Born on August 11: Joe Jackson, the maverick of British music

He was born in 1954 in Burton-upon-Trent and has been immersed in music since his earliest childhood.

Barely a few inches tall, he began by learning the violin before finally settling on what would become his instrument of choice: the piano. With his debut album "Look Sharp!" (1979), he was associated with rock, and even the punk movement. But unlike most of his contemporaries, he studied music theory and composition and even holds a degree from the highly renowned Royal Academy of Music in London.

Right from the start, the singer enjoyed early success, notably with “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” (1979). His subsequent albums, “I’m The Man” (1979) and “Beat Crazy” (1980), maintained the same incisive energy with choruses such as “On Your Radio” and “Mad At You.” But the musician began to feel confined. A tribute to the swing of the 1940s—from Louis Armstrong to Cab Calloway —“Jumpin’ Jive” in 1981 thus marked a major turning point in his career.

From then on, the artist—free from preconceptions—took great delight in constantly exploring new musical horizons and defying labels. “Night And Day” (1982) and “Body And Soul” two years later drew their inspiration from Latin rhythms. Though more challenging to appreciate, Joe Jackson —an inventive melodist—nevertheless weaves in a few gems that would also enjoy popular success: “Steppin’ Out,” “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want),” and “Happy Ending.”

Now a free agent, the artist went on tour in 2024 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Body And Soul,” but he’s also brimming with projects that are polar opposites: a tribute to Duke Ellington on the one hand (“The Duke” in 2012) and an ambitious score evoking the life of Dracula on the other.

As creative as ever, Joe Jackson also continues to cultivate his own unique sense of satire and irony. Thus, the penultimate album in his impressive discography is titled “What A Racket!” (2023), even though it obviously maintains the high standard we’ve come to expect from him. As a prelude to a lengthy European tour this fall, the singer offers us “Hope And Fury,” his 22nd album, which he himself describes—brace yourselves—as “Latin-jazz funk-rock with roots on both sides of the Atlantic.” Once again, his lyrics lucidly dissect the “love-hate” relationship he has with his native country. This theme has, in fact, run through his entire body of work from the very beginning, with songs such as “Sunday Papers” (from "Look Sharp!" in 1979), “English Boys” (from "Night & Day" in 1982), and “Obvious Song” (from "Laughter & Lust" in 1991). On his latest album, the tumultuous opening track “Burning-By-Sea” depicts a fictional seaside town in decline, loosely inspired by Portsmouth, where he grew up. Through this incisive portrait, the town becomes a microcosm of an entire country in decline. The album cover further underscores this theme by showing a cup of tea—symbolizing hope—set against a backdrop of burning buildings (to illustrate the rage. Now in his seventies, Joe Jackson retains a capacity for indignation that would have pleased Stéphane Hessel, the author of “Time for Outrage!” who passed away in 2013.

Upcoming concerts in Belgium:

November 20: De Roma - Antwerp (Belgium)

November 21: Ancienne Belgique - Brussels (Belgium)

November 22: Vooruit - Ghent (Belgium)

See all the dates for his extensive European tour here:

http://joejackson.com/tour-news

Photo 1: Joe Jackson at the Cactus Festival in Bruges (Belgium) on July 6, 2019

Photo 2: Joe Jackson on stage at the Volksbelang in Mechelen (Belgium) on February 12, 1983

Photo 3: Joe Jackson at De Roma in Antwerp (Belgium) on September 27, 2024