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This is a selected list which will be added to in time
NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE
Following the glut of School Plays and Youth Theatre appearances Jakko was put forward for an audition for the NYT. Two subsequent auditions later and he had been made and official member. He
lasted one season as the lure of music became stronger.
T.I.E
After leaving school Jakko was unable to support himself with the meagre income from his work with 'Soon After
' and distressed by the experience of he few dead end job's he tried. So he eagerly accepted the chance to join a touring Theatre In Education
company. This was not only great experience but enabled him to obtain that elusive Equity card. Please read Jakko's tales of this time in the life stories section. <top of page>
VOICEOVERS
During Jakko's time with 64 Spoons he began to moonlight as a voice over artist. His dulcet tones could
frequently be heard on TV as the voice of 'Our Price Records' or as a northern jacket potato clinging
to a parachute inside an oven in a vain attempt to advertise the wonders of butter. An anecdote about his very incident will soon appear in Life Stories. <top of page>
WEDDING SONG
Jakko received an unexpected call from Michael Attenborough
(Sir Dicky's son) in 1983 about a new play he was about to direct. He had met Jakko at the Palace Theatre in Watford. Jakko spent time
there working backstage in the late 1970s and still had friends there. Mike had read this new play and
had imagined Jakko's face in the role of Mike. He didn't know whether he had ever acted though. Once
aware of his theatrical experience and Equity card he asked him to come and read for the part. Jakko was given the job playing opposite Kim Thompson
(as seen in Brush Strokes and with Jeff Goldblum in "The Fall Guy") as his girlfriend. The six piece cast also included Paul Morriaty as Jakko's
girlfriend's dad. Those of you who watch East Enders may recognise Paul as George the former boyfriend of Barbara Windsor. <top of page>
ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
Following his stage appearance Jakko acquired a top London agent (
Richard Stone) and began going to castings and auditions. He appeared in this pretty dreadful sitcom about a successful rock star (played by Nigel Planer
) and his posh girlfriend (Lisa Godard). Jakko played a young aspiring pop
star signed to the same management as Nigel. I should imagine copies of this are very rare - which is just as well. <top of page>
BBC RADIO FOUR
Jakko told the moving story of how he discovered and subsequently met his real mother in the southerly U.S state of Arkansas
. He also found a full sister and three half brothers. 'Tuesday Lives'
broadcast this story in two parts in '91 and repeated it again as a single program under the title 'Real Lives' some two years later. This was subsequently nominated for a
Sony Radio Award. Jakko has subsequently appeared on a number of Radio 4 programmes as a guest including 'The Locker Room'
for which he also wrote and performed the theme tune.<top of page>
BBC RADIO THREE
Jakko was commissioned by Radio 3 to compose a piece of music using the complicated story of his life
as the subject matter and the voices of all those involved as part of it's score. The finished work 'The Road to Ballina
' was broadcast in December 1996 to great critical acclaim and was subsequently nominated for a Sony Radio Award
. A slightly reworked and remixed version was released the following year on CD. The piece also features contributions from trumpet player John Thirkel, saxophonist
Gary Barnacle, drummer Gavin Harrison, cellist Caroline Lavelle, and of course bass player extrodinaire Mr Mark King
. In March '99 Jakko's second piece for Radio 3 was broadcast. Using the same technique 'The Church of Lanza' looks at the nature of fame, celebrity and the deification
of stars who die young. Again a critically acclaimed piece that nonetheless incurred the wrath of outraged Mario Lanza
fans. This will soon be available on CD in limited number.<top of page>
MUSIC FOR TV/FILM
Jakko has written and performed title and incidental music for film and television this includes; Jo Brand's 'Through The Cakehole
', all three series of the BAFTA-nominated 'Chef ', Central TV's 'Hard Cases' with Tom Robinson, Clive James' 'Postcard From Bombay' and ITV
's coverage of the Rugby World Cup. He also composed the orchestral scores for two CD ROM titles 'World War ll.' and 'The War in the Pacific
'. There are various documentaries and series for the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet that also bear the Jakko music treatment plus numerous others too
countless to mention. Jakko also composed music for a season and Xmas special of the popular 'Birds of a Feather
'. He can actually be seen acting in one episode. He screwed up the first take so badly and swore so unpleasantly that this clip has been a firm favourite on 'Aunties Bloomers
' ever since. In the BBC TV movie 'In Dreams', which stars Lenny Henry and Bill Patterson, Jakko also appears
as Michael Jackson's recording engineer. As well as composing the score Jakko also co-wrote the theme tune with David Was from Was Not Was which Lenny Henry
sings over the ending credits.
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