In 1979 Joe Jackson made his name with a single album, the first-rate Look Sharp!. Bassist Graham Maby and drummer Dave Houghton performed with him at the time; they will also join him at North Sea Jazz this year. After jazz albums like Jumpin' Jive and Body & Soul, opulently arranged records like Night & Day and even classical works like Symphony No. 1, last year Jackson returned to the familiar piano/bass/drums format. In Revolver Magazine Joe Jackson said of his new album Rain: "I now strive to get a maximum result with a minimum of means. This is something that has really got me thinking the last couple of years. Also, I try to write really strong, bullet-proof songs that are good in their own right, with only a piano accompanying them. I didn't used to think like that. I've always had the feeling that arrangements were part of the composition. This is really a whole new way of working for me."
