With Herbie Hancock in the 1970s and 80s Jackson appeared on such seminal jazz funk albums as Headhunters and Thrust receiving one of his Grammy nominations for co-writing ‘Chameleon’. Jackson also featured on Secrets, VSOP, and Sunlight among other Hancock albums. In more recent years the Oakland, California-born player has appeared with the reformed Headhunters band and has recorded his own solo albums.“It’s such an honour for me,” Michael Janisch says commenting on the signing. “Paul Jackson is one of my very top heroes on electric bass. I started playing at 10 years of age and luckily for me my music teacher gave me the album Thrust by Herbie Hancock later in my teens, and it blew my mind. I still play – and teach my students – the bass lines from this album today. His feel is otherworldly, as if he’s singing right through his instrument, both when comping and soloing. And his groove cuts right to your bone; it’s something that cannot be taught.”The Jackson trio begin their latest European tour with guest Pee Wee Ellis on Sunday with a club date in Stockholm, and the Whirlwind album will be recorded in a London studio on completion of this latest tour.
Updated 29 March: the Paul Jackson trio enter the studio to begin recording on Monday