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could you please sell me on Jaco?
- Thread starter Rumbledore
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I read this post the first time, and liked it better the first time as well. For the record, I'm horrible at brand loyalty! I'm even bad at promoting my own bands! And DR Strings, which I like!
Anyway, what I want to address here are the 'bits and bobs of yesteryear'. One of the things we do as musicians is time travel. By laying down a recording, we can speak across time, even beyond the grave. An obscure recording may or may not be a failed attempt at time-binding, but a classic album that merits re-listening definitely allows us to hear from that person. I had that same feeling about Robert Trujillo's Jaco documentary, which was made with love (didn't strike me as self-serving). He found archival videos because he wanted to preserve a memory. Of course, nothing is perfect and I would have preferred to just see rare performances.
But Rob was not a primary source. Like you say, he was just researching someone he knew through recordings. I would therefore like to refer you to a book: "Jaco Pastorius Bass Method Lessons, Tips, and Techniques from His Private Teaching Archives Paperback – 2010", by Ray Peterson. Ray has enabled Jaco to time travel in an entirely different way. You see, Ray IS a primary source. He took private lessons from Jaco and had real reason to admire both the man and the musician. You cannot accuse Ray of mere 'brand loyalty'. One of the Amazon reviews of this book says it better than I could:
"Author Ray Peterson took private lessons with Jaco, and his enthusiasm and respect for the master are infectious.
The author does a good job of presenting the fundamentals (intervals, triads, etc.), and then providing Jaco song transcriptions with analysis. The slowed down tracks for those are invaluable.
The chapter called "Food for thought" near the end is wonderful. In it, Mr. Peterson speaks very eloquently and fondly about Jaco the human being. If you're a devoted Jaco fan, and this article doesn't move you, there's something wrong with you."
Thanks for that, JimK. I read that when it was published and rereading it thirty years on is buoying.
Regarding Jaco's illness, I think it's important to remember that there was very little known about bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and very few treatments available at that time. Self-medicating was all too common then. Identifying and managing these illnesses is much better today, but we still have a long way to go. I am saddened by the burden Jaco, and others, had to bear. I like to focus more on his more bright, lucid moments that contributed greatly to our art.
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I started playing bass as a teen in the mid-'70s, and I'll always think of Jaco & Stanley as my twin "north stars" on the bass guitar. Of course, I warmed to many others around the same time, including Chris Squire and John Entwistle. I also play upright, and I think of Ray Brown and Ron Carter (and Stanley) as my primary early influences on that instrument. Of the bass doublers, I've mostly gravitated to Stanley, and John Patitucci.
I was touched by the joyous way Jaco accompanies Toots in this live version of Three Views Of A Secret. He is clearly enjoying the moment immensely and has much respect and affection for Toots. It’s surprising to hear Jaco on piano. His playing is simple and perhaps not as fluid as if it was his first intrument but his chordal knowledge and voicing are considerable.
Some way into the clip Jaco smiles and I was struck with sadness that he didn’t survive, that his life ended so young. Toots is also no longer with us but he was fortunate to live a long life. Two bright shining lights of twentieth century music and they’re both gone now.
I’ve said before that Jaco’s bass playing left me wanting at times but his energy, his knowledge and technique and his compositional ability were considerable and he left behind some great work. Who knows what may have transpired if he could have accessed the sort of help that is available now for sufferers of depression and bi-polar disorder.
Some way into the clip Jaco smiles and I was struck with sadness that he didn’t survive, that his life ended so young. Toots is also no longer with us but he was fortunate to live a long life. Two bright shining lights of twentieth century music and they’re both gone now.
I’ve said before that Jaco’s bass playing left me wanting at times but his energy, his knowledge and technique and his compositional ability were considerable and he left behind some great work. Who knows what may have transpired if he could have accessed the sort of help that is available now for sufferers of depression and bi-polar disorder.
I don't remember if anybody put this in the thread yet but Uncle Will's take on Jaco is great.
I own Ray Petersens book and 4 or 5 transcibed series books, plus a large amount of Jaco transcriptions from the internet.
In my opinion, the primary source for Jaco is Jaco's own method book/DVD "Jaco Pastorius - Modern Electric Bass" by Jaco Pastorius and Jerry Jemmott. The DVD captures Jaco playing,talking with Jerry, and jamming. The book transcribes what he played with pretty accurate fingering. The exercises are great and the Jam in E, Duet, and Real Deal transcriptions are great for understanding his style.
This was my first serious bass book and I spent months working thru it. I still break it out and play it. I have bought 2 or three copies to replace lost copies and the original which was casette only.
In my opinion, the primary source for Jaco is Jaco's own method book/DVD "Jaco Pastorius - Modern Electric Bass" by Jaco Pastorius and Jerry Jemmott. The DVD captures Jaco playing,talking with Jerry, and jamming. The book transcribes what he played with pretty accurate fingering. The exercises are great and the Jam in E, Duet, and Real Deal transcriptions are great for understanding his style.
This was my first serious bass book and I spent months working thru it. I still break it out and play it. I have bought 2 or three copies to replace lost copies and the original which was casette only.
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The secret is in his early harmonic approach and the way he tried to cross between musical genres .. these are aspects that require the musicality of our brain to be trained and educated in a certain way for being appreciated ... if we look at Steve Harris and Lemmy, they didn’t need complex harmonies or arrangements to play what they play(ed) ... good technique in certain areas (Harris) but that’s all ... it’s like the comparison of Jaco with Dee Dee Ramone ... come on ... what kind of thread and discussion ...It's like Goldilocks, man; as far as I'm concerned you have it just right
Stanley was and is good at what he did/does, I agree (on the electric bass ... on double bass I largely prefer solid standards player like Ron Carter and Ray Brown ... that’s way double bass playing was conceived IMO) ... however, I still argue that, beside his technical skills, Jaco’s musical language was more varied and complex and this is what will always likely place him a step higher in the heart of musicians ...
Unfortunately it was shot when the poor guy was already almost mentally gone (“Gimme a Gig ...”)...
sounds pretty interesting! really interesting actually. i'll definitely look further into a procurement of your recommendation. thank you for your contribution here.
"Anyone who's that arrogant going up, people love to carve up going down. Therein lies the tragedy."
Joni
Joni
Thanks for that, @JimK. Good read. I wasn't following Joni back then and didn't bump into Mr P until the early nineties. I was immediately floored by his music. Later on, on the strength of my appreciation, I got a copy of the BoD. For me, it's a monument to the man, to the music, to the spirit of all those who played it and shared the genius, and to our age, the good and otherwise. It's a time-machine and a witness — the fact that it's capable of drumming up some of that magic music, gives this story another rich and ethereal dimension — every angle, an education.
Enjoying the thread, and the moderation
Cheers!
I can't sell you on jaco as I don't consider him an influence on me at all as a bass player. I don't dislike his music and clearly I can see and hear that he was a phenomenal musician who has had a massive influence on many bass players and will continue to do that for many years to come. Is not a crime to dislike or dislike him though I think it would be hard to see how anyone could justifiably deny his musical ability.
I don’t find he had an accent at all, he sounds American. Of course, I’m Canadian from the east coast, and have been told by people from Texas and Tennessee that I sound like a leprechaun.
I met Jaco, I wouldn't say I knew him. Plenty of my friends played with him. He was a troubled guy, clearly, and he acted out in ways that were self-destructive in the extreme. Whether you like or dislike the way he played, he absolutely expanded the possibilities for bass players. In that sense he was like Larry Graham or James Jamerson. Being a bass player will never be the same because they passed this way. It also has to be said that playing the way these guys do and did requires that the music they're playing be arranged to suit the bass playing. They were special cases, and I suspect that caused them much difficulty in their careers. The rest of us can't walk into a jingle session or a Broadway show and play like those guys - we'd get fired. But our playing can be informed by what they've done, and how we use that information makes each of us the unique players that we are.
The most important thing is to see someone like Jaco as a person, complex and flawed. If you see him as a monolith, an idol or a freak, you reduce him to a two-dimensional figure. That makes it impossible to understand how he got to where he was. The difference between normal musicians and real game-changing artists is their dedication and willingness to work much harder than any of the rest of us would. I have a friend who was Prince's engineer for a while. He said Prince was the hardest-working most disciplined guy he had ever seen. Jaco was the same, willing to work harder and practice longer, tolerate more discomfort and give up more of a normal life than the rest of us. That's why he was such an incredible player, not because he got hit by a bolt of inspiration from the blue.
The most important thing is to see someone like Jaco as a person, complex and flawed. If you see him as a monolith, an idol or a freak, you reduce him to a two-dimensional figure. That makes it impossible to understand how he got to where he was. The difference between normal musicians and real game-changing artists is their dedication and willingness to work much harder than any of the rest of us would. I have a friend who was Prince's engineer for a while. He said Prince was the hardest-working most disciplined guy he had ever seen. Jaco was the same, willing to work harder and practice longer, tolerate more discomfort and give up more of a normal life than the rest of us. That's why he was such an incredible player, not because he got hit by a bolt of inspiration from the blue.
I saw him performing with "Weather Report" & he IS "Da Man (or at least one of them). Radios had a dial to choose stations for the reason that people have different tastes. I feel that this is a case of that. No right or wrong; just a preference/dislike expressed.
