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New school meets old school at Randolph's jazz gig
| Tuesday, Aug 5 2008 5:04 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Aug 6 2008 8:00 AM
There’s new school, old school then a mix of something in between.
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WHAT: Javon Jackson and the Javon Jackson Band with Les McCann
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Randolph’s Lounge, 7737 Meany Ave. Suite A-7
TICKETS: $30 to $40. Call Bert Johnson at 565-5583 or Randolph’s Lounge at 615-1490.
INFORMATION: www.randolphslounge.com
There’s saxophonist Javon Jackson and the Javon Jackson Band, pianist Les McCann and then there is Randolph’s Lounge on Friday night.
Jackson, a rising influence in the jazz scene will be joined by McCann, an old hand in the business, at the lounge in Rosedale at 7 p.m.
This year, the young saxophonist has played everywhere from Istanbul, Turkey to London to Capetown, South Africa, and is making his latest stop here in Bakersfield.
Jackson gained attention in the late 1980s for playing in the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers band for three years. The group, a proving ground for young musicians including Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard, showed Jackson to the world and gave him experience working with a jazz legend.
McCann got his start in the early 1960s and went platinum with the single “Compared to What,” which was viewed as a protest against the Vietnam War.
“It was a statement against war,” he said in an interview, adding that Vietnam is not specifically mentioned in the war.
McCann is joining the Javon Jackson Band, which by Jackson’s own admission, is happy to have him on the show.
“We feed off of him and he feeds off of us,” he said.
Concert-goers can expect a mix of both musicians’ songs and covers from Stevie Wonder, Al Green and Carlos Santana among other influential artists. Jackson said working with Blakey helped him move beyond traditional jazz into other forms of music. He compared his movement into funk and rock music from jazz to a change in the taste for food.
“In simple ways I was a guy who grew up with meat and potatoes and now I like Japanese food or Indian food,” he said. He added that playing from a different musical perspective allows him to return to jazz with a fresh perspective.
Either way, Jackson said the music should make the audience clap their hands and stomp their feet.
“Bottom line, the music is fun and energetic,” he said. “Easy to get involved in.”