Go Back   TalkBass Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Bassists [BG]
Register Rules/FAQ/CUP Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read



Supporting Membership
Thank You

Latest Supporting Member
Donate to Upgrade Today

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old 08-09-2005, 10:38 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
Jaco newbie here

Sign in to disble this ad
Considering how much I'm into my bass, I've never checked out any of Jaco's material. I don't know how that's possible, but most of my peers discussed Flea, or Claypool, or Geddy Lee, etc. Not until the mid to late 90's did I ever hear the word "Jaco".

In my reading I was shocked to see that he died a horrible death at a very young age. It's disturbing to see talent cut short. I had to dig a little to find out how he died. The fact that it was so tragic was probably why it wasn't easily found on the official site.

Although his rank as "the best" is disputed by some here, I believe you can borrow something from everyone and I will surely try to add some of his technique to my playing.
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #2  
Old 08-09-2005, 11:09 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Send a message via AIM to The Clap
Cool. If you want to find a lot of reading material, search for 'Jaco' in the thread titles of any forum on TB, he and his music come up a lot. My favorites are 'Come on Come Over' and 'Three Views To a Secret' from his debut album and Word of Mouth, respectively.
  #3  
Old 08-09-2005, 11:31 PM
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.'s Avatar
TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
Send a message via MSN to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Yahoo to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Skype™ to Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
Supporting Member
My personal Jaco favorites:

-"Donna Lee" from his debut solo album "Jaco Pastorius".
-"Portrait Of Tracy". Don't miss this one! Also from his debut LP. This is a piece only a true genius can come up with, IMO.
-"A Remark You Made" with fretless bass, from Weather Report's "Heavy Weather".
-"Birdland" from the same album.

Also, try to watch his instructional "Modern Electric Bass" video. He's not at his best there, but it's great anyway. Check the "Jam In E" from that vid. One of the tastiest and grooviest improvisations I've ever heard.

Of course, there are lots of gems in Jaco's output that other TalkBassers will recommend, for sure. I just didn't want to make this a long list.
  #4  
Old 08-10-2005, 08:15 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
I was a huge Weather Report fan back in the day. It was Jaco's basslines that initially caught my ear. Of late, I've been "rediscovering" their music--now dissecting "Teen Town." Besides the great bass lines, the beat of the highhat is toooo sexy
  #5  
Old 08-10-2005, 08:45 AM
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.'s Avatar
TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
Send a message via MSN to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Yahoo to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Skype™ to Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by RE:PEAT
the beat of the highhat is toooo sexy
And that's Jaco! (If you're talking of TT's studio version)
  #6  
Old 08-10-2005, 09:01 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
Sorry to get off topic a bit...

Alvaro,
I'm making a HUGE assumption here because of your name and where you're from, so bear with me.

I just joined a Latin/Fusion project which will be playing standards as well as some Santana and traditional Cuban rhythms. Can you offer any advice regarding improvisation and style using latin bass lines? Any people to watch?

Again, don't mean to offend, just thought you might offer some perspective.

John
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #7  
Old 08-10-2005, 09:05 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Orlando/Coral Springs, Fl
Send a message via AIM to GetLow
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Clap
Cool. If you want to find a lot of reading material, search for 'Jaco' in the thread titles of any forum on TB, he and his music come up a lot. My favorites are 'Come on Come Over' and 'Three Views To a Secret' from his debut album and Word of Mouth, respectively.
yeah, "word of mouth" is awesome. it is a lot better than "word of mouf"... thats a ludacris album.
__________________
"Take what you do very seriously, and work hard at it. It doesn't matter if you solo. You're the bass player, the bottom you drive the band. We should all be proud to be bass players." Matt Freeman
  #8  
Old 08-10-2005, 09:19 AM
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.'s Avatar
TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
Send a message via MSN to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Yahoo to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Skype™ to Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbennardo
Alvaro,
I'm making a HUGE assumption here because of your name and where you're from, so bear with me.

I just joined a Latin/Fusion project which will be playing standards as well as some Santana and traditional Cuban rhythms. Can you offer any advice regarding improvisation and style using latin bass lines? Any people to watch?

Again, don't mean to offend, just thought you might offer some perspective.

John
Hey John, as some TalkBassers here can tell, I'm really willing to help. No offense! Thank you for counting on me. I'm leaving now so I can't post an in-detail reply, but I'll do it when I'm back at night. In the meantime, you can check this thread. Talk to you later!
  #9  
Old 08-10-2005, 10:19 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
My personal Jaco favorites:

-"Donna Lee" from his debut solo album "Jaco Pastorius".
-"Portrait Of Tracy". Don't miss this one! Also from his debut LP. This is a piece only a true genius can come up with, IMO.
-"A Remark You Made" with fretless bass, from Weather Report's "Heavy Weather".
-"Birdland" from the same album.
Agreed. I usually think "Portrait of Tracy" when I think Jaco. I also love "Teen Town" (Weather Report).
__________________
Ooooooo, they have the internet on computers now!
  #10  
Old 08-10-2005, 01:38 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Detroit
the book about Jaco...

the book about Jaco is a fantastic read... i know that the family doesn't support it, but reading it shows how the entertainment industry can simply not-care about an individual with serious personal preoblems. The book comes with a CD of a live version of "Punk Jazz"... it really is a fantastic book.
  #11  
Old 08-11-2005, 04:03 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
i say this a lot, but check out jaco groove on the live version of 'black market' off 8:30 by weather report, its infectious. Also check out his work with joni mitchell.
  #12  
Old 08-11-2005, 06:36 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Long Island, NY
Send a message via AIM to MikeyFingers
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesM
i say this a lot, but check out jaco groove on the live version of 'black market' off 8:30 by weather report, its infectious. Also check out his work with joni mitchell.
Yeah, totally right. Black Market is awesome, especially that version of it. He just grooooves for like 10 minutes. And his stuff with Joni is some of the most unique sounding bass playing I've ever heard. It's a style in itself, I don't know what to call it, it's just great. Check out the Shadows And Light DVD if you can.
  #13  
Old 08-11-2005, 06:53 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
how does he do that?

I've downloaded a few videos from the net:

The jam with Weather Report from 1978, a bass solo (America) from 1984 and Montreal Jazz Festival.

In the jazz festival video he records a riff and then plays over that. I've heard that treatment on some of his audio cuts. For a while, I thought he was playing BOTH parts live!

Also, he gets awesome harmonics anywhere on the board. Then he does this light picking thing - almost like a pick harmonic. I'm just catching on to a lot of his signature things.

Oh, and it's interesting to watch from 1978 to 1984 how much more eccentric he gets on stage :-(
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #14  
Old 08-11-2005, 07:02 AM
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.'s Avatar
TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
Send a message via MSN to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Yahoo to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Skype™ to Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
Supporting Member
Hey, John: When you ask "How does he do that?" are you talking about what you call a "pick harmonic"? Read this thread for an explanation. This one may also help.
  #15  
Old 08-11-2005, 07:22 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
I'll check it out

I've done pick harmonics on guitars, but I've never seen one on a bass, using fingers and fretless!!!

I'm not even sure it is that. When he was playing America, he was hitting these tiny little notes high on the neck. They had a ring of harmonics but it appeared that his hand was fretting a note which leads me to believe it's a right hand technique?

BTW, I watched that video you sent me. I'm now in therapy. I'm going to burn it and bring it to our next rehearsal. You said in your note that the drummer was "el Negro". Our guitarist told our drummer to check that guy out.
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #16  
Old 08-11-2005, 02:28 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
jbennardo, where on the net did you get those downloads?
  #17  
Old 08-11-2005, 02:42 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
P2P

I was using Cabos for Mac OSX. Did a search for some Jaco stuff and found these strange old videos.

Ahem, of course once I realized that this was someone's copyrighted material, I stopped the download immediately.
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #18  
Old 08-11-2005, 02:45 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Transcending
Hey Jbennardo..

You got some good leads concerning "Jaco". I too was blown away to hear that he was takin' so early. I just joined and I play A fender Jaco Fretles. And only have been playing bass for the last 7 months. But. I have played many a bass since I got this one. It is like your trusted girlfriend. You learn to love the feel of it. I visited JacoPastorious.com just to see what's up with the man. He is incredable. I feel like I should be playing something more my level. But It does open up doors to learning so much more with a quality bass. I can play alot of stuff (Along with LP's) I even went out and bought Anthology (Jaco's double) Hopefully you will be telling us success stories soon. Good luck.. I'm still learning how to play this thing..
__________________
"On a Cloud of Sound I Drift everynight. Any Place it Goes is right. Fly's Far, Fly's Near. To the Stars Away from here."
  #19  
Old 08-11-2005, 02:54 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Palm Harbor, Florida
Send a message via Skype™ to jbennardo
Yeah, it really pushed me over the top to start playing fretless. I've had other "crushes" before like when I bought the six string after watching Les Claypool.

As a more mature player now, i can really see the value in the sound of a fretless. It sounds very traditional to me. Almost as if, that's what a bass should sound like. There are many applications where fretted and fretless basses are appropriate and I would like to use both.

I've got the feelers out on these boards both for buying advice and items for sale. I'm looking to get into a fretless.

The download thing isn't happening for me. I'm gonna have to get out and buy some material. Even the iTunes music store has a limited supply of Jaco material. I don't think they have any weather report, only a few selections off of his solo project and some stuff with Joni Mitchell.
__________________
It's not the years... it's the miles.
  #20  
Old 08-11-2005, 03:22 PM
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.'s Avatar
TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A
Send a message via MSN to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Yahoo to Alvaro Martín Gómez A. Send a message via Skype™ to Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbennardo
BTW, I watched that video you sent me. I'm now in therapy. I'm going to burn it and bring it to our next rehearsal. You said in your note that the drummer was "el Negro". Our guitarist told our drummer to check that guy out.
Cool, eh? I'm glad you liked it!
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Follow TalkBass on Twitter   Visit TalkBass on Facebook  

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:49 AM.




Copyright 2011 Talk Music Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Play guitar? Visit our new sister site TalkGuitar.com [beta]
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.12
Copyright ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.