Jaco clip causing some controversy

[Roy Vogt]

Ironically, Jaco drew inspiration from Duck, Jerry Jemmott, Tommy Cogbill, Bernard Odom and James Jamerson.

 

[peterpalmieri]

It does not offend me and I certainly don't think less of you. Again not sure why you have to go there.

See rays post.

 

[Stealth Fighter]

Ironically, Jaco drew inspiration from Duck, Jerry Jemmott, Tommy Cogbill, Bernard Odom and James Jamerson.

It does not offend me and I certainly don't think less of you. Again not sure why you have to go there.

See rays post.

Guys,
The real irony is that if Jaco were playing Duck's P-Bass I would probably like him 100 times more. I just simply do not like his tone. Up until about three years ago, I played the same 1962 Jazz bass strung with rounds. I almost always had the neck pup full on with the bridge at about 80% and the tone rolled 1/2 to 3/4 off. Recently, I bought a '95 P-bass, which is strung with flats and the tone is never above 1/2. I'm a beer drinkin' kind of guy and I like it that way. Truthfully, I am not much more that a root-five player. I understand that, and it's OK with me, because as simple as it is, it is something that I can do and that I enjoy doing. If I had the skills you guys have I would probably be all over learning Jaco's style (although not his tone), but I'm no Jaco and I don't want to put the time into what I know would be a wasted effort. I can live with that fact; I hope you can, too. Peace.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I was lucky enough to see this tour when they went through NE Ohio. One of the best concerts I ever saw, fantastic lineup of musicians, the whole band was killing it.

 

[pnchad]

well, we get it, you're good

just out of curiosity then, why are you here?

shouldn't you be practicing your R 5's? Oh, right, you're good

No offense taken, but you are totally missing my point. Let me be more direct: I listened and did not like what I heard, I don't care to educate myself to the point of understanding, and if that somehow offends you or makes you think less of me, I DON'T CARE. So let's just agree to disagree. OK?

 

[Roy Vogt]

Rolling back around to the OP and the original clip, it's one live performance on one song with one band. It's sort of like making up your mind about Jimi Hendrix from his performance of Wild Thing on Monterey Pop:
"Why, that maniac! He can't keep his guitar in tune, he's humping his amp, and to top it all off he burned his guitar and broke it! What a loser!"
In both cases, you'd be losing out on the full impact of the Artist because of seeing only one thing and making up your mind about it. It's like the old fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant.

 

[Gluvhand]

Rolling back around to the OP and the original clip, it's one live performance on one song with one band. It's sort of like making up your mind about Jimi Hendrix from his performance of Wild Thing on Monterey Pop:
"Why, that maniac! He can't keep his guitar in tune, he's humping his amp, and to top it all off he burned his guitar and broke it! What a loser!"
In both cases, you'd be losing out on the full impact of the Artist because of seeing only one thing and making up your mind about it. It's like the old fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant.

And yet another reason why we who aren't in love with Jaco, for whatever reason, are wrong. It's not the clip. It's not necessarily the tone. And it's not his obvious skill, talent, dedication, passion, etc...The music doesn't move us or speak to us the same way it does to you. Why can it not be that simple? Why assume this is the only work of his we've ever seen or heard? And if it was, why isn't it enough? Is it sub-standard or an inadequate representation? I don't listen to Jaco, or most other Jazz, for the same reason I don't listen to most country music or techno. It doesn't do anything for me. Sorry if that's not enough for some of you but that's all it is. It is that simple.

 

[Roy Vogt]

And yet another reason why we who aren't in love with Jaco, for whatever reason, are wrong. It's not the clip. It's not necessarily the tone. And it's not his obvious skill, talent, dedication, passion, etc...The music doesn't move us or speak to us the same way it does to you. Why can it not be that simple? Why assume this is the only work of his we've ever seen or heard? And if it was, why isn't it enough? Is it sub-standard or an inadequate representation? I don't listen to Jaco, or most other Jazz, for the same reason I don't listen to most country music or techno. It doesn't do anything for me. Sorry if that's not enough for some of you but that's all it is. It is that simple.

I must have really open ears and love bass, then. I really enjoy any bass that's played well, whether it's Cliff Williams with AC/DC (one of the best Rock Rhythm Sections IMHO), Carol Kaye with the Beach Boys, Jaco, Hadrien Feraud, Ray Brown or Bob Moore with Patsy Cline. I'll just count myself lucky here.
Here's a clip from my previous musical life. Lots of hair and my old Tobias 5 string, July of 1988:

Just wanted to leave the Jazz Snob preconceptions where they needed to be.

 

[pnchad]

this is true - no argument there - but, where do you go from there? just accept limited horizons?

we are in agreement, many of a younger generation don't appreciate unfamiliar genre

it doesn't 'speak to them', Roy - lmao - imagine using that phrase 40 yrs ago, hahahaha

my dad, not a musician in any way, played Jobim, both Stans (Kenton AND Getz) , Brubeck, Chet, Monk & Miles while I crawled around - hum?

 

[pnchad]

influences and the south Florida scene in the late 60's early 70s

hard core R&B
Cuban
Caribbean (Calypso, Reggae, Ska)
straight ahead stuff
Beatles
Hendrix
Southern Rock (Allmans)

we also had like Rat Pack - mob hangouts with the Sinatra vide

who could forget KC & MSM

UofM

I guess we could have said 'it doesn;t speak to me'

 

[Gluvhand]

I must have really open ears and love bass, then. I really enjoy any bass that's played well, whether it's Cliff Williams with AC/DC (one of the best Rock Rhythm Sections IMHO), Carol Kaye with the Beach Boys, Jaco, Hadrien Feraud, Ray Brown or Bob Moore with Patsy Cline. I'll just count myself lucky here.

Yes. Count yourself lucky. Good bass playing isn't enough to make a song interesting or meaningful for me. I'll learn and take what I can from any bass player. I'm not going to waste time listening to music I don't enjoy. Life's too short. I don't think I love bass any less than you do. The song just means more to me than bass that's played well.

 

[Gluvhand]

influences and the south Florida scene in the late 60's early 70s

hard core R&B
Cuban
Caribbean (Calypso, Reggae, Ska)
straight ahead stuff
Beatles
Hendrix
Southern Rock (Allmans)

we also had like Rat Pack - mob hangouts with the Sinatra vide

who could forget KC & MSM

UofM

I guess we could have said 'it doesn;t speak to me'

Yes. You could have. And it would've been valid. My horizons aren't limited. They're just different than yours. Would you prefer a music scene where everybody was influenced by the same players and music? Is that what you really want? Not me. Sorry.

 

[Roy Vogt]

Yes. Count yourself lucky. Good bass playing isn't enough to make a song interesting or meaningful for me. I'll learn and take what I can from any bass player. I'm not going to waste time listening to music I don't enjoy. Life's too short. I don't think I love bass any less than you do. The song just means more to me than bass that's played well.

Considering where I live if I didn't play for the song I'd starve to death. However, in the last 2 weeks I've done a Musical, an R and B gig, a couple of Jazz recording sessions and I'm getting ready to be Jack Bruce in a Cream tribute band and finish the week with 2 different Musicals and a Fusion/World Music gig. l'm absolutely not in love with everything I have to play, but it comes with the territory.

 

[JimK]

influences and the south Florida scene in the late 60's early 70s
Southern Rock (Allmans)

...recently read a book about the ABB.
They would not call themselves "Southern Rock"...and they do not like the 'jam band' label, either.
They are an improvising Blues-Rock band from the South; closer to Miles than Skynyrd, et al.

Do you know anything about the Florida club band Nemo Spliff & their bassist, Carlos Garcia?
Garcia was supposedly a major influence of the young Jaco.
Garcia, IIRC, played a P-bass w/ an Acoustic amp...funky/staccato feel, etc.
We had a guy here in the late '60s/mid-'70s that was in the same mold. An absolute beast.

 

[peterpalmieri]

I have had the unfortunate luck of rotator cuff surgery a week ago today. It has given me the opportunity to listen to more music in the last week than I have in years. About 12 hours a day.

I cannot claim to be a great bass player as I've taken a pretty long break from any studying after starting to have kids five years ago.
And even before that I'm not sure I was anything to write home about.

That all being said let me share a bit of my journey. I always took lessons early on from some decent people. Some of the things I learned were if you want to be a good bass player, you've gotta read, learn walking lines it's the gateway to playing the bass. Good technique etc. listen to everything, bass players of course but all kinds of music. I should mention theory as a back bone too, they offered it in HS at the time. Ear training, sight singing, transcription.

I went to college and studied music mostly classical, some jazz. I learned to love it and many other kinds of music. So I've really gotten to the point where there are only two kinds of music, good music and the other. If I'm putting something in the not so good category it had a reason be it lack of musicianship , arrangement, harmonic structure, melody etc.

Also early on I found a way (it's no secret) to finding more of what you like. Example - loved iron maiden as a teen. Iron maiden took a lot of influence from Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull loved playing the blues, had a flute player and an organ player. Did the same thing with Rush , Yes. Traced them back.

Holy cow the blues, walking bass. Wow my teaches may have been right.

I'm being a bit long winded but I wanted to give some perspective. I can't imagine as a bass player not just attempting listen, love and appreciate every aspect of music.

That being said I've still bombed out of more than a few gigs where only root five were required with sometimes 5 being optional and occasional.

 

[Roy Vogt]

I was good friends with the late Alan Woody. He and Dickey Betts always maintained the ABB was as much a Jazz Band inspired by Yusef Lateef as much as T Bone Walker. The late 60s early 70's era was one of loose boundaries. You had Gary Burton and his quartet sharing co-billing with Cream at the Fillmore and the Mahavishnu Orchestra opening for the Allman Brothers.
Regarding Carlos Garcia, we had a guy like that in DFW named Dave Stanley who played that style with John Nitzinger. I thought it was a spinoff of the way Rocco Prestia, Peter Cetera and Rod Ellicott played. Being a young white kid from Texas my exposure to James Brown and Motown was pretty limited.

 

[Mushroo]

Ironically, Jaco drew inspiration from Duck, Jerry Jemmott, Tommy Cogbill, Bernard Odom and James Jamerson.

Not "ironic" at all! We can all draw some inspiration from that list.

 

[bucephylus]

Yes. You could have. And it would've been valid. My horizons aren't limited. They're just different than yours. Would you prefer a music scene where everybody was influenced by the same players and music? Is that what you really want? Not me. Sorry.

No offense intended; but your posts demonstrate some of the least tolerance for diversity in this thread. No posts have criticized your musical preferences.

 

[lfmn16]

Considering where I live if I didn't play for the song I'd starve to death.

Jaco DID play for the song, he just didn't see it the same way everyone else did. Play for the song is really just shorthand for 'play it the way I think it should be played.'

 

[jeff7bass]

First off his playing is crazy good. Second, I'm sure Joni knew what she was getting into when she put this band together just as I'm also sure she had the final say over arrangements. Lastly, I saw this tour live and the mix on this video is a bit too "biting" as far as the bass is concerned. The actual sound of the band in the seats was fuller, warmer and better balanced. This almost sound like a direct board mixed with the bass pushed to the forefront. You could hear Jaco very well (crowd) but it wasn't like this.