Music out of its time or simply not in any time at all. As co-founder of the Canadian collective Mood Hut, Jack J has shown tremendous enthusiasm around the immense mine of boogie, deep house, soft rock or synth pop that the 70s and 80s were prolific in. The sound infusion is as heterogeneous as it sounds; the uninhibited and uncompromising way in which he moves between coordinates is nothing short of liberating. Together with Liam Butler, they form the inescapable Pender Street Steppers. Eternal funky vibes in which the scents of mothballs and weed merge between dry beats, gliding synthesizers and appearances of cowbells processed in spatial reverbs. But curiosity is piqued when you listen to Jack Jutson’s solo albums; these and so many other elements hover around compositions in which his own voice appears as a melodic guide in parallel realities close to those imagined by Arthur Russell, George Clinton or Larry Levan.
If the 2022 album ‘Opening the Door’ brought more focus on the traditional song structure, perhaps more pop than ever, it is also true that it revealed a desire to momentarily descend from the heavens to experience metaphysical restlessness. Cosmic in its journey, terrestrial in its emotion, this channeling of intentions took greater shape in ‘Blue Desert’. Slightly melancholic, but with an eye on the calming sunset, it’s a record that brings an unexpected sea breeze. It moves away, with awareness and choice, from the initial synaesthesia present in previous albums, or at least not so immediately. There is, however, a certain dreamlike quality that sweetly distorts the landscapes that are experienced on an always engaging – and genuinely confessional – listen. At times there are almost echoes of folk. Being without being there. It’s in these tiny perceptions that Jack J extracts substance and innovation for his 21st century songbook. NA
