Jakko Jakszyk

Jakko Jakszyk

Jakszyk in 2014
Background information
Birth name Michael Lee Curran
Born (1958-06-08) 8 June 1958
Origin Archway, London, England, UK
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active 1976–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website http://www.jakko.com

Michael "Jakko" Jakszyk,[2] (born Michael Lee Curran;[3] 8 June 1958),[3][4] is an English singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. As of 2013, he is the current lead singer and second guitarist in King Crimson and also pursues a solo career. His work has been variously credited as "Jakko", "Jakko Jakszyk", and "Jakko M. Jakszyk".

As a solo artist, Jakszyk has released six studio albums. Prior to joining King Crimson in 2013, he had fronted multiple bands and projects over the course of three-and-a-half decades (including 64 Spoons, Dizrhythmia, 21st Century Schizoid Band, Jakszyk Fripp Collins and Rapid Eye Movement) and had also been a member of Level 42, The Lodge and The Tangent. He has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians (including Tom Robinson, Peter Blegvad, Danny Thompson, Gavin Harrison, Warren Harry, Pandit Dinesh, and Dave Stewart) as well as following an extensive and well-respected career as a session musician and soundtrack producer.

Biography

Roots and childhood (1958–1974)

Jakszyk was born at Whittington Hospital in Archway, London,[3] the son of Irish singer Peggy Curran and an unknown American airman. At 18 months of age, he was adopted by two European refugees who had settled in England after World War II: Polish Norbert Jakszyk and his French wife, Camille.[3][4] Jakszyk grew up in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, and would later describe his childhood as unhappy; his adoptive parents' nationalities led to an unsettled homelife. He explained, "There was a lot of confusion - English was [a] second language for both of them, so although I could understand them both, they often couldn't understand each other - it led to all sorts of daft misunderstandings and rows."[3][4] Jakszyk was frequently in conflict with Norbert, although the two would reconcile later in life. In 1977, he tracked down his birth mother Peggy, who had settled in Arkansas; he and Peggy would eventually meet in 1984. Jakszyk would later reconstruct his complex family history in an extended radio piece, The Road to Ballina.[2][5]

Originally aiming to become a professional footballer, Jakszyk switched his full attention to his other two obsessions, music and acting, after failing to win a place with the Watford Boys football squad at the age of 15.[3] As a developing musician, he was inspired equally by pop, progressive rock, and jazz fusion (with artists such as Allan Holdsworth, Henry Cow, King Crimson, and Hatfield and the North being particular favourites) and developed a high level of skill as both a guitarist and singer by his mid-teens. Having joined the National Youth Theatre at 14, he maintained his acting work in parallel to his musical efforts and would eventually gain his Equity card. In 1974, at the age of 16, he was kicked out of the Jaksyzk family home by Norbert,[5] and embarked on a struggling career as part-time actor and musician while working at a number of dead-end jobs to survive financially.

Early bands: Soon After, 64 Spoons, and Rapid Eye Movement (1975–1980)

By 1975, Jakszyk was leading an eccentric jazz-rock band called Soon After. His self-confessed "dictatorial tendencies" reduced a bigger line-up down to a trio of "two screaming lead guitars and a trumpet" (the latter played by ex-National Youth Jazz Orchestra member Ted Emmett). The band reached the finals of the 1975 Melody Maker National Rock/Folk competition, coming third to a heavy metal band featuring future Clash co-leader Mick Jones and to a big band featuring future top-ranking saxophone session musician Gary Barnacle. When Soon After split up, Jakszyk toured with "a strange little band" which supported Camel, Stackridge and Judas Priest, and then briefly joined a Tring-based band called Synthesis which played progressive rock in the Canterbury-scene vein.[3][6]

Jakszyk's first significant band was 64 Spoons which he joined as guitarist and lead singer in 1976, co-writing much of the band’s material. Between 1976 and 1980, 64 Spoons wrote and performed a cleverly-arranged and tightly-drilled blend of pop, progressive rock, jazz and comedy (typified by their single "Ladies Don't Have Willies") which led to friendships with several of the musicians who had inspired the band’s work, notably Dave Stewart.[3][6] Boosted by an exuberant and funny live show, 64 Spoons proved popular with audiences but failed to gain an effective record deal or media breakthrough and split up in 1980. Jakszyk would subsequently describe them as "the wrong band at the wrong time".[6] Their only album - Landing on a Rat Column - was eventually released in 1992, many years after it was recorded.[6]

Following the split of 64 Spoons, Jakszyk joined Dave Stewart, Rick Biddulph and Pip Pyle in the band Rapid Eye Movement. Jakszyk contributed several songs to the band's repertoire ("One More Time", "I'll Stand On My Own", "Ingmar Bergman On The Window Sill", "Straining Our Eyes" and "Dear Clare", the last of these originally a 64 Spoons song) and co-wrote some material with Stewart ("This Is Not What I Want" and "'Allo Darlin' I Work On The Fair"). Between August 1980 and June 1981, Rapid Eye Movement toured Spain, France and the UK and recorded some material but split up due to Stewart's desire to concentrate on studio work (Jakszyk sang on the original version of Stewart's cover of "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted?", later a hit with a new vocal track by the Zombies' lead singer Colin Blunstone).

During this period, Jakszyk also contributed to sessions for the former Van der Graaf Generator saxophonist David Jackson's album The Long Hello Vol. 3 (eventually released in 1982).

Early solo career, Stewart/Gaskin, and The Lodge (1981–1987)

Signing a solo deal with Chiswick Records in 1981, Jakszyk began to record his debut solo album, Silesia (aided by Dave Stewart, David Jackson and Amanda Parsons).[4] Chiswick released three singles during 1982 ("The Night Has A Thousand Eyes", "Straining Our Eyes" and "Grab What You Can"), although none were hits. A full release of Silesia was shelved at the last minute when Chiswick declared bankruptcy while the album was at the manufacturing stage[3] (although the album had a limited release in Germany).[7] Strengthening his existing links to British art rock, Jakszyk began working with Peter Blegvad (ex-Slapp Happy/Henry Cow) and would go on to play on the latter's first three solo albums (beginning with 1983's The Naked Shakespeare).

In 1983, Jakszyk signed a second solo recording contract with Stiff Records. Three further singles followed between 1983 and 1984 ("Dangerous Dreams", "I Can't Stand This Pressure" and "Who's Fooling Who") and recordings were made for a second solo album. Due for release in 1985, this album met with the same fate as "Silesia": it was shelved in 1985 when Stiff Records filed for bankruptcy.[3]

"It was so frustrating. The basic problem was the lack of a hit single, but there was a lot of A&R interference, which drove me mad. Nobody knew anything, but that didn't stop them showing up at the studio and asking for all sorts of pointless changes. It was particularly bad in America, where there was lots of drug-fuelled nonsense going on -- executives coked out of their bonces making arbitrary decisions which they'd change the following day. Your whole career was in the hands of these people, and there was bugger-all you could do about it. (One company) employed a spirit medium. He was on the payroll -- he'd even attend board meetings -- and the boss insisted that all the new signings go to see him so he could predict their future."

Jakszyk on the problems with his early solo career[2]

Discouraged but not defeated, Jakko supplemented his income with acting work[2] while continuing to pursue music. He continued his collaboration with Dave Stewart, contributing to his duo work with Barbara Gaskin and playing a prominent role on the Stewart-produced Neil's Heavy Concept Album (a 1984 spin-off from the Young Ones comedy series). During this time he also met an up-and-coming drummer Gavin Harrison, who’d become one of his most frequent collaborators. (It was also during this time that he finally visited the United States to meet his birth mother in person.)

Jakszyk's third attempt at recording a solo album (this time for MDM Records in 1986-87) was also shelved when MDM’s distributor Virgin Records dropped its support for the company.[2][3] (Some of the "lost" material from this and the previous two shelved albums eventually resurfaced on Jakszyk's 1996 compilation album Are My Ears On Wrong?, while Jakko’s ill-fated first album Silesia was also briefly issued on CD in the late 1990s.)

In 1987, Jakszyk joined Peter and Kristoffer Blegvad, John Greaves, and Anton Fier in the short-lived New York-based band The Lodge (with whom he recorded one album, The Smell of a Friend).[3][4]

Sessioneer/producer, The Kings of Oblivion, and Dizrhythmia (1987–1989)

From 1987 onwards, Jakszyk consolidated his work as a pop session player and budding producer, and also signed a new and remunerative publishing deal. He spent some time living and working with producer Larry Williams in Los Angeles, during which he wrote with, produced or played for Bill Myers, Shari Belafonte and Tommy Funderburk's rock band What If.[4] This period was also notable for a ludicrous footwear-related encounter with Michael Jackson.[8] and for Jakszyk's refusal to let a then-little-known Whitney Houston record one of his songs (either "Behave Yourself" and "Don't Blame Me", both of which were later recorded by The Nolans). Returning to the UK, he played with Swing Out Sister and Sam Brown (contributing to and co-arranging the latter's 1988 hit single "Stop"), and toured with Italian singer Alice.[3]

At the same time, Jakszyk continued working on original projects. He teamed up with Gavin Harrison as The Kings of Oblivion in order to record the Big Fish Popcorn album (released on the Bam Caruso label in 1987). The album was a pastiche project (along the lines of XTC's Dukes of Stratosfear), later described both as "inspiring" and "(like) the absolute worst of Frank Zappa or Ween".[3] Both musicians took on ridiculous pseudonyms for the project (Jakszyk as "Mario 'Fat Man' Vanzetti" and Harrison as "Helmo 'Hairdo' Hudson") and fictitious liner notes claimed that the recordings were in fact the first and second sides of a "lost" 1967 double LP recorded in the back of an auto shop.

The Kings of Oblivion led into a more serious project when Jakszyk and Harrison teamed up with classical Indian singer/percussionist Pandit Dinesh and Danny Thompson (Pentangle, John Martyn and many others) on double bass. The quartet formed the world-fusion project Dizrhythmia, which mixed jazz, folk, art rock and Indian classical music. Pandit Dinesh encouraged several highly regarded Indian classical musicians (such as Sultan Khan) to contribute to the album, while his three British colleagues brought in their own friends and colleagues from the art rock world (Dave Stewart, pedal steel guitarist B. J. Cole and Jakszyk's old 64 Spoons partner Lyndon Connah). Dizrhythmia's self-titled album was released in 1988 for the Antilles label, and featured a wealth of guest musical talent. The album gained good press attention but the band - for unexplained reasons - did not follow up on this.[3]

Tom Robinson, Level 42, and The Kinks (1990–1994)

While continuing his work as a session player and producer, Jakszyk also recorded a duo album with Tom Robinson called We Never Had It So Good. Begun in 1988, it was released in 1990 and gained very positive press attention.This brought Jakszyk to the attention of the highly successful Britfunk band Level 42, who needed to replace their recently deceased guitarist Alan Murphy (and Murphy’s temporary substitute Allan Holdsworth). Jakszyk's own Holdsworthian guitar style, additional instrumental skills and broad knowledge of pop music made him a natural choice.

Jakko went on to play on all of Level 42's live tours and promotional appearances between 1991 and 1994. However, record company politics restricted his contributions - despite being pictured on the cover of 1991's Guaranteed, he never actually performed on a Level 42 studio album and was never a core member of the band. For similar reasons, material which he wrote and recorded with the band with the intention of release ended up shelved when Level 42 reunited with original drummer/songwriter Phil Gould.[4] In the event, Gould's second period with the band was short, and Jakszyk brought in Gavin Harrison as drummer to fulfil tour obligations. Jakszyk left Level 42 when group leaders Mark King and Mike Lindup opted to split the band up in 1994. He would later play in one of the line-ups of King's solo bands.

On the 1 January 1994 BBC Radio broadcast of The Johnnie Walker Show Jakszyk briefly performed as a member of The Kinks', substituting for guitarist Dave Davies. No reason was given, although Ray Davies' snide comments about his brother imply another bump in their volatile relationship.[9] The songs performed on the broadcast were "Phobia", "Over The Edge", "Wall Of Fire" and "Till the End of the Day #2".[10] It's ironic that Jakszyk performed with Tom Robinson AND The Kinks, considering the animosity between Robinson and Ray Davies that developed during the aborted sessions for Robinson's nascent folk trio Café Society, that Davies was producing for The Kinks' short-lived Konk imprint.

Solo artist, art rock journeyman, and radio documentarian (1994–1999)

Following Level 42's disbandment, Jakko joined forces with three former members of Japan - Richard Barbieri, Mick Karn and Steve Jansen - who were considering forming another band following the disintegration of their post-Japan project Rain Tree Crow and the end of their work in the No-Man live band. The musical combination of the four players worked well and led to a lasting musical friendship, but did not result in a full-time band project. Instead, Jakko resumed his solo career. Signing a new record deal with the progressive/art rock label Resurgence, he released the Kingdom of Dust EP in 1994. All four of the EP tracks came from his work with Jansen, Barbieri and Karn.

In 1995, Jakko released a new solo album - Mustard Gas and Roses - on Resurgence, featuring a mixture of sharp, intelligent pop songs and progressive/art rock instrumentals. The album featured further contributions from Karn and Jansen, as well as from Sam Brown, BJ Cole and Jakko’s Dizrhythmia colleagues Danny Thompson and Gavin Harrison. In 1996, Resurgence released a Jakko compilation album called Are My Ears On Wrong? - which compiled material from Jakko’s second and third solo albums (the ones which had been shelved by Stiff and MDM during the mid -1980s).

Since 1991, Jakko had been sketching out plans for an autobiographical radio piece called The Road To Ballina, a mixed music-and-spoken word project exploring his own family history and his bittersweet search for his birth mother. In 1995 this went into production. In addition to Jakko's own account of growing up as an adoptee, the work included extensive contributions from both of his adoptive parents relating to their often harrowing wartime experience in Europe as refugees and conscripts and as people under occupation. Several of the recordings were conceptually arranged (including specially made recordings of Norbert Jakszyk recorded in Auschwitz-Birkenau) while the music tracks featured Gavin Harrison and two of Jakko's former Level 42 colleagues, Mark King and Gary Barnacle.

The Road To Ballina was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in December 1996, and Resurgence released a slightly shorter and compressed version on CD in early 1997. Significantly, this was the first of Jakko’s albums to be credited to the longer name of "Jakko M. Jakszyk", under which he’d release all of his future solo work. In March 1999, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a second Jakko radio piece called The Church of Lanza, which used many of the same techniques as The Road To Ballina. The piece dealt with the nature of fame and celebrity - focussing on "the deification of stars who die young" - and used the life of Mario Lanza as its focal point. The piece incurred the wrath of a number of outraged Mario Lanza fans, and remains unreleased on commercial CD.

During this period, Jakko continued to work as a guest and collaborator on the music of others. Between 1994 and 1999 he made significant contributions to albums by Akiko Kobayashi (Under the Monkey Puzzle Tree), Peter Blegvad (Just Woke Up), Gavin Harrison (Sanity & Gravity), Pip Pyle (7 Year Itch), Saro Cosentino (Ones and Zeros) and Richard Barbieri’s project Indigo Falls. A particularly notable effort was his contribution to Mick Karn's 1996 album The Tooth Mother, on which he displayed his full versatility by playing saxophone, shawm and Indian dilruba (in addition to his more usual guitars, keyboards, flute and programming skills).

21st Century Schizoid Band, The Bruised Romantic Glee Club, and The Tangent (2000–2009)

In 2002, Jakko was instrumental in the establishment of the 21st Century Schizoid Band, which specialised in performing the 1960s and 1970s repertoire of King Crimson and featured several ex-members/associates of the band - Ian McDonald, Mel Collins, Peter Giles and Michael Giles (the latter later replaced by Ian Wallace). Jakko fronted the band, playing guitar and singing. Over a five-year period, the 21st Century Schizoid Band played occasional tours in the UK, North American and Japan. The band was well received by audiences, and released several live albums plus a concert DCVD. Its work came to a halt in 2005 due to lack of funding and difficulties in finding worthwhile arrangements for tours: Wallace's death in 2007 finally put an end to the project.

By this point, Jakko had spent several years assembling another solo album, which was eventually released as The Bruised Romantic Glee Club in 2006. Hailed as his most accomplished work to date, the double album featured one disc of new Jakko songs and one disc of his reinterpretations of works by musicians who'd influenced him (including King Crimson, Soft Machine and Henry Cow). The album included a remarkable sweep of guest performers assembled from the full length of Jakko's career and associations. As well as contributions from long-standing allies Lyndon Connah, Gavin Harrison and Dave Stewart, the guests included Danny Thompson and Pandit Dinesh (from Dizrhythmia); Mark and Nathan King (from Level 42); and King Crimson members Robert Fripp, Mel Collins and Ian Wallace. Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine) and Clive Brooks (Egg) also made an appearance, playing on a Soft Machine cover version initially recorded for a compilation in 2000.

Despite some highly complimentary reviews, the original 2006 release of The Bruised Romantic Glee Club was blighted by bad luck and the collapse of the record company releasing it. Eventually, the album was re-released on the King Crimson-associated record label Panegyric in 2009 (alongside a companion album of material recorded at the same time called Waves Sweep the Sand).

In 2007, Jakko joined British progressive rock band The Tangent for their album Not as Good as the Book (released 2008). Following one guest appearance and one full live show at the Summers End festival in September 2008, he resigned from the band.

Jakszyk, Fripp & Collins, and recruitment into King Crimson (2010–present)

Since 2002, Jakko’s connections to the musicians in and around King Crimson had grown closer (via the 21st Century Schizoid Band, Gavin Harrison's recruitment into King Crimson in 2009, and Jakko's own developing friendship with Robert Fripp, which led to Jakko being invited to remix King Crimson’s 1995 album THRaK for reissue) . In January 2010, Jakko and Fripp began recording ambient instrumental pieces on a casual basis: this eventually developed into a full song-based project involving Mel Collins. Gavin Harrison and King Crimson bass player Tony Levin were brought in to complete the recordings, which were released in May 2011 on the Panegyric label as an album called A Scarcity of Miracles credited to Jakszyk Fripp & Collins. At the time, King Crimson was in a "dormant" phase, but the involvement of three current band members, one former band member and a previously separate singer-songwriter in this new project led to speculation that King Crimson was about to reactivate and would recruit Jakko as a new frontman.

Initially Fripp demurred these suggestions. In an online diary entry, he described the trio as an endeavour which "has the Crimson gene, but is not quite KC. It is a Crimson ProjeKct, although this was not the intention. Given the gene pool, I suppose this counts as evolution. If JFC were named as a ProjeKct, which would be legitimate IMO, then all manner of expectations, categorisations, limitations & dopey commentaries would be launched to deter the ears of innocent audients". Fripp went on to comment that the origin of the trio was in fact a proposed but abandoned ProjeKct Seven (featuring himself, Jakko, Collins, Levin, Harrison and possibly some other players) and described the forthcoming A Scarcity of Miracles as "one of my favouritist (sic) albums, of those where I am a determining element".[11] A Scarcity of Miracles was met with a good critical response and a mixed welcome from the King Crimson fanbase. Due to Fripp’s retirement from live performance, the release was not supported by a concert tour. Fripp’s formal retirement from the music industry in 2012 stifled most of the remaining rumours.

On 24 September 2013, Fripp made the surprise announcement that he was launching a new lineup of King Crimson, with its first tour planned for September 2014.[12] Shortly afterwards the personnel list was announced, with Jakko confirmed as lead singer and second guitarist. The new King Crimson lineup continued and expanded the Scarcity of Miracles project personnel: other members besides Fripp and Jakko were Mel Collins, three members from the 2009 Crimson band (Gavin Harrison, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto) and another new recruit, American drummer Bill Rieflin.

Work in comedy and acting

Jakko has had a sideline in comedy work parallel to his solo career (ranging from radio programmes to character work on television) and has spent some time as a member of the actor's union Equity. His work as a character comedian has included playing the demented but fleet-fingered Italian guitarist Eduardo, a sidekick to comedy music duo Raw Sex (Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron). As Eduardo, Jakko appeared on the French & Saunders TV show in 1987, as well as being part of Raw Sex's subsequent theatre show at the Kings Head in Islington and three-week stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jakko also impersonated Lindsey Buckingham in the French & Saunders TV parody of Fleetwood Mac.

In the BBC TV movie In Dreams (starring Lenny Henry and Bill Paterson), Jakko makes a cameo appearance as Michael Jackson's recording engineer. He has also appeared in the BBC sitcom Birds Of A Feather.

Under the pseudonym of "Grand Master Jellytot", Jakko produced the novelty hip-hop single "The Stutter Rap" (performed by "Morris Minor and the Majors", who included future comic star Tony Hawks). This record was a sizeable chart hit in 1987.[13]

Musical style

Jakko has followed a variety of musical approaches. He has increasingly become known – in his solo work in particular - for blending elements of well-crafted songwriter pop with aspects of progressive rock. While best known as a guitarist and singer, he can also perform on a variety of keyboard, string and wind instruments from various cultures (and write for others), ensuring that his work has drawn on assorted elements of jazz, art rock, classical, Irish, Eastern European, Indian and Chinese music. His soundtrack work draws on a variety of sources as well, although he has commented that "very few (of the soundtracks) have a distinct Jakko stamp (whatever that may be)."[4]

Personal life

Jakko is married to model Amanda Giles, the daughter of King Crimson drummer Michael Giles. They have two children and live in Hertfordshire.

Discography (selected)

Solo (as Jakko)

Singles & EPs
Albums

Solo (as Jakko M. Jakszyk)

Albums as group member

Notable guest appearances & session performances

Album remixes

Soundtrack work

Jakko has written and performed title and incidental music for the following television programmes:

He has also composed orchestral scores for the CD-ROM games World War II and The War in the Pacific.

References

  1. ↑ "News". Dgmlive.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "MICHAEL 'JAKKO' JAKSZYK: The Road To Ballina". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Level 42/Mark King Web Site - Jakko Jakszyk Biography". Level42.150m.com. 1958-06-08. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Jakko M. Jakszyk". Calyx.perso.neuf.fr. 1958-06-08. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  5. 1 2 Information from dialogue in The Road to Ballina (BBC Radio/Resurgence Records)
  6. 1 2 3 4 Archived 13 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Jakko Jakszyk b". Centrohd.com. 1958-06-08. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  8. ↑ Archived 1 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "A Kinks reunion? Never!". The Daily Mail. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  10. ↑ Hinman, Doug. "The Kinks at the BBC liner notes". Sanctuary Records/UMC.
  11. ↑ "Robert Fripp's Diary for Wednesday, 15th December 2010". Dgmlive.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  12. ↑ "Robert Fripp's Diary for Friday, 6th September 2013". Dgmlive.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  13. ↑ Archived 15 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

External links

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