Michael Jackson is an interdisciplinary artist immersed in journalism, photography, fine art printmaking, music performance, production and composition. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was awarded the James Nelson Raymond Fellowship Prize.
Continuing work started in London as jazz editor for the Guardian, Telegraph and Evening Standard, Jackson is a regular correspondent for New City, Downbeat, The Chicago Sun-Times, Jazzwise (UK) and the New York Times, among other publications.
A member of the Chicago Photography Collective, his prolific photo work has been widely published and exhibited. Nominated four times for the Lona Foote-Bob Parent Photography Award by the international Jazz Journalists Association, he received the award in 2018.
Shortlisted for a Lisagor Award (2022) and a finalist for the JJA's Photo of the Year (2024), he was nominated in 2025 for the Robert Palmer/Helen Oakley Dance Award for excellence in writing.
A saxophonist, Jackson leads the eclectic Mike's Magik Band. His latest recording, The Gal from Ochi, features 18 Chicago musicians under the banner "Head, Heart & Tails." Active as an educator, he has taught at SAIC, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Evanston Art Center, among other institutions.