When Joe Jackson released the 1978 pop single, “Is She Really Going Out With Him,” he joined a crowded field of British rockers vying for an American audience. The singer/composer/keyboardist survived the next 40 years by redefining his personal music space as he goes, releasing no less than 20 albums that embrace punk, jazz, blues, reggae, classical, swing and rock.
Jackson brings this mix of styles to Overture’s Capitol Theater on June 21, promising a set of career gems and covers that change for each show. “We’ve been touring for the past year and playing places we haven’t been to before, or not for a long while,” he says from his New York City home. “Your theater will either be filled with people who have been waiting to see us for years and will be wildly enthusiastic, or no one will be there! We hope for the best.”
To keep the show fresh, Jackson tweaks the arrangements of some of his hit songs. “There are some we just have to play — I don’t really have any favorites — it’s like if you have children, you love them all,” he says. “And, we’ll try some new things. Some surprising covers.”
Jackson is modest in response to the suggestion that his music catalog is still relevant. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he says. “I try to stay away from whatever is current or trendy. I’m not chasing that. I’m more interested in something that’s timeless, lasting.”
His catalog includes an album devoted to Duke Ellington, and he has won acclaim for his classical work; he received a Grammy in 2001 for his quiet, contemplative orchestral work, Symphony No. 1. His latest, Fast Forward, includes 16 songs, four each recorded in New Orleans, Berlin, New York City, and Amsterdam with musicians native to that locale joining in at each location. The songs yield subtle hints about the cities’ culture, music and groove. Each is timeless.
Composing happens at his piano, and the tune usually arrives first. “Musical ideas come more easily to me,” he says. “The music races ahead of the words with the words always trying to catch up. Sometimes I really struggle with words.” Often, his art imitates his life, as in “Love at First Light,” which tells of a budding relationship beginning the morning after. “That’s one of my favorites, and we’ll do it in Madison,” he says. “Yes, it’s a bit of a true story. It’s one person’s experience but a lot of people can relate to it.”
So is Jackson an artist or an entertainer? “If you define an artist as someone who is only interested in the work, and an entertainer as someone only interested in pleasing the audience, I’m not sure which side I really fall down upon,” says Jackson. “I guess I don’t really see a contradiction. You can’t pander to your audience and play only what you think they want. It’s like being in love. You can’t make yourself into what you think that person wants. You have to be yourself. Same kind of relationship with an audience for the artist and the performer.”