Joe Jackson Announces Fall Tour Dates + Free MP3

Duke Ellington Tribute Album, The Duke, out June 26th on Razor & Tie

Guests include Iggy Pop, Sharon Jones, Regina Carter,
?uestlove, Christian McBride, Steve Vai, and more.

Joe Jackson Tour Dates

09/15: Bethesda, MD – Music Centre at Strathmore

09/16: Greenville, SC – Peace Center Hall

09/18: Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre

09/19: Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre

09/21: New York, NY – Town Hall

09/22: New York, NY – Town Hall

09/25: Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre

09/27: Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater

09/28: Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre

09/29: Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater

10/02: Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre

10/04: Saratoga, CA – The Lilian Fontaine Garden Theatre at Montalvo

10/05: San Francisco, CA – Nob Hill Masonic Center

10/06: Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
In support of his upcoming album The Duke (out June 26^th on Razor & Tie), Joe Jackson will soon be taking his stellar ensemble on the road for a Fall US tour. The touring band will include Regina Carter on violin, long-time Jackson collaborator, percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Allison Cornell, Jesse Murphy on bass,Adam Rogers on guitar, and Nate Smith on drums. The five-time Grammy nominee has also just unveiled the first track off the album, “I’m Beginning to See the Light.” Jackson’srendition of the revered track consists of a medley of the three Ellington classics, “I’m Beginning To See The Light,” “Take the A Train” and “Cotton Tail,” which premiered on The Huffington Post.

The Duke finds the iconoclastic English singer/composer/arranger/keyboardist interpreting 15 Ellington classics over the course of ten tracks, interspersing melodic and rhythmic elements of various compositions in a manner that’s consistent with Ellington’s own freewheeling approach. Rather than emulating the songs’ original big-band settings, Jackson filters the material through his own musical imagination while exploring an assortment of unexpected grooves and textures. The resulting album is a seamless fusion of sounds and styles, whose abundant sense of playfulness is consistent with Ellington’s boundary-breaking attitude.

Jackson’s distinctive voice is featured on I’m Beginning To See The Light, Mood Indigo, and I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good), while It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)finds him trading vocals with punk icon Iggy Pop. R&B diva Sharon Jones, meanwhile, shines with a soulful I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues. In keeping with Ellington’s multiculturalism, Jackson also encouraged Iranian singer Sussan Deyhim to perform a soaring Caravan in Farsi, and Lilian Vieira, of the Brazilian/Dutch collective Zuco 103, to create a sunny, sexy Portuguese version of Perdido.

The album’s striking mix of electronic and organic textures is especially evident on instrumentals like Isfahan, Rockin’ In Rhythm, The Mooche, and Black and Tan Fantasy. The musicians include two contemporary jazz stars, violinist Regina Carter and bassistChristian McBride; rock guitar hero Steve Vai; drummer Ahmir ‘?uestlove’ Thompsonand other members of The Roots; and two of Jackson’s old associates, guitarist Vinnie Zummo and percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos. The album was recorded and mixed by the legendary Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Sting, Bob Dylan). Though The Duke is a tribute album, it’s also very much a Joe Jackson album, consistent with his long-standing sense of musical adventure.

Tracks: 1. Isfahan 2. Caravan 3. I’m Beginning To See The Light – Take The A Train 4. Mood Indigo 5. Rockin’ In Rhythm 6. I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues – Do Nothin’ Till 7. I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good) 8. Perdido – Satin Doll 9. The Mooche – Black and Tan Fantasy 10. It Don’t Mean A Thing (If You Ain’t Got That Swing)