Some may know singer-actor and Obie-winner James Jackson, Jr. from his acclaimed theatre work, including the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning A Strange Loop, or most recently White Girl in Danger which played at the Vineyard Theatre. While he has been extending his exemplary theatrical career, he has also steadily developed into a first-rate cabaret performer, culminating in his first album, Birth, which has just been released and which he celebrated recently in a delightful show at Pangea with his longtime companion in cabaret, pianist/arranger Elliot Roth, leading a talented trio including Christopher Heinz on drums and Lavondo Thomas on bass guitar. The chemistry and musical mastery of the four was a testament to their long-time association and their innate artistry. His expertly written and delivered patter was a constant delight, giving us another window into Jackson as a performer and as a person. It was practically a textbook example of just how much to say, and to not say.
James Jackson, Jr. (Photo: Christopher Boudewyns)
Another title for the album and, in fact, for the show might be Deep Cuts…or maybe Deep Cuts Squared because Jackson has an uncanny knack for finding just the right lesser-known song from a songwriter to showcase both their writing talent and his dynamic performance. Beyond that, even the composers he chose tend to be deep cuts in and of themselves. It was a thrillingly curated night of great material. The singer’s very distinct vocal sound would not have been out of place in years past in Motown or Philly. It’s a classic pop/r&b instrument that he used to make each song his own. His emotional connection was so strong that it seemed like he wrote each number himself.
I can’t remember the last time I heard a Joan Armatrading song in a cabaret setting, but there was her “Love and Affection,” its complex rhythms and structure effortlessly delivered. At the risk of heresy, I hazard to say that the glorious release of “…with a lover I can really dance, I can really move” was even more effective and electric than the original. The dazzling keyboard work by Roth pushed it to an even more rarefied level. Jackson’s seductive phrasing of the closing “I am not in love, but I am open to persuasion” was a blissful cherry on top. Ani DiFranco received similarly impressive treatment on her “Both Hands” in which the singer echoed the musical storytelling ability of Prince as he infused and transformed the material with his irresistible energy. Here and elsewhere,, Heinz’s percussion was an invaluable asset.
Even the Great American Songbook came into play with Jackson’s especially effective retelling of “Guess Who I Saw Today” (Murray Grand, Elisse Boyd), which was another telling example of the singer’s love and respect for the music that has come before, the music that has filled his life. Prince himself was included with a blazing “Morning Papers” made even more incendiary by Roth’s Ray Charles-like solo in the middle. I am a big fan of Labi Siffre, the British singer/songwriter best known in these parts for the classic, “Something Inside So Strong” but perhaps even more famed for his marriage to two husbands in the mid-’90s. Obviously not content to tackle anything so well-known, Jackson chose “Bless the Telephone” and his delivery of the simple, conversational lyrics was a lovely dénouement for a wonderfully successful night.
I do have a couple of reservations that could easily be rectified, and that stood out perhaps more than they would have otherwise in juxtaposition to the glowing, moving surroundings. First was a distraction about which I have written many times in the past. Center stage, and referred to far too often, was a music stand on which an iPad “cheat sheet” was placed. He did not need it, as much as he might have thought otherwise. The other observation was trickier. Witnessing the singer’s delight in the material, the musicians, and in being in front of an audience, was a pleasure to see but became a bit too pervasive. There were a few times when his smiling enthusiasm did not fit the material he was singing and the story he was telling. I wish that he had stayed more firmly in the story of the lyrics and not let his love of performing take me out of the moment. He did a beautiful, and unexpected, “Angel from Montgomery” (John Prine) but I could only appreciate it technically because he kept forcing me to watch him perform it rather than to lose myself in the character in the song.
But as I said, these are minor reservations in an overall terrific show. Any time you get a chance to see James Jackson, Jr. in a cabaret, or to hear his new album, you should jump at it. He’s that special.
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Presented at Pangea 178 Second Ave., NYC, on June 7, 2025.
