Originally from Corsham in Wiltshire, Jules Jackson is from a family of musicians, with both parents being professional organists and his brother a jazz saxophonist now resident in Los Angeles. Music was on the agenda from a young age, starting with piano and drums, transitioning to bass guitar in 1997. Upright bass soon followed whilst studying on the jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, from where he graduated in 2002, and has been a Professor of Jazz since 2016.

Also an active composer and producer, Jules released his first album “Groove Therapy” in 2011, a project which has since evolved in to a collaboration with jazz singer Sophie Smith, and an album is currently in progress.

Another compositional outlet was formed in 2019 under the name of “Equal Measures” – a jazz-fusion trio with guitarist Tommy Emmerton and drummer Jack Pollitt, with writing influenced by guitarists such as John Scofield, Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson and Mike Stern.

Bass playing engagements have included work with Jamie Cullum, Liane Carroll, Iain Ballamy, Dave Newton, Mark Nightingale, Sir John Dankworth & Dame Cleo Laine, Mike Hext, Salena Jones, Jacqui Dankworth, Tina May, Ralph Salmins, Martin Shaw, Stan Sulzmann, Dave O’Higgins, Mark Lockheart, Ian Thomas and John Parricelli.

In 2011 he accompanied the legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine in a Masterclass at the Royal Opera House, and again later the same year at the Royal College of Music as part of their Festival of Percussion.

Jules is also an experienced sound engineer, and as well as his own projects has engineered and / or mixed recordings by Stan Sulzmann’s Neon Orchestra, Rebecca Nash’s “Atlas,” Gareth Lockrane, Nina Clark, Chris Allard, Dave Manington, Brigitte Beraha, Sara Dowling, The Big Shake Up, The Horne Section, and many others.

Education is a significant area of Jules’s professional work. As well as teaching at the GSMD, he has been a Bass Tutor and Ensemble Coach with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland since 2009. Previous posts include Middlesex University, Eton College and Christ’s Hospital school.