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Jaco on Donna Lee. Is it improvised or not?

#61
just for fun Donna Lee thing:

Circa 1986 ,Scullers Jazz CLub , Boston Mass, Jim Hall and Neils Henning Orsted Petersen (sorry if I spelled that wrong)....play DL in unison at about 240 bpm (I used my watch second hand to check it out). Then Petersen proceeds to match Jim Hall in blowing prowess on the changes. Simply amazing. I think he died recently, too bad for the bass community.
 
#62
Marty Forrer said:
Now I'm in trouble. I've been playing, or attempting to play, jazz for twenty years, and I aint got anywhere near the dexterity to play Donna Lee. Mind you, in all that time no-one has actually ever called that tune. :D
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I think he meant the horn players! I know I looked at it and said, "Thank God all I have to do is walk this!":D
 
#63
WJGreer said:
You and I are in complete sync on this topic. Even as relates to Patitucci. I often have conflicting feelings about him. On the one hand, I have gained so much joy and inspiration from his playing in the last 20 years. On the other hand, and as you suggest, listening to his astounding improvisational skill can be a little discouraging.
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Hey man, dont let it discourage....rather use it to inspire you. I often listen to his soloing in the car on the way to my jazz gigs......get that **** in my head before I take a few solos on a gig!

Also, I model my soloing approach on other instruments, mostly sax players. That is where Patitucci got alot of his **** from.
 
#64
dpbass66 said:
Hey man, dont let it discourage....rather use it to inspire you. I often listen to his soloing in the car on the way to my jazz gigs......get that **** in my head before I take a few solos on a gig!

Also, I model my soloing approach on other instruments, mostly sax players. That is where Patitucci got alot of his **** from.
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No, no...I agree and the inspiration goes a lot farther than the discouragement. I simply see his playing as a paramount that I can only approach, hopefully more and more each year but at times less than more.

This is becoming a hijack...but if you happen not to have stumbled across it, check out Nick Manson's 1994 recording that features Patitucci on two tracks. One of them is a blow on Herbie Hancock's "One Finger Snap" that is amazing. The other is a ballad that is right behind it. Wonderful playing, and the recording is old enough that Patitucci was still using his old, wetter tone that I prefer to what he is doing now.
 
#65
WJGreer said:
No, no...I agree and the inspiration goes a lot farther than the discouragement. I simply see his playing as a paramount that I can only approach, hopefully more and more each year but at times less than more.

This is becoming a hijack...but if you happen not to have stumbled across it, check out Nick Manson's 1994 recording that features Patitucci on two tracks. One of them is a blow on Herbie Hancock's "One Finger Snap" that is amazing. The other is a ballad that is right behind it. Wonderful playing, and the recording is old enough that Patitucci was still using his old, wetter tone that I prefer to what he is doing now.
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Awesome...thanks man. I will def check that out.

(sorry everyone else for the digression....)

we'll let it get back to Jaco...... ;)
 
#66
WJGreer said:
You and I are in complete sync on this topic. Even as relates to Patitucci. I often have conflicting feelings about him. On the one hand, I have gained so much joy and inspiration from his playing in the last 20 years. On the other hand, and as you suggest, listening to his astounding improvisational skill can be a little discouraging.
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But where would JP be if Jaco hadn't opened the door
 
#68
WJGreer said:
Point taken in general...although I don't think Patitucci learned his improvisational skills from listening to Jaco. If not for Jaco, though, possibly Patitucci would never have had the opportunity to feature the great skills he has.
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I agree. I think that what happened to EB in general about the mid 70's, was inevitable. Jaco certainly accelerated the process. Guys like Jeff Berlin, Victor Bailey, J. Patitucci, Gary Willis, were all coming down the pipe, with or without Jaco. They all cite him as a major paradigm shifting influence, but I think all of these guys would have been doing what they do, only perhaps in a non-Jaco influenced way....ie maybe Gary Willis would not have played fretless...

The "break" that gave Patitucci his pass was , of course, the Elektric Band. IMO, THAT is what catapulted him to bassdom, not Jaco.
 
#69
dpbass66 said:
just for fun Donna Lee thing:

Circa 1986 ,Scullers Jazz CLub , Boston Mass, Jim Hall and Neils Henning Orsted Petersen (sorry if I spelled that wrong)....play DL in unison at about 240 bpm (I used my watch second hand to check it out). Then Petersen proceeds to match Jim Hall in blowing prowess on the changes. Simply amazing. I think he died recently, too bad for the bass community.
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Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen

He went to bass heaven a couple of years ago. I managed to hear him live at least four times and it was a thrill every time

Back to Jaco. I would gladly give my kidney for the opportunity to hear the alternative takes of D.L from that first solo album session. If there are/were any..
 
#70
pierreganseman said:
it is fully written out.... I wouldn't know for sure about donna lee.. but 100% of his compostions solos are written out... In some interview marcus miller says he finds that disapointing... but still... all i can say is wow... written out or not... he played them..
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Written or not I think the compositions is great
 
#71
WJGreer said:
Point taken in general...although I don't think Patitucci learned his improvisational skills from listening to Jaco. If not for Jaco, though, possibly Patitucci would never have had the opportunity to feature the great skills he has.
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Patitucci on Jaco (taken from Bill Milkowski's book Jaco, p. 313):
"Hearing "Donna Lee" from Jaco's first album changed my life. To me, that was his strongest statement on the bass, ever. But my favorite Jaco track has to be "Portrait of Tracy"-not because of what he did on the bass technically, but also because the composition is so beautiful. Jaco had a unique style and concept on the instrument. In short, he had the ultimate musician's gift: a voice."
 
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#72
Roy Vogt said:
Patitucci on Jaco (taken from Bill Milkowski's book Jaco, p. 313):
"Hearing "Donna Lee" from Jaco's first album changed my life. To me, that was his strongest statement on the bass, ever. But my favorite Jaco track has to be "Portrait of Tracy"-not because of what he did on the bass technically, but also because the composition is so beautiful. Jaco had a unique style and concept on the instrument. In short, he had the ultimate musician's gift: a voice."
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amen
 
#73
dpbass66 said:
just for fun Donna Lee thing:

Circa 1986 ,Scullers Jazz CLub , Boston Mass, Jim Hall and Neils Henning Orsted Petersen (sorry if I spelled that wrong)....play DL in unison at about 240 bpm (I used my watch second hand to check it out). Then Petersen proceeds to match Jim Hall in blowing prowess on the changes. Simply amazing. I think he died recently, too bad for the bass community.
Click to expand...

Jim Hall? You must mean Joe Pass. Let me pull up the video - if you're referring to a different one I'd LOVE to watch it, Jim's a fantastic guitarist.

 
#76
Roy Vogt said:
Patitucci on Jaco (taken from Bill Milkowski's book Jaco, p. 313):
"Hearing "Donna Lee" from Jaco's first album changed my life. To me, that was his strongest statement on the bass, ever. But my favorite Jaco track has to be "Portrait of Tracy"-not because of what he did on the bass technically, but also because the composition is so beautiful. Jaco had a unique style and concept on the instrument. In short, he had the ultimate musician's gift: a voice."
Click to expand...

true dat
 

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