Bassist/Cellist/Composer’s Sophomore Album Full Circle Due April 24, Honed in Detroit Residency and Warehouse Parties
Infectious “Be ‘Bout It” Single Out Today
Having spent time in the bands of Abdullah Ibrahim and Branford Marsalis, Detroit jazzman Noah Jackson steps out on his own with the soulful, sophomore album Full Circle, due April 24, 2026. The bassist/composer/cellist developed and honed the music over the course of both a years-long residency at Cliff Bell’s as well as performances at venues from fine hotels to makeshift parties in and around Detroit.
He created Full Circle as rock-solid, groove music that could find a home just as easily at a block party as a performing arts center, subtly but powerfully pulling you in. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot here for jazz devotees to sink their teeth into, no artificial ingredients to be found. “Playing on the road was my doctorate education. I loved that, and I wanted to translate that to music with my generation,” he adds.
The first single from the album, the undeniably foot-tapping, hard-bopping “Be ‘Bout It,” is out today. HEAR/SHARE.
“I wanted to form a connection to people via improvised music that invites audiences to be a part of the moment, leaves them wanting to sing the melodies when they go home,” says Jackson, continuing, “I’m leaning into the strong emotional forces that underpin our lives and the connections that keep us together.”
In the interest of consciousness-raising and community-building, Jackson wrote the material for specific players in this band to improvise in the moment, not recreate. Jackson jokes that he is Christian by habit, Buddhist by practice- and is reflected in the soul of the music. Those in the band include drummer Nate Winn, who has also worked with Danilo Perez, Robert Hurst, Pat Metheny and Joshua Redman. He sought to have the quintet sound like it has one horn but with two melodies. Allen Dennard and Stephen Grady Jr- tour-de-force artists in their own right- expand their role as frontline; not just playing the melody and soloing, but creating textures and moments that pull an audience into the music. Between their colorful improvised harmonies and an improvisation style, those moments reflect storytelling unique to the music.
Jackson grew up in Detroit, MI. As a student, Jackson initially focused on classical music before his middle school band teacher Randy Scott — also a performing artist — gave him a mix tape of Parker, Ellington, and Coltrane. He was hooked. He began to gig as a teenager, smoke clinging to his suit. He found inspiration and collaboration from Detroit mainstays like Rodney Whitaker and his mentor, trumpetist Marcus Belgrave, and from others like Vincent Chandler and Marcus Elliot.
In addition to being in Branford’s and Ibrahim’s bands (both trio and Ekaya with the latter), Jackson has shared the stage with the likes of Nnenna Freelon, The Marsalis Family, Kenny Garrett, Jason Marsalis, George Burton, Jazzmeia Horn, Christian Sands, Winard Harper, as well as a stint with Gloria Gaynor. Jackson’s performance credits span the world’s most prestigious stages, from the Blue Note and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City to international festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), London Jazz Festival, Joy of Jazz (South Africa), the Nice Jazz Festival (France), and the Detroit Jazz Festival.
Jackson moved back to Detroit from NYC just before the pandemic. “The actual juice — that authentic sound — that fans want is in Detroit. I’d put my band up against any in NYC,” he exclaims, saying, “I’m excited to showcase the dopeness, vitality, and freshness of Detroit around the world.”
Jackson is endorsed by Aguilar Amps, Realist LifeLine Pickups by David Gage & NOAHGuitARS.
