Bertland
The musical universe of Bert Jackson

Well this little trio has a name for now- Robertchez (Roe-Bert-Cheryl). This is a shot by Bob Tucker from our performance at the Cape Rep Theatre’s “Evening of Song and Dance”.

Roe Osborn, Cheryl Kain, Bert Jackson

This tune was written back in the early 80s and evolved through several iterations. This is the last recorded version, done around 1987/88. It’s all me, Roland drum machine, synth drone track, bass, acoustic and electric guitars and guitar synth for the flute sound.

I was working with sarod player Peter Boardman last night and we used the second part of the Anurhada theme as a basis for our sarod/guitar conversation. Thought it may be good to have this hanging around.

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Cheryl Kain, Bert Jackson, Roe Osborn

Billed as Cheryl Kain, Bert Jackson and Friends (Roe Osborn confirmed just the other day), we’ll be playing the lunch crowd at Cape Cup Sat Mar 28 12:30-2:30 PM. We have some original tunes, some new arrangements of old standards, and Cheryl will sing in French (really, well, not the whole time, but a few delicious French delights!). Feed us some good Cape Cup chow and a few of Bill’s machiattos and who knows what will happen?

Road trip! Took the weekend off and saw Jake Shimabukuro tonight at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. We saw Jake a couple of years ago with the Honolulu Symphony, but tonight was up close and personal in a relatively small club, just Jake alone with his beautiful ukulele. Jake is one of my favorite musicians, not only for his technique and style but for his presence. This is a guy who exudes a pure love for what he does and is truly a channel for universal spirit.

His playing gets better and better. He has even more technique (I see more of the Clapton-esque vibratos), his dynamics are more sophisticated, and his songwriting is maturing along with his capabilities. He has a story about every song and tells it like he were talking to a group of old friends, rather than a large crowd of strangers. He has a calm sense of comfortable joy that he shares in both his music, his on-stage banter, and in-person meeting with his fans. He is outrageously gracious, humble and appreciative of his success.

The audience at the Iron Horse was appreciative as well. Despite what appeared to be a sold-out crowd, there was absolute silence while Jake played. The only noise was the hustling of the wait staff as they made their rounds. No talking in the background, no chairs scraping on the floor or other movements. He held the audience in rapt attention through every number.

Yes, I brought my uku and Jake signed it for me. I said I wasn’t going to stoop to being a gawky fan, but I knew this would be a special night and I wanted something personal to remember it by. I had him sign it on the back, not the front. Not for others to see and wonder when I am playing it, but to help take me back to this special night and be inspired and feel the love all over again.

Join us at Buckie’s Biscotti Dennisport
(283 Route 28 by the Cape Cod Shoe Mart)
Enjoy a yummy warm drink, soup, dinner, panini sandwich or dessert
while savoring some inspiration from local Cape talent and community
Coffeehouse/ Open Mic
This Friday, MARCH 6th  TONIGHT!!!
6:45 - 9:00pm
Featuring Cheryl Kain
Cheryl warmed us up with her gorgeous version of Summertime a few weeks ago. She has this to say about herself…
Me?  I sang the nat’l anthem at Fenway and Dodger Stadiums and my originals CD, Code Name Grazey enjoyed airplay on over 75 radio stations, U.S. and Canada.  I’m singing jazz, originals, Leonard Cohen and a “special” version of Autumn Leaves Friday night, with Bert Jackson, guitarist extraordinaire, who will be showing off his new, edgy soul patch.  Website:  www.cherylkain.com
…don’t miss this chance to join in the fun. Last week was a big success with Marcia Mello and other talented poets and musicians.  Come early to sign up for the open mic and thrill us with your own poetry or music! In the past our open mics have included haiku, Ukelele, Banjo, sonnet, steel drums, jimbe, flute, slam, a capella, keyboard, cajun blues, kazoo, fiddle, stand up bass, spoken word, mandolin and much more — so bring your instrument and act out…
Start your weekend with a positive buzz!
Coming
in March          3/6   Cheryl Kain
3/13  Don Boivin and Jennifer Stratton
3/20  Bill Gallerizzo
3/27 Jenifer Jackson

This is a little droney tune I wrote in 1984, on the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated (I didn’t know it at the time and named the piece when I found out). This is a “scratch” version I recorded last week in Garage Band to test how it would work with two guitars. The timing is off in places, but some people asked to hear it so here it is.

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Ran a quicky one take of Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (Romberg/Hammerstein) with yours truly playing the trusty Ibanez GB-10 with Band-in-a-Box accompaniment. Not the same as real players, of course, but a lot easier to schedule!

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Another tune that grew out of Jean Coyne’s Roland D-50 keyboard’s extended visit to my house. Started playing around with some stuff and this quasi-classical thing came out. Remember, this was 1987-88 and we had never heard sampled audio patches before. The horn sounds just blew me away. This is all me, all synth recorded on a few tracks.

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This is one of the last iterations of Razor’s Edge in the 80s, with Mike Lurie on bass and Patrick Whatule on drums (Patrick was later replaced by the late great Charles Lynch). This was from a gig we did at the Stouffer Grand Resort in Smith Bay on St. Thomas. The room acoustics were great, as I am pretty sure it was recorded with the internal mic of my cheesy little Hitachi boom box.

Minor Mystery is a Ray Brown tune that I have only heard on Poll Winners Three with Barney Kessel, Brown and Shelley Mann.

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I always loved the sound of this. It was recorded with my cheapo Conrad acoustic guitar with both a mic and a soundhole pickup. The flute sound is from my Roland guitar synth with MKS-50 module, pretty basic. And lots of reverb and delay everywhere. Wall of sound. Phil Spector, eat your heart out. I am eager to record this again with my new Martin.

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