Music Advocate

 

Jackson believes that everyone can and should enjoy classical music. It is simply a matter of exposure for most people – Jackson has seen on many occasions the way inexperienced listeners come alive when a familiar tune like The Entertainer or the Habanera from Carmen begins to play, yet these same listeners had not recognized the title of the familiar piece when it was first announced. Jackson firmly upholds that classical music appeals to a universal audience, and is not the exclusive property of one social class or ethnic group.

 

In fact, it goes beyond just "classical music" as there is today so much music that cannot properly be called "classical" but is nonetheless quite artful. Think of the innovators behind modern jazz – a Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, or Herbie Hancock: so much that they have created is worthy of our attention too. Within rock and the other "popular" genres, the same might be said of the later Beatles albums, Frank Zappa, or Brian Eno. The majority of our contemporary composers in the "classical" world have also realized this and as far back as Maurice Ravel, Leonard Bernstein, and Gunther Schuller there have been attempts to breakdown the imagined borders between these musical realms.

 

Jackson has maintained an online blogging presence for approximately four years at MusicCentral where he regularly shares his experiences at concerts, gives listening recommendations, interviews composers actively creating new music, and offers readers insights into his own compositions. For two years, Jackson served as Series Director of the successful Abendmusik Alexandria chamber music series which ignited renewed interest in chamber music across Central Louisiana. This interest has encouraged the creation of the annual Sugarmill Music Festival and the new series Nachtmusik von BrainSurge, both of which Jackson will remain active with as concert annotator and creative consultant. In addition, Jackson has organized outreach visits by the Shreveport Opera and other musicians to Rapides Parish schools. He has also been a frequent guest on television and radio programs across Central Louisiana. On all occasions, Jackson stresses the universality of music and shares his passion for this vital art form.