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bassists who don't like jaco

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J

Janas

Nov 25, 2002
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#1
I'm gonna sound like a complete idiot but I've heard alot on this and other forums about a bassist called Jaco Pastorius or something like that, the question is who the hell is he

P.S. I've only been playing for about 5 months so please be gentle with your replies:rolleyes:
 
#5
Just hear him play and im very impressed.

He is very much Jimi Hendrix

Maybe the best talent of bass ever and then he did die young in a horrible "accident"......

Can anyone tell me what happent with him in his last days???
 
#7
Ok, here is the story...
I know this other bassist at school who plays punk quebecois (french songs) and he asked me what kind of music I play, I say that fusion jazz is the music I like and I then make him listen to the bass legend jaco... (I made him listen to donna lee, fantasia chromatica, etc...) and he sayed he hated his playin' :eek:

do you guys know anybody like that?!?!
 
#12
For a long time, I reisisted Jaco because I was a Stanley Clarke fan and back in the '70s some people tried to make it Stanley versus Jaco. Now I see what people meant when they said that Jaco music tended to be more harmonically complex. It wasn't that Stanley couldn't, he just didn't. Anyway both were great bass pioneers. As for Jaco, I think that he is in bass consciousness so deeply that people quote him and his technique without even knowing they have done it.
 
#13
First of all, how old is the guy who told you he disliked Jaco? Hey may be suffering from "RAH ALL SO-CALLED OLD GREATS SUCK!" whippersnapper syndrome. But then again, I see how you could dislike his playing if you dislike busy bass lines and nasal bass sounds.
 
#16
Matt Till said:
You'll find a lot of them here on Talkbass. It's an aquired taste really. If this guy is into punk... he plays the complete opposite of jazz.
Click to expand...

Thing is, Jaco would call himself 'a punk'. Look at him & his appearance...that's a "Jazz" look?
As far as "Punk" & "Jazz" goes...there are many Punk fans that can relate to & enjoy Free Jazz vs. the Hard Bop/Swing Jazz listener.
Hell, I think the David S. Ware Quartet used to open for Sonic Youth. How's that for a twin bill?
(You would never ever see Ware opening for Wynton Marsalis!).


Anyway-
What was it, a couple weeks ago, when we went through this?

My new stock response for these type of threads-
"Jaco sucks"? You know who didn't think Jaco sucked?
Two Jazz legends who know the real deal when they hear it: Joe Zawinul & Wayne Shorter".

I wouldn't classify Jaco's tone as 'atroucious' by any stretch of the imagination, either.
 
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#17
I never really got into the whole Jaco thing. Maybe I just haven't given him enough of a chance, but after listening to a few of his songs, nothing has really clicked for me. Having said that, I recognize that he's obviously influenced tonnes of bassists, and is a skilled player, I guess it's just not my thing. I do like 'Chromatic Fantasy' though. And I agree that sometimes the Jaco worshipping can go a little overboard. Whatever bloats your goat.

Graeme
 
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#18
I can totally understand someone saying Jaco sucks. Here are some quick reasons I can think of:

1. They want to be considered "different" and feel one up on everyone else.
2. They're totally intimidated by the playing, know there's not a chance in hell they're ever going to be able to play any instrument like that, and want to put the guy down in an attempt to make themselves feel better.
3. They're stupid and ignorant.
4. They really know nothing about Jaco whatsoever.
5. They haven't heard enough Jaco.
6. Busy basslines annoy them (as they often do me) and anything they've heard Jaco do simply sounds like noise to them.
7. They like hearing sizzling highs, or reggae like thump.
8. They believe there's beauty in simplicity.
9. They heard Jaco play on his instructional video (where I think he DOES suck).
10. They've never SEEN Jaco play. I think the punks would have a new respect.

I've leanrned to ignore people who say silly things. If someone told me they thought Jaco sucked I'd say, "cool".
 
#19
I was in my mid teens when I first heard Jaco! I was coming from a R&B, Funk background and I identified more with Stanley Clarke's playing and sound. I understood Jaco's playing but hated that midrangy tone he had. It just didn't appeal that much to me to wanna be like him or play like him. I do believe he did bring the fretless electric bass to the forefront of the music scene and it spawned countless clones. Some of which have exponded beyond what Jaco did!
 
#20
Matt Till said:
You'll find a lot of them here on Talkbass. It's an aquired taste really. If this guy is into punk... he plays the complete opposite of jazz.
Click to expand...

Punk is definitely not the opposite of jazz. People tend to define both too strictly. Ornette Coleman's Prime Time was an imitation of proto-punk Captain Beefhearts sound. Television and the Minutemen have very strong jazz influences in their sound. James Blood Ulmer combined the two pretty well.

Good music and bad music are opposites. I would rather listen to good jazz and good punk than good jazz and bad jazz.

Back to the topic. When Jaco came out he did more to raise the profile of bass guitar and prove that bass guitar could lead than anyone else had up to that point. Stanley Clarke was there first, but he also played upright. Jaco showed in a dramatic fashion that bass guitar could do it without having to refer to the upright. I don't like his music or listen to it, but he was great and he broke a lot of boundaries.
 
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