TECH TALK

TECH TALK

The Journey of Randy Jackson

Billy Cioffi

To those who don't read credits on the backs of LPs, CDs or cassettes, bassist Randy Jackson might seem an overnight success. The first time MTV and other video audiences set eyes on him was in Aretha Franklin’s “Jumping Jack Flash” clip, produced by Keith Richards. Next, his flat-top haircut, high fashion duds and splendorifously colorful guitars were seen and heard in the new, funky version of Journey.

The 26-year-old bassist is no flash in the AOR pan, however. Actually, there are probably few players his age as diverse in their interests and musical tastes.

Born in Baton Rouge, Jackson began playing at the age of 12 in the usual high school jazz bands and pick-up groups. He was eventually awarded a scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, and, in time, received a National Endowment for the Arts and went to L.A. to study with Chuck Rainey. Although not well-known outside the industry, Rainey’s list of recording credentials is astonishing.

Shortly, Randy was working with Jean Luc Ponty, and recording numerous session dates. He even found the time to teach a jazz class at the Galveston Performing Arts College. Eventually, the trial lead him to San Francisco, and, through a series of industry acquaintances, to the Journey gig. The journey is hardly over for Randy, though: when we talked he was working on Martha Davis’s solo record, producing and performing on his upcoming solo debut, and looking forward to the possibility of new Journeyrelated projects.

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What’s happening with you and Journey?

They’re thinking about touring later on and I’m just working with Jonathan (Cain) on a couple of projects. Neil (Schon) and I have been working on his solo record and I’m thinking about working with Jonathan again with Jimmy Barnes.

How do you feel after the whole Journey thing—the tour and all? Has your perspective changed at all?

No, not really. I think it was a really great tour—a really phenomenal tour. It definitely helped to change my views on my own solo thing and the audience that I want to reach. I think it was a great thing—it was really, really fun—a laugh a minute. You kind of miss it a little bit—you miss all the fans. You miss that kind of live experience—17,000-18,000 every night—you miss that!

What about your solo thing?

It’s tentatively titled Zorro’s Time Machine: we’re working on a deal right now. There is a singer in it, Elizabeth Anntenette, along with myself—basically just the two of us. It’s a kind of interesting combination, like a dance-harmony-rock kind of thing.

It shows the influences you’ve picked up over the last few years.

Oh yeah, definitely. It’s an interesting sort of musical twist for me because I’m singing lead, playing a lot of keyboards, playing bass and being able to express the entire animal.”

Having as much education as you have, and having taught and all that, how do you feel about it in relationship to the people you have been working with? What have been the pros and cons of a musical education?

Actually there hasn’t really been—from my way of thinking—any negative things about it. The only negative thing is probably that you realize “Well, maybe I didn’t need all of this to do what I’m doing,” but it definitely helps. You feel you’re prepared for whatever situation: if you have to read a chart, write a chart, if you have to place this or that kind of tune, you can get closer to it because you have been there before— you’re familiar with it, at least. I think the whole school (learning process) helps to familiarize you with a lot of different facets of music, and you know you can borrow from those. Say you’re working on the Journey record and you want something kind of symphonic, something that would be like a double bass part in a symphony... you know what it’s like because you have played it for many years. So you can get to that pretty quick.

What were your initial goals?

I really wanted to be kind of a session guy, a musician and everything, play on lots of records and hang out. Later on that transformed into “I want to be a star.” But I want to produce records and play on a lot of records.

Is it still “I want to be a star, ’’ or has that evolved into something else?

It is still that because I still won’t feel that until this solo thing is finished, is out, and is happening. The star thing—I think the word has changed—it is not so much “star,” I just want to express something else. The star thing doesn’t really matter. If it comes, then great, if it doesn’t come, that’s great.

I think everybody is probably a star. It really is true, it just depends on the way you look at it.

What kind of bass are you using now?

I use a variety of things. I am using the Spector by Kramer, some Jacksons by Shivel and some Music Man basses. I am using a 5-string (modules/modules graphite) and using a 5-string PV. The PV is very good.

I don’t see bass players changing instruments a whole lot the way guitarists do.

I go in and out of things. I’m kind of crazy—I am really into wild colors, crazy looking guitars and stuff. The first couple of months I’ll play this bass and then I’ll change. What will happen to me, because I have been in the business for so long and done a lot of records, I’ll hear something that I did two years ago and say, “Oh I used that bass on there, I like the way that sounds. I’ll use that again.”

And what kind of bass rig are you using?

I endorse PV exclusively—amplifiers. I’m using a PV Mega-bass pre-amp, two PV Deca 720 Power Amps, and a variety of speaker cabinets. One is like a keyboard cabinet: it has a 15, a 12, and 10, and a horn. The other has a 15 and two 8’s, and then there is one with an 18 and two 10s. And I’m using a bi-amp set-up with a couple of effects. The only effect I was using was a harmonizer—a 910—it’s the only one I found that works really good for bass because of the limited frequency range. The other harmonizers work but the frequency range is so wide that you don’t quite get that same sound. There is a nice chorusing unit on the Mega-bass by PV. I just use the little chorus and some harmonizer on a couple of things, because I was using a (jocko-type) sound on a couple of songs—kind of a thin, mid-range kind of thing.

Your equipment—and clothes—are certainly colorful.

The thing I love is entertaining. A lot of the bands I’ve seen, some of my favorites: Journey, of course, the Stones, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Jacksons and stuff—are like that. I love to be entertained when I go to the show. Not only musically but theatrically, the whole thing—entertain me—I came to be entertained. I actually like Vegas and Atlantic City. I like it because of what it is. Not to say that I want to go there and listen to the music and hang out there all the time, but you know, at least people realize that you are really entertaining. That was what was wrong with jazz for a long time for me—with fusion, because I started playing fusion first. There was no entertainment in it. It was too serious.

When you set down to it, it is all about expression—all about expression—whether that be one blues note or 500 notes.