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Jaco Pastorius - Modern Electric Bass

#6
The internet is amazing. I used to have to go to the fine arts library at the University of Texas, where I could check this video out to watch there in the library for no more than 30 minutes at a time. Now you can just watch it on YouTube.

Great video. Based on Bill Milkowski's biography, which is not without controversy, Jaco was in very bad shape at the time this was shot, essentially homeless IIRC. I only mention that because it illustrates what a wonderful player and insightful person Jaco was all the way through his jounrey.
 
#9
WJGreer said:
The internet is amazing. I used to have to go to the fine arts library at the University of Texas, where I could check this video out to watch there in the library for no more than 30 minutes at a time. Now you can just watch it on YouTube.

Great video. Based on Bill Milkowski's biography, which is not without controversy, Jaco was in very bad shape at the time this was shot, essentially homeless IIRC. I only mention that because it illustrates what a wonderful player and insightful person Jaco was all the way through his jounrey.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Jaco even looks rough in the video. The quote by him when asked what it is like to play with the greats and he says "Get me a gig" is such a depressing statement on the state his life was in at the time.
 
#12
There are players who can play faster, there are players who can play eleventy string basses fluidly, but Jaco will always be the one who showed us the new way of playing.
He was an outstanding musician, bass playing aside. He wrote charts for his 20 piece (?) Invitation Big Band, they came in and played them live, and the harmonic content was/is outstanding. No piano, no guitar, and the band just killed it.
Clapton was God to guitarists in the 60s, and Jaco was God to bassists in the 70s. IMO, he still is today.
 
#16
As someone who idolises Jaco and rates him without any contest as the greatest musician ever on our instrument, I always find it very sad to watch that video, impressive though the playing is in places. But knowing what Jaco achieved as a player at his peak and seeing what had become of him at that point in his life is just tragic.
 
#17
Well his head drops in the beginning but then he resurrects as the video goes on. We grieve for him but celebrate his virtuosity and his badass-ness. I didn't understand the phrase s/he still lives in us, for the longest time, but I may understand now.
There are a few people in this world who I wish were still alive, so ****ing bad.
 
#19
chuck norriss said:
Well his head drops in the beginning but then he resurrects as the video goes on. We grieve for him but celebrate his virtuosity and his badass-ness. I didn't understand the phrase s/he still lives in us, for the longest time, but I may understand now.
There are a few people in this world who I wish were still alive, so ****ing bad.
Click to expand...
I guess I've always watched it (I bought it years ago) through the "filter" of knowing what he was up against at the time. It's hard to watch it without that knowledge constantly making you think about the whole thing.

I was lucky enough to see Jaco at his absolute peak with Weather Report and for that I'm forever grateful.
 
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