CAPA Hosts Joe Jackson in concert at the Davidson Theatre on May 26
Posted: January 25, 2024
Renowned musician and producer Joe Jackson brings his “The Two Rounds Of Racket Tour” to the Davidson Theatre on Sunday, May 26. The two-part show features a solo set of performances from Jackson’s heralded catalog, while the second part will feature songs from his album "What A Racket: The Music Of Max Champion," a collection of songs written by the long forgotten English Music Hall performer Max Champion, performed with a nine-piece band.
Tickets start at $40 and may be purchased beginning at 10 am Friday, January 26, at the CBUSArts Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.), online at www.capa.com or www.CBUSArts.com, and by phone at (614) 469-0939.
“The Two Rounds Of Racket Tour” promises to be festive, fun, and unlike anything else music fans will see next (or any other) year.
Jackson’s new album and tour mark the first performances in more than 100 years of the songs Max Champion. Champion was born in 1882 in London's East End and is thought to have been related to the great Victorian entertainer Harry Champion. As an up-and-coming performer he shared the stage with big stars such as Gus Ellen and Vesta Tilley, but his career (much like the Music Hall era itself) was cut short by the First World War, and his songs faded into obscurity. That is, until 2014, when Max Champion sheet music started to surface: first in Malta, then in England, and, intriguingly, in Belgium, where Max probably met his end in the trenches. By 2019, enough songs had been recovered for Joe Jackson to resurrect them with a 12-piece orchestra.
In Jackson’s words: "These were wonderful songs in their time, but they're surprisingly modern, too. Sometimes it's almost as if Max is speaking, from his London of the early 20th century, directly to us in the early 21st."
Music Hall originated in 19th-century London, transitioning from pubs and street performances to grand theaters by 1900. It attracted a diverse audience, spanning from commoners to aristocrats. The songs in this genre depicted life in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, often infused with humor, satire, sentimentality, patriotism, and occasionally darker themes like jealousy and murder. Some songs were also risqué but cleverly expressed.
