SON OF GLEN

In the monumental history of progressive rock, few can claim to be as eclectic and productive as, with a fascinating life and career to boot, than Jakko M. Jakszyk. He has played with such celebrated bands as 64 Spoons, Dyzrhythmia, Rapid Eye Movement, Level 42, The Lodge, The Tangent, and most recently, his childhood idol King Crimson and its varied offshoots: Jakszyk Fripp Collins, and 21st Century Schizoid Band. He has collaborated or worked as a session musician with Fjieri, Steve Wilson, Tom Robinson, Peter Blegvad, Danny Thompson, Gavin Harrison, Richard Barbieri, Mick Karn, Dave Stewart and Irish singer Louise Patricia Crane. His solo albums are equally prized possessions: The Romantic Glee Club (2006), Waves Sweep the Sand (2009) and Secrets and Lies (2020). Needless to say, I have been a lifelong fan of his artistry and uniqueness.

It is incredibly rare and impressive at the same time, for a person to wait literally a half a century to finally figure out the truth about their origins, a reality that has even intrigued my maternal mother's authenticity for decades, until her passing revealed the veracity of her plight. Something Central and Easter Europeans have been bedeviled with after the upheavals of two cataclysmic World wars. Needless to say, this is a revelatory epiphany of sorts, a final and peaceful reckoning that deserves on its own a standing ovation.

Jakszyk was born in 1958 in London, the son of Irish singer Peggy Curran and an unknown American airman (now we know its Glen Tripp). At 18 months of age, he was adopted by two European refugees Polish Norbert Jakszyk and his French wife, Camille. The young boy grew up in a childhood best described as unhappy; his adoptive parents' nationalities led to an unsettled home life. He explained, "There was a lot of confusion ? English was a second language for both of them, so although I could understand them both, they often couldn't understand each other ? it led to all sorts of daft misunderstandings and rows." Jakszyk was frequently in conflict with Norbert, although the two would reconcile later in life. In 1977, he tracked down his birth mother Peggy, who had settled in Arkansas; he and Peggy would eventually meet in 1984. Jakszyk would later reconstruct his complex family history in an extended radio piece, "The Road to Ballina". The instrumental "Ode to Ballina" opens up this album in mournful respect, piano and fluted Irishness combine with melancholia as Caroline Lavelle plays the cello as if a deliverance. Before moving into vocal territory on "Somewhere Between Then and Now", this set of songs are a deeply rooted personal set of declarations that merit perhaps more than usual attention to the lyrics, therefore I urge fans to consider reading the words throughout, to better empathize with the artist. Starting out pastoral and bucolic with a twist in the English style of Prog-Folk, the jazzy, sunshiny pace rapidly accelerates into the passionate stylistics the man is famous for. Jakko can sing beautifully and most convincingly, as well as playing exceptional guitar lines, that shy away from overt gratuitous displays. Gavin Harrison supplies his usual world-class syncopation on the next few tracks.

Paternal relationships can often be complicated, even in good times, as emotions do not always appear voluntarily, from both parties really. It's not easy being a father and neither is it being a son. There can be layers of pent-up guilt and aching regret, and 'an armoury of questions' on "How Did I Let You Grow So Old", as poignant elegy to the male interface as humanly possible. It's frankly emotive to the point of suffering. Norbert makes a cameo appearance that really seals the deal. Here once again, the smoky piano enhances the vintage veneer of history, a hushed voice exuding a multitude of feelings. The guitar/voice duet is stunningly pulled off, the forlorn cello adding age into the equation of meaning. Legacy track.

Love songs, you ask. Partnerships are not easy either, as some of us know full well. Often, romantic souls rely on parallel circumstances that provide a foundational comfort . On "This Kiss Never Lies", Jakko found that relief within the Irishness of her mother, so it should not come as a surprise that Louise Patricia is from Northern Ireland, and you know, the thin fine line between mother and wife becomes apparent. Musically and lyrically, this is one of his loftiest achievements, a perfect tune in a myriad of ways, heartfelt, honest and genuine, three attributes currently vying for top spot of disappearing species on the verge of extinction. He found the love of his life.

An electric guitar-led Reprise of "Ode to Ballina" acts as a change of pace intermezzo , and as such is a perfect foil to live it up a tad on "I Told You So", a more affirmative testament to the courage of fighting for resolution, never surrendering to despondence. Ian Mosley keeps the tempo pulsating and fresh, as if a renaissance of sorts is about to occur.

"Get A Proper Job" was something that must have stuck in the artist mind, when declaring as a teenager, I want to be a musician often brought about verbal thunder and lightning or maybe a volcanic eruption. Hungarian drummer Zoltan Csorsz of Flower Kings and Lifesigns repute handles the brief percussive banter. It doesn't last long, but neither did their relationship between son and father at the time.

The title track is not only the proggiest here, it's also the most significative of the story as we all discover who Glen Tripp really was. Django Jakszyk (son of Jakko) is on bass and Gavin shoves him along for the ride. Lest we forget that just because Jakko enjoys playing with Fripp, he still mans a wild guitar on his own merits and his display here matches his lead vocalist prowess, which were never in doubt anyway. Talk about salvation. An absolute corker of a track.

It took me multiple decades to realize why this particular artist had such a hold on my psyche, and the clue was there all along in the title of his solo album: The Romantic Glee Club. Yes, I am proud to admit I am and always will strive to be a hopeless romantic. His finest moment yet. Bravo, Jakko.

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