"Paul Jackson is a trailblazer. He has a combination of wisdom, wit, humor (Paul can tell you funny stories for days) and inner drive that have blended together to form his pioneering spirit. Paul grew up in Oakland, California and has lived in Japan for the past 30 years; that explains why this new album is a combination of earthy and seminal funkiness mixed with a modern, experimental approach. The spirit of The Headhunters is evident in the music but you can feel and hear something new as well." - Xantoné Blacq (an excerpt from the liner notes)
Bassist, vocalist, composer-arranger, producer and educator Paul Jackson is known as a “Musician’s Musician.” A founding member of Herbie Hancock’s 'The Headhunters', Paul’s creative output has shaped a new direction in contemporary music. He is one of the world’s most important and influential electric bassists - certainly one of the most studied and copied - and generations of bass players around the globe have been inspired by his signature grooves.
After years of touring the globe with Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Chick Corea, and countless other visionaries, Jackson has assembled his own trio featuring multi-instrumentalist Xantoné Blacq and first-call drummer Tony Match. The Paul Jackson Trio have been touring internationally as of late with some engagements featuring guests Randy Brecker and Pee Wee Ellis, and along the way they've developed a new program of Paul’s music, the result of which is their debut release Groove or Die, recorded at WAX studio in London, England after a thirty date tour of Europe.
Jackson couldn’t be more pleased with his new trio. “I am super happy. When we’re improvising I get the same feeling that I felt when playing with Herbie and The Headhunters. This band has everything I need." Jackson's new trio covers all the bases that the repertoire on Groove or Die requires: from soulful vocal ballads, samba, and driving improv to rock, P-funk, jazz, breakbeat, drum and bass, and beyond, Groove or Die is a mix of emphatic vocals and embroiling instrumentals straight from the maestro himself, influenced by decades of music-making at the highest level. For fans of Paul's bass playing specifically, the album doesn't disappoint-- it's chock full of grit, grime, and soul, delivered in classic Paul Jackson style, complete with his trademark sound and nuances. No doubt a few of these grooves will be added to the 'Paul Jackson bible of bass lines' that players know the world over.
Although Jackson is the central focus his trio is very much a band with equal responsibilities. Paul performs as a vocalist, bassist and chief composer; however, an added bonus on the album is the musical force that is Xantoné Blacq, who turns out some highlight performances-- just listen to his vocal feature on his own composition 'What You Talkin Bout'. He also contributes to the album with background vocals, key solos, percussion and post production layering. Tony Match is the rock throughout the album opting for taste over showmanship, aptly holding down drum chair while performing with one of the world's greatest bassists, no small feat.
Despite all its technical wizardry Groove or Die is a highly accessible album for anyone who loves the craft of songwriting. Paul's lyrics reflect many of life's ups and downs and his vocal delivery is as heartfelt and nuanced as his bass playing. After countless years on the road performing to millions of fans Jackson sincerely believes there are only two choices in life: groove or die. To that, as Blacq appropriately exclaims in the liner notes, "there can be only one response: Groove on Paul, groove on."
