“In Style” is a Global Music project featuring trumpeter Douglas A. Jackson. The project was funded in part by an Artist Support Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, administered by Laurie Edwards and The Art of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
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This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org.
Douglas Jackson, an Elizabeth City State University professor and long-time trumpeter, began his artistic journey in a grade school orchestra class, and it's taken him around the world – musically speaking.
Now, he hopes to share parts of that journey with listeners through his global music project: “In Style.”
“The ‘In Style’ project is my imagination of music as different sounds and colors from around the world,” Jackson said. “You’ll hear an Asian theme, some Spanish themes, some R&B and some technical stuff. You’ll also hear some traditional live sessions with musicians.”
“In Style” started as a final master’s thesis project in 2001. Now, 20 years later, “In Style” has been digitized and made available for everyone to enjoy.
The overarching goal of the album is to introduce listeners to the wide array of music that exists in the world, Jackson said. After exploring all the music on his own, he found there was a large part of world music missing from traditional musical education.
“When I teach music, I always tell students to remember that even at the time of Mozart or Beethoven, people were making music in Asia, East Africa, the Polynesian Islands, et cetera,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s own musical education started at the age of eight when he enrolled himself in an orchestra class taught by a travelling music teacher. The trumpet immediately caught Jackson’s attention, and in middle school and high school he played in the jazz ensemble.
While the trumpet was his first love, Jackson’s interests started expanding early in his career. His desire to explore came from his family – his older sister played the cello, his younger brother played the drums and his mother played the piano.
“I was already surrounded by music, and I was allowed to investigate music primarily as an intellectual exercise,” Jackson said.
He would sit in big band jazz ensembles and listen to jazz trumpet players, such as Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. In college, he read about musicians like Charlie Parker and producers like Quincy Jones.
Despite the years he spent playing and studying jazz music, Jackson does not identify as a jazz musician.
“I try to refer to myself more as a world musician,” Jackson said.
As Jackson progressed in his music career, he found new styles and genres to explore. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he played as part of a reggae band. In graduate school, he explored Los Angeles and uncovered latin jazz because of the huge Afro-Cuban, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican and El Salvadorian culture.
He decided to blend these cultures – and many more – into one album. Tapping into his network of close friends and fellow musicians, he was able to bring together all of their musical expertise. After nine months of writing, playing and producing music, “In Style” was completed.
Jackson hopes “In Style” will broaden listeners’ minds to different instruments, musical styles and world beats. With the album’s diversity, Jackson is confident everyone will find something that resonates with them.
“To borrow a term from Quincy Jones, it’s gumbo. Everything goes into the pot and comes out good,” said Jackson. ““If you play it, you’ll find out there’s something there for you!”
This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org.
