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could you please sell me on Jaco?

#21
I'm not a huge fan - I endure the songs rather than enjoy them. But, he was a major force in developing the electric bass as an instrument. Things that we take for granted or as common might not be in our quivers of techniques had it not been for him. Someone on the board, maybe ten years ago, had a ton of pics from when he saw him in clubs in Florida. Very cool pics, can't remember who the forum member was.
 
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#23
Yeah, I don't "get it" either. Sure, the guy had chops. But his tone was fingernails on a chalk board to me. And, while some of it was pretty and melodic, much of his work was just burpy notes and lots of them. Nothing melodic about them.

I do respect what he did for the instrument.

I used to be into martial arts years ago. I didn't sit around watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies even though they "did a lot for martial arts".

I've just never been entertained by Jaco. And, to me, music is to be ENJOYED, not just "admired" because of raw talent.

YMMV
 
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#25
Rumbledore said:
what the heck are people idolize him anyway? what's missing?
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He was about as influential as James Jamerson or Larry Graham. Guys that revolutionized how one would approach the electric bass.

His singing tone, melodic soloing, inventive bass lines and compositions, in addition to his unique personality, are what made him so well known. He was a real prodigy.
 
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#29
JimK said:
Listening > than any words...YMMV.
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For me Jaco did his best stuff with Weather Report. The two examples on Joni’s songs don’t do it for me at all. His tone is hard, there’s very little space and he sounds like he’s on his own trip and not really supporting the vocal.
However, I just love the Heavy Weather album - one of my all time favourites. In this setting Jaco does some really beautiful playing. He certainly was an influential and polarising player.
My own feelings about him are polar - his undeniable ability to create beautiful melodies and his tone - sweet at times but hard and cold at others. I don’t believe he influenced my playing at all except to say that he steered me away from the bridge pickup - a sound that to me has no warmth and one I don’t care for.
 
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#30
OK, I'll take a crack at this. I can think of 7 reasons why Jaco is among the 2-3 most influential bassists of all time.

1) Demonstrating that the electric bass can be a melodic instrument, no different than say, a saxophone



2) Conceiving at least one groove that has spawned many derivatives



3) Dialing in a tone that was unique at that time



4) Raising the bar at the time of what it meant to be a bass virtuoso

5) He was a great composer



6) Introducing harmonics as a composition/ performance tool



7) He was just a bad*ss punk jazz dude!!!

And finally here's Billy Sheehan on Jaco

 
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#31
two fingers said:
Yeah, I don't "get it" either. Sure, the guy had chops. But his tone was fingernails on a chalk board to me. And, while some of it was pretty and melodic, much of his work was just burpy notes and lots of them. Nothing melodic about them.

I do respect what he did for the instrument.

I used to be into martial arts years ago. I didn't sit around watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies even though they "did a lot for martial arts".

I've just never been entertained by Jaco. And, to me, music is to be ENJOYED, not just "admired" because of raw talent.

YMMV
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Exactly! I don’t listen to music to be impressed, I want to feel, I want to be moved.
 
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#34
stringthrough said:
OK, I'll take a crack at this. I can think of 7 reasons why Jaco is among the 2-3 most influential bassists of all time.

1) Demonstrating that the electric bass can be a melodic instrument, no different than say, a saxophone



2) Conceiving at least one groove that has spawned many derivatives



3) Dialing in a tone that was unique at that time



4) Raising the bar at the time of what it meant to be a bass virtuoso

5) He was a great composer



6) Introducing harmonics as a composition/ performance tool



7) He was just a bad*ss punk jazz dude!!!

And finally here's Billy Sheehan on Jaco

Click to expand...


Um....that was a real good crack it man! Well done!
 
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#36
Can someone please sell me on Taco?


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#37
Listen to the opening selection of Joni Mitchell's 1977 'Don Juan's Reckless Daughter'. It consists of two parts fused together: Overture-Cotton Avenue. Consider if this sounds like any traditional bass accompaniment (or any bass, for that matter) that you would expect to hear. It lifts the piece to a height far above what an acoustic guitar and bass should achieve.
 
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