Interview: James Jackson Jr Celebrates BIRTH THE ALBUM in Concert at Pangea

On Saturday June 7th at 7 pm, East Village mainstay Pangea will present a concert celebrating James Jackson Jr.’s debut album release. The Obie Award-winning star of Strange Loop and White Girl in Danger will sing tracks from his new album, Birth, which comes out June 6 and is now available for pre-order on Apple Music and Spotify.

Featuring classic songs from Joan Armatrading, Nancy Wilson, Ani DiFranco, and more, the worlds of pop, jazz, folk, blues and R&B combine with the classic twists Jackson is known for in his long-running cabaret career. The debut recording has musical arrangements by Jackson’s long-time pianist and music director, Elliot Roth and features musicians Lavondo Thomas and Christopher Heinz, with LaDonna Burns supplying background vocals. The complete album, executive produced by Jackson and made possible through a crowdsourcing effort launched late last year, will also be available on Amazon.com, as well as for purchase at live performances and at BandCamp.

Read a conversation with Jackson about the upcoming album and release concert.

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How does it feel to be celebrating the release of your debut album?

It’s very Little Red Riding Hood in Into The Woods — I feel “excited and scared.” This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, but never thought was possible. I didn’t think anyone would ever be interested in me recording an album. Now that Birth is done, I’m so proud of what we created, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

You have quite a wide range of genres represented on the album. How did you approach choosing and ordering the tracks your recorded?

We’ve got an arsenal of songs. Elliot Roth, my music director for all these years, and I have always worked on music that we actually enjoy. In the early years of my career, I heard a lot of “Oh, you can’t sing that…” or “That’s not for you”. Once I started singing what I wanted to sing and how I wanted to sing it, it changed how I went into just about any creative situation. There’s a wide range of genres represented because…well, I represent a wide range of genres. And the order of tracks? Back in the day I made the most amazing mixtapes. I know exactly how to make the perfect setlist.

Are you planning anything special for your album release show at Pangea on June 7th?

Now I’ve got the bug to do more recording, and for new music, and also for working on some original music. Who knows what will happen at the album release show? Anything is possible.

You recorded this album in part thanks to a crowdfunding effort. What was that experience like?

Back to that “excited and scared” Little Red Riding Hood thing. I was terrified to ask people to invest in my album. I did a ton of research beforehand. I read this wonderful book by Salvador Briggman called “Music Crowdfunding Secrets”. And I really got in touch with this idea that I’m not selling some product to someone, I’m just telling the truth about how much this dream of mine means to me. The right people will show up and support you if they are interested. And they did. I followed a very set plan, stuck to it, and we raised over $15,000 in just over two weeks. It was so unbelievably heartwarming to watch happen. I am eternally grateful to this very special group of people.

What are you planning to work on next now that you’ve wrapped this album? Do you have any future goals you’re working on?

I have performances coming up this summer that I’m very excited about. I do a lot of work with the Juneteenth Provincetown Committee in Cape Cod, so I’ll be there for a week in mid-June (www.JuneteenthPtown.com). I’ll also be performing there in August and again in October. I’ve been asked to join the Board of Directors of The Provincetown Theater, which I’m so honored to do. And I’ve also got the recording bug, so I definitely plan to record new music by the end of the year. I’ve been slowly adding dates to my website, www.TheJamesJacksonJr.com. 

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To learn more about the artist, visit www.TheJamesJacksonJr.com

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