin solo, with the initial up-tempo pulse never departing from the background. The pulse gradually moves back up front, ultimately awaiting the return the original theme.
“Liberty part 2” presents the counter theme, a calm refrain played in unison by the horn players, backed by Jackson, who plays a series of arpeggiated chords, each note spaced broadly apart. (Think, maybe, of John McLaughlin’s comping on the early Mahavishnu Orchestra recordings). The pulse from “Liberty part one” continues–and after the opening “part 2” melody repeats–is ready and waiting to support Jackson’s fluid, angular guitar solo. The counter theme repeatedly returns as a refrain, ultimately bringing the tune to a close.
“Gimbals” begins with a sparse electric guitar and bass duet (Niels Praestholm on bass), each of the duet partners filling in holes left by the other. Occasionally the two come together. Soon, Jackson and Praestholm are joined by drummer Matias Wolf Andreasen. The music begins to cook when the horn players jump in (and when I say “horns,” I’m generally including the violin), each playing variants of two-note figures. These all coalesce to craft a closing melody built upon and linking these tiny phrases.
“Undercurrents (a requiem for the victims of Hurricane Katrina)” is a somber ballad introduced by a violin solo. It is accompanied by repeated two-chord guitar gestures. A delicate melody follows, juxtaposed with light drumming, suggesting martial music. This is capped with a refrain, a winding, chromatic melody played in unison by the horns. The somber tone continues through Spang-Hanssen’s saxophone solo and then Jackson’s guitar solo, each spiced with hints of a more aggressive feel, rhythmically pressing against the beat. Each solo ends with the refrain, ultimately returning the melody. The juxtaposition of moods: somber and maybe pastoral and more rapid and forward pushing is unsettling. Surely this is the point.
The next two tracks offer a change of pace from what has preceded. “Citi” is a sparse, abstract sound collage. It suggests a very minimalistic collective improvisation, which heats up rhythmically towards the conclusion. “Down” is a beautiful ballad, sung by Jackson. It begins with the words: “I’ve come to a place, where my hope is wearing thin, Where within my strength is crumbling, where I’m falling down again, I’m here in this place, all choices seem the same, Where my heart knows only pain, where I’m crying, in the rain, Washes over me, in a violent, tangled, swirling sea, I’m lost, Shadow in the mist, no will to resist, Down and down and down I fall, down.” The musical setting of the lyrics heightens the sense of loss and desperation.
“Clarity 4” seems as connected to the opening four tunes as it serves as a coda to “Down.” The angular stop-start melody has a somber feel and is played in unison. The melody is followed by overlapping, fragmentary duets, with ever-changing partners. Increasingly, larger numbers of voices are heard in the mix. After a while, the playing becomes more abstract yet is held together by a shared container. Tension periodically builds, each time ultimately collapsing into quiet unison or silence. The opening melody returns to close out the tune.
In contrast, “8-33” begins with a simple melody played in unison, so slow and fragile that it can barely be sustained. After a while, the melody is joined by a dramatically contrasting staccato guitar figure, suggestive of a detective thriller. Soon, the drums share the energy of the guitar and the horns show fractures in the unity of the melody. The texture breaks apart with a brief, rapid saxophone solo. Then, the horns take on some of the energy and pulse of the guitar, only to return to their previous slow pace. The opening melody returns, no less fragile than when we first heard it.
The set concludes with another ballad for solo acoustic guitar, “For My Mother.” This melody is ornamented with virtuosic solo runs and figures. They add depth without getting in the way of the elegance of the melody. This is a beautiful conclusion to a deeply affecting, often heart breaking and beautiful musical journey.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: blues, guitar, harmolodic, jazz, michael gregory jackson, ornette coleman
"LIBERTY Art Ensemble Syd with Michael Gregory Jackson"
2013 It's great to have Michael Gregory Jackson (aka Michael Gregory) on the scene. Great because he is a true poetic artist--a fine and uniquely original guitarist, composer, songwriter, vocalist and lyricist. We've had an important reissue lately, dug him with his own units and with Wadada Leo Smith, and now there's a new one with Art Ensemble Syd, called Liberty (Gateway Embla Music & Experience EME 1302).
He joins up with an out-of-the-ordinary group of musicians and it's a combination both original and enjoyable to hear. Michael of course is on electric (and acoustic) guitar and also sings a bit (more on that later). Then there is the acoustic bass of Niels Praestholm, the alto, soprano and flute of Simon Spang-Hanssen, the violin of Heine Steensen, the flutes of Thorstein Quebec Hemmet and Matias Wolf Andreasen on drums and percussion.
This is the music of Michael in its current incarnation--there is a rock component in spirit and matter, but it is both lyrical and uniquely outside in its expressive strength. And it is that in a way that is what Micheal Gregory Jackson is all about. This is a creative, sympathetic band with the kind of instrumentation that gives air and light to the music. It's multi-layered more than thickly heavy.
Michael gets some guitar-gem soloing here, some of his very best. His song "Down" is particularly haunting, with lyrics that reach out to your inner angst. It's a song for the miasma many of us feel at times, during the hard times of the last decade, and it transcends by its sheer beauty.
There's a new version of "Clarity 4" that sounds as beautiful today as when he first recorded it years ago. There are some pristine acoustic guitar imaginat-ings and there are some smart rock-funk adventures.
It's a mind-blowing disk, one of his best in years. Michael is in top form and Art Ensemble Syd is an excellent vehicle for the new sounds happening here! Many stars, many stars! -
Grego Applegate Edwards - Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog
Michael Gregory Jacksons’ “Heart and Center, with it’s completely original synthesis of influences ranging from Stravinsky to Duke Ellington to Hendrix to Earth, Wind, and Fire is unlike anything that’s been heard before.” - Robert Palmer - Rolling Stone
Michael Gregory Jackson Clarity re-release ESP-Disk 2010 (1976)
“The opening "Clarity" (the title also contains a graphic element not reproducible here) begins with terse acoustic guitar arpeggios, keening flute and tenor, and then moves through an evenly-spaced upward tone row, following along a path outlined by Smith's concept of rhythm units. The shock—at least to those solely weaned on improvised music—comes when Gregory spins out a delicate, soulful tune with a vocal delivery reminiscent of a young Stevie Wonder. It's a short sung poem that meanders along a burbling sonic brook, but its effect is extraordinary, immediate and unlike anything else before or since in improvised music.” - Clifford Allen - All About Jazz
"One of the most lyrical musicians working today...singularly personal and arresting and one of contemporary music's few genuine poets... Gregory's daring, darting vocal is so serene yet intense that one is hard-put naming a contemporary vocalist of similar grace and power." -Down Beat
"Towards the Sun” picks up with graceful aplomb as if there were no gap in time at all, In fact, it was recorded over the whole of the ’90s. While fans of soulful ’70s and ’80s artists (Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, etc.) will find easy entrance into Gregory’s music, it’s also filled with subtle surprises that acknowledge his background in the gleefully iconoclastic fringes. All is not as it appears, with layering and compositional flourishes embedded in the songs, revealing themselves in slyly gentle ways. From the graceful modulations of “If I Only Had a Minute” to the thick guitar dazzle of “Love’s Parade,” this is an album filled with rich singing, inventive playing, and alluring, mesmerizing and cliché-free hooks." - Metroland.net
"Michael Gregory's high tenor voice calls to mind Smokey Robinson, Sting or Ben Harper as it flows with his guitar riffs...He doesn't back away from the difficult and sometimes raw themes connected with love and loss. Lays bare the sinews of human emotion. Gregory's honesty and hypnotic sound mixes are unabashedly mellow." -The Advocate
"Gregory has that rare combination of virtuosity and versatility, able to play the guitar whiz...then slip easily into hugely commercial cuts. Michael Gregory is, quite simply, the business." - Q Magazine
“A highly distinctive and beautiful CD of originals...his own unique style that synthesizes jazz, pop and soul...filled with romantic longing and smoldering passion." -Music Revue
"Take Bowie's sophistication, add Prince's flamboyance, and mix with plenty of originality. Michael Gregory writes crisp, vibrant songs, and sings them like it's a matter of life and death." -Trouser Press
"The songs...realize Michael Gregory's own theoretical musings about the fertile musical possibilities created when applying blues and jazz sensibilities to rock." -Spin Magazine
“Gifts" (1979) A beautiful, magical record. This record creates its own wonderful, unique space. Jackson's guitar work--rolling cushions of arpeggios here, fashioning darting, quirky solos there, the solid dancing rhythm section of Jerome Harris on bass and Pheeroan Ak Laff on drums simultaneously floating and holding down the pocket, the intertwining sound of Bakida Carrol on fluglehorn and Mary Ehrlich on reeds, with Jackson's soaring wordless vocals over the top--all in the service of Jackson's beautifully melodic compositions--I never get tired of this one. Besides the creative breadth of Jackson's vision here, I want to make special note of Ehrlich's contribution. He thoroughly inhabits the intricate compositions, always finding an improvisational voice that is absolutely at home - a masterful performance."
-Tim Helman Inspirations
Performed and/or Recorded With
Julius Hemphill, Mick Jagger, Oliver Lake, Will Calhoun, David Murray, Pheeroan aKLaff, Bernard Edwards, Billy Hart, Henry Threadgill, Buster Williams, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Winwood, Walter Becker, Kenwood Dennard, Baikida Carroll, Marty Ehrlich, Anthony Davis, Jack Dejohnette, Steve McCall, Anton Fig, Melle Mel, Omar Hakim, Jerome Harris, Carlos Santana, Eddie Henderson, Niels Praestholm, Paul Muldoon, David Sancious, Steve Thornton, Yogi Horton, Ntozake Shange, Louie Rozier, Willie Croes, Olu Dara, Kresten Osgood, Elisa Rego, Rasadon, Nile (boom) Rodgers, Raymond Jones, John Tchichai, Jerry Marotta, Mark Helias, Marcus Miller, Willie Croes, Rodney Holmes, Bernard Davis and many others.
Instrumentation
Michael plays solo and with various ensembles listed below:
Michael Gregory, vocals, electric and acoustic guitars.
Possible bass players, Niels Praestholm, Mark Helias, Kermit Driscoll and others. Possible Drummers, Kresten Osgood, Pheeroan aKLaff, Will Calhoun, Kenwood Dennard, Gene Lake, Billy Hart and others. Possible additional guitarists, keyboardists and horn players hired as needed.
Michael performs solo: vocals, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. In duo settings with a guitarist, bass player or saxophonist or any other combination of instruments. Michael also performs with various ensembles:3 piece/ guitar, bass and drums. 4 piece/ 2 guitars bass and drums, 5 piece/2 guitars, bass, drums and keyboard. Also possible 7 piece ensemble adding two horn players to the 5 piece group.
Discography
Selected Discography:
"Liberty" Art Ensemble Syd with Michael Gregory Jackson 2013 Embla Records Michael Gregory Jackson Artist and Co-Producer
"Blue Blue" 2010 Clean Feed Records I Never Meta Guitar (solo guitars for the XXI Century) Artist and Producer
"Clarity, Circle Triangle, Square" 2007 BIJA Records/ESP Records
"Karmonic Suite" 1979 IAI Records
Heart and Center, 1979 Arista Records Artist and Producer
"Gifts", 1979 Arista Records Artist and Producer
"Cowboys, Cartoons & Assorted Candy", 1982 Enja Records Artist and Producer
"Wild Flower Loft Jazz Sessions" 1999 Douglas Records
"Situation-X" 1983 Island Records Produced by Nile Rodgers
"What to Where", 1987 RCA/BMG Records Artist and Producer
"The Way We Used To Do" 1982 ENJA/Tiptoe Records Artist and Producer
"RED", 2003 Golden Records Artist and Producer
"Towards The Sun", 2002 Golden Records Artist and Producer
With Wadada Leo Smith,
"Hearts Reflections" 2011 Cuneiform Records Producer and Guitar
"Spiritual Dimensions" 2009 Cuneiform Records Producer (disc two) and Guitar
With Oliver Lake,
(MGJ Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica, Percussion and Flutes)
"Shine", 1978 Arista Records
"Life Dance Of Is", 1978 Arista Records
"Holding Together", 1976 Black Saint Records
"Zaki" 1979 (re-issued 2007 on Hat Hut Records)
"Wild Flower Loft Jazz Sessions" 1999 Douglas Records
Guitar, Electric Mandolin, 3 tracks, as leader with Oliver Lake and with Anthony Braxton
With Nona Hendryx, "The Heat" 1985 RCA Records Guitar Solos
With Pheeroan aKlaff, "Fits Like A Glove" 1983 Gramavision Records
Producer, Vocalist, Guitar Solos
With Amina Claudine Myers, "Amina" 1988 Arista Records Michael Gregory - Producer
With Clyde Criner, "Behind The Sun" 1988 Arista Records Michael Gregory - Producer, Programming and Percussion
With The Coyote Sisters, "Women And Other Visions" 2001 Wannadate Records Guitars
With Louis Guarino Jr. "Spiritual Awakenings" Enchanted Vibrations Records
Michael Gregory - Producer, guitar, bass
With The Equalites,"Choice Of Worlds" EQ Records Producer, Vocalist, Guitar Solos, Keyboards
Official Website
http://www.michaelgregoryjackson.com
Links
Photo Gallery
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MGJ22
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Press
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On Michael Gregory Jackson’s new work "LIBERTY" •June 13, 2013
[+ Show ]
On Michael Gregory Jackson’s new work •June 13, 2013 • “Liberty” by Art Ensemble Syd with Michael ...
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Michael Gregory Jackson LIBERTY
[+ Show ]
LIBERTY Art Ensemble Syd with Michael Gregory Jackson 2013 It's great to have Michael Gregory...
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Down Beat
[+ Show ]
"One of the most lyrical musicians working today...singularly personal and arresting and one of...
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Rolling Stone
[+ Show ]
“By the time he was twenty-one he was already one of the most original jazz guitarist to emerge si...
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Q-Magazine
[+ Show ]
“Gregory has that rare combination of virtuosity and versatility, able to play the guitar whiz...t...
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Trouser Press
[+ Show ]
"Take Bowie's sophistication, add Prince's flamboyance, and mix with plenty of originality. Michae...
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Spin Magazine
[+ Show ]
“The songs...realize Michael Gregory's own theoretical musings about the fertile musical possibili...
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The Advocate
[+ Show ]
"Michael Gregory's high tenor voice calls to mind Smokey Robinson, Sting or Ben Harper as it flows...
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Music Review
[+ Show ]
“A highly distinctive and beautiful CD of originals...his own unique style that synthesizes jazz, po...
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Sunday Republican
[+ Show ]
“Gregory's voice recalls vintage Prince, Curtis Mayfield and Aaron Neville...There's little doubt t...
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Record
[+ Show ]
“At a certain point Gregory comes spinning out of an emotional wringer, and takes a beautifully bers...
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Metroland
[+ Show ]
"Towards the Sun picks up with graceful aplomb as if there were no gap in time at all. While fans of...
Setlist
Set lists vary depending on format of venue, festival, club, concert etc. example, if two sets we play 2 x 45 min sets if one set 1.5 hours.
