When Vasti Jackson hits the stage, the room explodes with excitement; he brings charm and enthusiasm to his audience. But above all, his performances are exceptional. An impressive vocal range paired with emotion is just the start. His guitar chops match anyone playing the blues circuit — all fused with humor, expression, banter and unbound energy working the crowd across the stage.
Mid-set in the show he brought up a member of the crowd on stage and bantered vocals playing up a fun-filled moment of flirtation and humor. Playing covered songs like “Hey Joe” and “Purple Rain” really demonstrates, interprets, and reinvents the familiar with his sound and energy, which speaks to his honed talent off-stage musical career.
He is everything blues, yet why isn’t he more known to mainstream music fans? Maybe a similar case as the singers featured in the film Twenty Feet From Stardom? Jackson has had a whole other musical life separate from his solo work. Much of his early career was in the role of the musical director and guitarist for Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and several other blues and gospel artists.
Jackson has tackled different responsibilities that kept him from the spotlight. Most of his work is behind the scenes away from front stage spectacle. He worked as a session musician and as a producer. Demonstrating the breadth of his talent, Jackson performed on Scorsese’s The Blues series, and held the lead role in the stage production of Robert Johnson: The Man, The Myth, The Music.
Notable is his work in various roles of vocal arranger, guitarist, producer and musical director at Playing For Change. He is more about the connection of music than any personal fame. But once you do pay close attention to credits, you are likely to become aware of him.
Jackson never thought of himself as a front-guy as he was already full-time as a musical director, arranger, hired guitarist or in the studio. Until he got a nudge from Alligator Records recording artist Katie Webster, it never crossed his mind. Webster was emphatic that Jackson should front his own act.
So Jackson took the leap. But one cannot understate what informed his decision. “For me it’s a thing of faith, right? My thing is you always have to make room for God, have to make room for the Holy Spirit. It depends on the energy that I received from the lord.” So he is fortified from the false trapping of fame. He simply wants to use his music to connect with music lovers and the world at large.
Jackson has released a new CD titled Royal American Blues (recent ABS album review here). A collection of blues songs not centered on his guitar prowess or extended solos, he is focusing on the song structure following the stories in the spirit of oral tradition. An effort to depart from modern recordings and reaching into a traditional approach.
