Joe Jackson: “Rain”

I’ve always thought of Joe Jackson as a fascinating contradiction: geeky but cool, abrasive yet tender, punky and jazzy…you get the idea, and if you have heard any of JJ’s repertoire, now reaching back about 30 years. you know what I am talking about. I’ve had several years being out of touch with this artist’s work, so it was a pleasant surprise when I was able to attend his concert in LA this past week at the Orpheum Theater. It was the last show of his U.S. tour to promote his most recent release, “Rain.” I was excited to hear that it was a trio record – and a trio live show as well – with his longtime rhythm section, Graham Maby on bass and David Houghton on drums, and Jackson on piano. The arrangements throughout the show were full and dynamic despite the minimal instrumentation, and the trio kicked off the show with “Steppin’ Out” and set a playful tone for the evening. Again, an amusing contradiction, as title to the new record suggests a dreary perspective. It was a pleasant surprise to find that new songs like “Invisible Man”, “Rush Across the Road” and “King Pleasure Time” flowed easily in the same playlist with selections from Jackson’s earlier days, such as “One More Time”, “Chinatown”, “Different For Girls” and the New Orleans-y “Dirty Martini”. There was plenty of exuberant, jazz-punk verve to keep my blood pumping, but there were slow moments: “Solo” was a break for the band as Jackson played that song, well, solo, and with much drama. “Slow Song” was a beautiful way to finish off the tour, as the trio started it together, but one by one – first Houghton, then Maby – peeled their layer of rhythm and harmony away, and then - after waving to the crowd - physically slipped off the stage to leave Jackson to finish his song, and the U.S. tour, alone in the spotlight.As far as the CD, I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive from Amazon, but I’m attaching a copy of “Rush Across the Road” as a teaser. I like the sweetness of this song, and the optimism – two things I don’t normally associate with this artist. But, then again, I’m a native Seattleite, and grey weather means comfort and home to me…so maybe it makes sense that there would be, for this listener, a warm bright spot in Joe Jackson’s “Rain.”