FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375

23 March 2009                                                  email: greatscottproductions@earthlink.net

 

 

Guitar Idol returns to the spotlight with

his first solo album in nearly six years

 

Paul Jackson Jr.’s Lay It Back growing at radio, the multi-dimensional guitarist lining up concert dates following his American Idol band performances

 

 

In between juggling duties as the guitarist in the American Idol all-star band and being a first-call session player who has performed on best-selling albums by many of the biggest stars in popular music, Paul Jackson Jr. carved out time to ply his immense “guitarisma” on his first solo collection in nearly six years.  Lay It Back, released last Tuesday (March 17) by Branch Records, Inc., is his seventh solo collection of soulful R&B, contemporary jazz excursions, cuddle-up close pop ballads and contemplative blues jams.  Jackson Jr. produced or co-produced the fourteen selections that comprise the album for which he wrote or co-wrote ten compositions, one of which is the title track.  The cut, featuring incendiary cool jazz riffs laid in rapid-fire succession back of a funky shuffle beat, is a Cornelius Mims collaboration that is currently ascending the radio charts.        

 

Jackson Jr. entered the recording studio for the Lay It Back sessions with two goals.  First, he desired to create music brimming with passion that resonates with listeners in a more meaningful way.  Second, he strived to propel his songwriting, production and performances to the next level, no easy task after his last solo disc, Still Small Voice, spawned his first #1 single, a cover of the Motown classic, “It’s A Shame.”  Aside from the tracks he produced alone, Jackson Jr. shared productions chores with Mims, Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout, Jeff Carruthers and Dave Delhomme.  With a BlackBerry full of gifted musicians to call upon, some of those texted to bring Lay It Back to life were Jackson Jr.’s mentor Patrice Rushen (piano), keyboardist Bobby Lyle, bassist Alex Al, vocalist James Reese, Ray Brown (Earth, Wind & Fire horns) and The Rickey Minor Band, the latter with which Jackson Jr. performs on American Idol, award shows (Grammy Awards, NAACP Image Awards) and at various special events and television shows.       

 

In addition to radio programmers welcoming the arrival of new music by Jackson Jr., so have reviewers.  JazzTimes wrote, “On his latest, which features bigwig studio cats like bassist Alex Al, drummer Teddy Campbell and pianist Herman Jackson, Jackson throws in the obligatory covers—Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing” and the Commodores’ “Easy”—but the real meat comes with a generous selection of 12 originals, with Jackson’s electric, easy-gliding guitar singing along.  They include ‘2 For 10,000’ with guest pianist Bobby Lyle, the playful ‘Lucy the Cat,’ the real blues of ‘Fourteen ’Til’ and the Top 40 stylings of ‘Hit It.’”  Urban Network stated, “The project opens with a powerful 1-2 punch of ‘The Workout’ (a collabo with Jeff Lorber) and the title track ‘Lay It Back’ (a collabo with Cornelius Mims)…Also of note are ‘Ballad for Uncle Ronnie’ (a tribute to his one-time boss Luther Vandross…) the funky ‘Swing It’…and best of all, a collabo with the ever-ubiquitous soul-jazz producer Rex Rideout titled ‘Hind’s Feet.’”  

 

Although committed to his American Idol band duties through the show’s May 20^th finale, Jackson Jr. will sneak out with Lyle to perform a tribute to his idol Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith at the Berks Jazz Festival in Pennsylvania on April 3^rd.  After American Idol wraps, Jackson Jr. will play in the band backing a stellar cast on VH1’s Divas Live.  On June 23^rd, he’ll team with Abe Laboriel, Tom Brooks and others at a benefit at Orange County’s Saddleback Church.   In July, Jackson Jr. will lead his own band at California dates at the Agua Dulce Winery in Santa Clarita on the 11^th and at the Broadway Plaza Summer Jazz Series in Walnut Creek on the 23^rd.  Jackson Jr., Chuck Loeb and Chieli Minucci form the potent triple guitar assault unit billed as Guitarzz that will perform September 6^th at the Heritage Jazz Festival in Nashville, Tennessee.        

 

Respected for his musical diversity, agility and precision, Jackson Jr. has played on over one thousand albums that amount to over 90 million records sold.  His remarkable discography lists recording with Vandross, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, Sir Elton John, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand, Queen Latifah, Yolanda Adams, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sergio Mendes, Smokey Robinson, Anita Baker, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Bobby Brown, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Teddy Pendergrass, The Temptations, Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Donna Summer, The Pointer Sisters, Chicago, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Tom Scott, Will Downing, Richard Elliot, Dave Koz, David Benoit, Boney James, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and Brian Culbertson.  In addition to American Idol, Jackson Jr. can be seen on television performing on America’s Got Talent and Don’t Forget The Lyrics.  The last two years, he composed the theme song for the NAACP Image Awards and has played on more than a dozen movie and television soundtracks including Undercover Brother, for which he co-wrote the theme song, and The Martin Lawrence Show, on which he served as musical director.  Additionally, Jackson, Jr. was the musical director for the Icon Awards honoring Berry Gordy, which featured performances by Wonder, Robinson, Lionel Richie, and Herbie Hancock.   Additional information is available at www.pauljacksonjr.com. 

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375

10 February 2009                                              email: greatscottproductions@earthlink.net

 

 

Back with a vengeance: Paul Jackson Jr. returns to the spotlight

 

The soul-jazz guitarist’s Lay It Back streets March 17, title track shipped to radio

 

It’s been nearly six years since Paul Jackson Jr. scored a #1 single at contemporary jazz radio with his version of the Motown classic, “It’s A Shame.”  Since then you’ve seen him deploy his chameleon-like “guitarisma” on American Idol each week and on other national television shows, including the Grammy Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.  He’s one of the most recorded guitarists who has literally played on more than a thousand albums for a library list of legends including the best-selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  Jackson Jr. is finally reassuming center stage armed with his seventh solo album, Lay It Back, which will be released March 17^th on the newly formed Branch Records, Inc.  The title cut, a bumpin’ bottom-end R&B groove in an edgy futuristic setting from which Jackson Jr. dispenses cool jazz riffs, was sent to radio with a February 16^th add date although it’s already amongst the most added singles on the Radio & Records chart. 

 

While diversity is the name of the game in his role as a first-call session guitarist, when it comes to his own recordings Jackson Jr. immerses himself fully in urban-flavored contemporary jazz.  His warm organic guitar sound and passionate style of play are inspired whether the setting on Lay It Back is R&B, jazz, pop or blues.  Jackson Jr. produced or co-produced the fourteen songs that comprise the album for which he wrote or co-penned ten selections.  On the tracks he didn’t produce alone, he shared the duties with Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout, Jeff Carruthers, Cornelius Mims and Dave Delhomme.  Amongst the talented musicians contributing to the tracks were Jackson Jr.’s mentor Patrice Rushen (piano), keyboardist Bobby Lyle, bassist Alex Al, vocalist James Reese, Ray Brown (Earth, Wind & Fire horns) and The Rickey Minor Band, the latter of which Jackson Jr. performs with on American Idol, award shows and at various special events.  Some of the tracks were recorded with Jackson Jr.’s funky band of gifted session players, which fostered a live sound.  Throughout the disc, Jackson Jr. alternates between leading with an electric or an acoustic guitar.  Heat was added to the tracks by utilizing more horn section parts than he’s used in the past.  A pair of Lorber collaborations – “The Workout” and “Lucy The Cat” – are aggressive funk jams.  “To Be Like Him” is a gorgeous heartfelt ballad while “Bay Shore Drive” is an inviting excursion through familiar territory.  Another standout is the poignant “Ballad For Uncle Ronnie,” which is dedicated to Luther Vandross.  Jackson Jr. takes listeners back to his formative years with a couple of faithful covers, Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” and Lionel Richie’s “Easy (Like Sunday Morning).”         

 

“Lay It Back is the culmination of a year-and-a-half of serious work.  I think it’s the next level from Still Small Voice (Jackson Jr.’s last album).  I wanted to build on that foundation yet write better songs, play better and musically take it to the next level,” explained Jackson Jr.  “Another thing that I consciously did while recording this album was attempt to really make people feel something with my music.  I hope the music resonates with listeners on a deeper level.” 

 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jackson Jr. started playing the guitar at age 11 and decided to become a professional at 15 when he first recorded.  In addition to the mentorship he received from his neighbor, Rushen, Jackson Jr. majored in music at USC.  Aside from Wes Montgomery, many of his influences – George Benson, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour and Ray Parker Jr. – became mentors and encouraged him in his chosen career path.  Known for the meticulous fretwork which he delivers with intensity and precision, Jackson Jr. has played on platinum- and gold-selling albums that have sold over 90 million copies.  His extraordinary discography includes recording with Michael Jackson, Vandross, Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, Sir Elton John, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand, Queen Latifah, Yolanda Adams, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sergio Mendes, Smokey Robinson, Anita Baker, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Bobby Brown, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Teddy Pendergrass, The Temptations, Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Donna Summer, The Pointer Sisters, Chicago, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Tom Scott, Will Downing, Richard Elliot, Dave Koz, David Benoit, Boney James, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and Brian Culbertson.  In addition to American Idol, Jackson Jr. can be seen performing on America’s Got Talent and Don’t Forget The Lyrics.  He composed the theme song for the NAACP Image Awards and has played on more than a dozen movie and television soundtracks including Undercover Brother, for which he co-wrote the theme song, and The Martin Lawrence Show, on which he served as musical director.  With six albums previously released by Atlantic Records and Blue Note Records, Jackson Jr. is excited about refocusing on his solo career with the launch of Lay It Back on his family-run record label.  Additional information is available at www.pauljacksonjr.com. 

 

The songs contained on Jackson Jr.’s Lay It Back are:

 

“The Workout”                                     “Lucy The Cat”

“Lay It Back”                                       “Bay Shore Drive”

“Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”        “Hind’s Feet”

“To Be Like Him”                                 “Easy (Like Sunday Morning)”

“2 For 10,000”                                       “Swing It”

“Ballad For Uncle Ronnie”                     “Hit It”

“Can This Be Real?”                             “Fourteen ‘Til”

 

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