Jason Luckett

Jason Luckett is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. His organic sound is a vibrant mixture of passion and peace. Influenced by Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, and The Smiths, Luckett’s sixth album, Mystery and Wonder, will be released in 2006. “I used to call it ‘sweaty soul folk’, ‘organic pop’, or ‘groovy acoustic soul’, but it’s truly a mixture of folk and rock with a spiritual connection to jazz protest artists such as Nina Simone and Oscar Brown, Jr.” Jason was born in Hawaii, with roots in Mississippi and Maine, but spent most of his childhood in Irvine, California. His father schooled him on jazz and soul beginning at the age of one and seven years later, Jason was writing songs on his first guitar. After graduating from UCLA, and working in the A&R Departments of a few indie and major labels, Jason himself was scouted as an artist for EMI Music Publishing. He was then recruited as a baby artist into a management stable with the likes of Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and Neil Diamond…yeah, he thinks it’s bizarre, too. Jason’s music mixes views on love and politics with humor, personal insight, and left-field pop references in a quest for truth and grounding. Traveling through Europe listening to Gil Scott-Heron, reading Rilke and Orwell, and seeking paintings by Vermeer, Klimt, and Shiele shaped Jason into an passionate artist attracted to activist ideals. Jason’s first album, the outgrowth of a stage play titled J Masala Griot, was composed in England. He brings stories from all stops, with residual suburban angst and a healthy dose of urban consciousness. The soon to be released Mystery and Wonder is Jason’s sixth disc. It asks if transcendence is possible, albeit nakedly requested. His previous release arrogance procrastination fear humility finishes with him realizing he has to ask. This new disc is the asking. Mystery and Wonder resembles Shuggie Otis hanging out with Travis, listening to Wilco and Burt Bacharach. A purely solo recording, Jason plays all the instruments and produced the disc himself. Jason has toured the US and Europe regularly for the past few years, while also performing consistently at poetry venues as a featured artist and musician. His highlights of 2005 were two well received sets at 120,000 strong, Glastonbury Festival (UK). The 2005 edition of the festival included performers such as Coldplay, the White Stripes, Steve Earle, Bright Eyes, and Billy Bragg. Jason is also gaining a positive reputation as a film composer with his score for the new short film, PNOK, featuring Danny Glover, Elle Fanning, Robert Ri’chard, and Irma P Hall. In Jason’s free time he has worked with youth programs through the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) and Shakespeare Festival Los Angeles, mentoring teenagers in music and creating original music for theatrical outreach programs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.