Big news today! Joe Jackson will be releasing a new album Fast Forward on Oct 2nd and touring the US this fall - playing new and old material, solo and with a new band. The tour kicks off September 29. Visit the tour section for a full listing of dates. (Note: there is a European tour in the works for early 2016 as well.)
Along with songs from the new project, the show will include songs from his entire career, including his most popular albums (Look Sharp, Night and Day). Jackson will be "his own opening act," starting the show with a short solo piano/vocal set before bringing on the full band. The show will also include a surprising cover version or two, which will change from night to night.
For this tour Jackson has reunited with longtime bassist Graham Maby, and added two distinguished and eclectic New York-based musicians, guitarist Teddy Kumpel and drummer Doug Yowell. "We're all strong singers," says Jackson, "and along with that and Teddy's diversity and mastery of effects, and Doug's use of electronic as well as live percussion, we'll sound like a lot more than four people. This tour is going to be a lot of fun - I can't wait."
Fast Forward was produced and arranged by Jackson, and features four sets of four songs recorded in four different cities – New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Amsterdam – each with a different set of incredible supporting musicians. You can listen to "A Little Smile" (a track from the Amsterdam sessions) on the JoeJackson.com homepage right now or by clicking here.
Jackson has called New York home for many years. He recorded these tracks with Bill Frisell on guitar, Brian Blade on drums, his longtime bassist Graham Maby, and jazz violin star Regina Carter. Along with three originals including the album’s title track, these sessions also feature a cover of Television’s “See No Evil.”
SESSION 2: AMSTERDAM
Distinguished by the most diverse instrumentation of the four sessions, Jackson is joined on these songs by frequent collaborators Stefan Kruger and Stefan Schmid from the band Zuco 103, the Concertgebouw orchestra, and the project's only guest vocalist, 14-year-old Mitchell Sink (from the cast of the Broadway musical "Matilda.")
SESSION 3: BERLIN
Berlin is Jackson’s second home, and he recorded here with two expatriate American musicians: acoustic bass master Greg Cohen (Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan) and Tindersticks drummer Earl Harvin. These sessions produced the album’s second cover, Jackson's modern English take on the 1930s German 'Kabarett' song “Good Bye Jonny.”
SESSION 4: NEW ORLEANS
Jackson traveled to one of his favorite cities, New Orleans, to record with an all-local cast including three members of the funk band Galactic - drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, and guitarist Jeff Raines – and a horn section led by saxophonist Donald Harrison.
‘Fast Forward’ tracklist (all songs written by Joe Jackson unless noted)
New York
1. Fast Forward
2. If It Wasn’t For You
3. See No Evil (Tom Verlaine)
4. Kings Of The City
Amsterdam
5. A Little Smile
6. Far Away
7. So You Say
8. Poor Thing
Berlin
9. Junkie Diva
10. If I Could See Your Face
11. The Blue Time
12. Good Bye Jonny (Peter Kreuder and Hans Fritz Beckmann)
New Orleans
13. Neon Rain
14. Satellite
15. Keep On Dreaming
16. Ode To Joy
