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Tina Jackson is a star. That's not the fan in me speaking, and it's not just hype. What was thought to have been her hay-day back in the 80s, when she first emerged as songwriter and folk guitarist playing the local night club scene in Orange County California and touring with the NAACP winning tour of Ain’t Mis Behavin’, is looking very much these days like a warm-up exercise.
Jackson, once the Southland’s recording studios’ household word for BGV (back ground vocalist), wrote music for other artist’s projects for twenty years before debuting a solo album in 2003. It's true that Tina Jackson never really caught fire as a solo artist in Orange County where her time as a tenured full lyric soprano with Opera Pacific and principal musical theater performer tend to be regarded as her career peak. But elsewhere, and particularly in Long Beach today, things are very different. Tina Jackson commands a considerable LA and OC fan-base which has put her on the Blues/Rock map and her independent release Songs In The Key of Me’ on Internet Radio and IPod download sites. Her solo album boasts a roll-call of fellow “independent” collaborators, from producer/arranger Peter Dobson to assorted musicians supporting Taj Majal, Al Green, Muddy Waters, Fleetwood Mac, Frank Zappa, Ben E. King, and Andre Crouch, each one bringing the same kind of passion they’ve poured into their own independent releases, proving Tina is a artist who can rally the troops as well as the fans.
But here in the realm of the independent recording artist, we rip our parachute from a bit more durable cord. Last Saturday was the final Long Beach date on Tina Jackson's self-booked 2005 tour. The venue was the world renowned Blue Café. The Long Beach landmark and the “Home of the Blues” is the icon after which the House of Blues franchise was fashioned. Distinctly small, the Blue Room stage, upstairs at Blue Café offers the kind of intimacy that Tina Jackson fans are at home with. With Poncho Sanchez downstairs on the larger stage at the same time the place quickly sold out with fans crowding onto the stairs and every crack and crevice. It may not have been the Staple Center but the atmosphere suggested it was going to be a good show. Her self-released CD, hints at a certain solid independent drive. During the concert I saw a few people singing along to her songs so apparently she’s carved out a certain presence though she has not reached the mainstream.
Tina Jackson strides on stage without ceremony and definitely without a dramatic introduction. Her presence is all that's necessary. She’s one of those select few performers who can command attention and dominate the stage simply by standing there gazing onto and into the crowd, but never over or through them. She’s lithe and glamorous in all black; a sheer kimono over a low-cut undershirt, jeans, and boots. Those classic wide almond eyes catch the light. She’s every inch the rock star. Her hair, swept up and dangling back down in retaliation all over her shoulders in no particular order like a haystack after a hurricane, but for all that we are instantly aware that we are in the presence of true showmanship. Her band is laid out inconspicuously like a back-drop, except for the ever pulsating energy of the drummer, Bryan Rose, (Wishbone, Foreigner) an unrelenting rocker, and the lively and tone-loveliness of Tammy Owens, singer/songwriter, and Jennifer Howell (Dirty Martini) on back-up vocals. The show begins and of course the show is good.
With several hundred all time favorites and nigh as many originals under her belt Tina Jackson has an extensive catalogue at her disposal. A program of what she planned to play and what she wished she had time to play was on every table. Not only did we get our all time favorite Blues and Rock hits made famous by male and female artists alike, but we were treated to several acoustic selections from Tina’s original songbook which featured her on guitar with New Day, and Dark Water cropping up early in the second set. It's a typically flamboyant performance from Ms Jackson who struts about the stage as if she owns the place. She’s poses and delivers the goods to the lights obviously aware of her visual impact and unashamedly playing it up. But the real proof of Tina Jackson's prowess as a performer is of course, emitting out of the PA stacks at 100 decibels. The Jackson voice is in fine shape and as strong and expressive as ever, and so too is the Jackson dramatic technique. Watching her expressions you know what the song is about, although there’s never any question about the lyrics. Tina puts an end to the myth that slurring your words is more soulful than enunciating. She plays her Shure Beta58A mic like an instrument, shifting it closer and further away, then twirling it now and then to snatch it out of the air on a final rim-shot. Verily we are in the presence of the master.
The band a bare boned rhythm section, hangs back and allows their leader the limelight, but the music determined and steady asserts their presence. Drew Hendrickson demonstrates that he knows what to do with a Gibson and a wah wah pedal. The band never quite takes on the mad-eyed rampage typical of Blue Café acts at their most unleashed. Nevertheless they slice way into the air confidently accenting the demeanor of the woman at the centre of it all. A group of women no longer able to keep to their chair dancing, drag unsuspecting yet willing young men into the small space in front of the stage and proceed to get their grove on.
Tina Jackson's solo material leans towards a certain approachable heart-true structure, which will undoubtedly be a catalyst to her great success. But mostly in the spotlight tonight is her authoritative take on classic rock tunes played with a strut and some down-home soul that wouldn't disgrace Eric Clapton, BB King, or Etta James. A user friendly audience and some extraordinary talent made my trip of 400 miles to catch the last performance of the year well worth the effort.
Sweet Home Chicago ( Robert Johnson) a favorite of mine about my old stomping grounds was dedicated to me early in the show, but each song that followed quickly became the new favorite. Movin’ On Up, a TV theme from the 70’s no doubt was a most unusual choice, but none the less was received by the sing-along crowd. Saxophonist Justin Padilla rendered his embellishments in duet style weaving in an out with Tina’s lyrics and never stepping on a single syllable. Tina often displays a talent for leather-lunged vocal force that is seldom evident on her own material. During the three guitar acoustic interlude, Tina and two members of Blues Racket Band, offered a very fine rendition of what I would describe as intimate poetry set to music. And then as if to confirm the source of the wellspring from which it all comes, guest guitarist Dale Woodson is invited to the stage and the band rips a riotous rendition of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Pride and Joy, with Tina wailin’ like she’s just invented rock 'n' roll.
The big finish, of course, has to be Rockin’ Robin, the all-time classic Tina Jackson song, the signature tune, the anthem delivered with gusto. And then alas, that's it. The show's over, and as the band acknowledges the applause and the lights go down or more accurately at Blue Café, the house lights come up. There's almost a sense of a journey’s end, that we've reached some kind of destination. Outside, under the blue glow of Blue Café’s neon sign the truck is backed up to the artist entrance for loading. Tina Jackson's next destination; a short sabbatical at her Long Beach home then a new tour in the spring of 2006. But tonight, it was good to ride with her as she took us to a place we will fondly remember for a good while to come.
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