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Jaco the world greatest bass player ...
- Thread starter michael nieves
- Start date
For sure he was bi-polar. One of my best friends is also bi-polar; all the signs were there.
They didn't have great treatment options then. Lack of treatment or inability to get properly diagnosed and treated are what killed him. It's a terrible illness.
I'm thinking a lot of people posting here haven't seen this video...
I'm also wondering if age isn't a factor in some of the replies Im seeing. These days we are all used to chops driven players, back in the 70's/80's the kind of monster bass playing that Jaco and Stanley brought to people was still new.
I'm also wondering if age isn't a factor in some of the replies Im seeing. These days we are all used to chops driven players, back in the 70's/80's the kind of monster bass playing that Jaco and Stanley brought to people was still new.
Nice picture. No point talking about the statement ‘cos it’s just opinion. He was incredibly talented though.
Jaco was not just a bassist, he was much more than that.
His work as a composer is his most important contribution to music. He had a unique voice, and it is very unfortunate that ha died so young, because I believe he had so much more to give to music.
As a bassist, I cannot understand why so many TB'ers insist in putting him down. Some comparisons made here just make me laugh.
Jaco is with the greats, there is no doubt about that. He is up there with Mingus, Ellington, etc..
As an influence to the instrument, well, I don't even think there is a discussion there. He's our Coltrane.
I get the feeling some folks here judge him for his mental illness and I doubt many of them know his work deeply. Maybe they heard a tune or two.
His work as a composer is his most important contribution to music. He had a unique voice, and it is very unfortunate that ha died so young, because I believe he had so much more to give to music.
As a bassist, I cannot understand why so many TB'ers insist in putting him down. Some comparisons made here just make me laugh.
Jaco is with the greats, there is no doubt about that. He is up there with Mingus, Ellington, etc..
As an influence to the instrument, well, I don't even think there is a discussion there. He's our Coltrane.
I get the feeling some folks here judge him for his mental illness and I doubt many of them know his work deeply. Maybe they heard a tune or two.
I think it's a couple of things...Chops bass playing is old hat these days and youtube is filled with not only Jaco clones but slaphappy players so folks are just used to seeing that stuff and Im guessing people trashing Jaco just aren't aware of how innovative he was at the time.
Than there is just simply ignorance of what he is doing. I'm 52, and while I always recognized the talent that guys like Jaco and Stanley have, it took me a looooong time to really appreciate them. Honestly it wasn't until about ten years ago that I finally took on a deeper appreciation for what Jaco was doing. What I am trying to say is that I always liked his playing from a "wow, awesome bass playing dude" perspective, but it took a long time for me to really, really get it at deeper, more intellectual level.
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The GOAT? I'd never heard of Jaco before coming onto this website and I'm 48 yrs old and don't live under a rock. What does that tell you?
Very well put.
His work is deep, yes, and you have to listen and listen to get to all the layers.
You go on YouTube and you see hundreds of bass players with chops that are incredible. Really are. I see 15 year old kids that have chops I never had or never will.
It's not about that. You can play what he wrote, of course.
I have seen Coltrane's solos performed on bass.
But to be able to create that kind of music, that's a different story. To be able to create something that didn't even exist, a new style, a new voice, that's a different level.
You can call me a fan boy, of course.
But I will tell you this. I have been listening to music all my live. I got into Jazz 20 years ago. First Fusion, then all the Jazz Universe.
I remember as it was yesterday the first time I listened to Jaco.
I got word of him through a portuguese mIRC bassists group. Bought Live in Italy and the first tune I heard was Teen Town, with a big intro from Bireli Lagrène. When Jaco starts playing I was amazed. Never heard anything like that, anything that touched me so much or that I could identify myself like Jaco's playing. I have the same feeling about Fernando Pessoa, a portuguese poet, or about Ian McEwan. Some things just touch you deeply.
But, even if that doesn't happen, if you know music, you have to realize and understand the quality and uniqueness of some musicians. You may not like it, but you have to see the quality in their work. It's not about what you personally feel, when we discuss this subjects. It's about how you, as a musician (pro or amateur) are capable of recognizing the unique quality of some artists, even if you personally don't identify with the music.
But I will tell you this. I have been listening to music all my live. I got into Jazz 20 years ago. First Fusion, then all the Jazz Universe.
I remember as it was yesterday the first time I listened to Jaco.
I got word of him through a portuguese mIRC bassists group. Bought Live in Italy and the first tune I heard was Teen Town, with a big intro from Bireli Lagrène. When Jaco starts playing I was amazed. Never heard anything like that, anything that touched me so much or that I could identify myself like Jaco's playing. I have the same feeling about Fernando Pessoa, a portuguese poet, or about Ian McEwan. Some things just touch you deeply.
But, even if that doesn't happen, if you know music, you have to realize and understand the quality and uniqueness of some musicians. You may not like it, but you have to see the quality in their work. It's not about what you personally feel, when we discuss this subjects. It's about how you, as a musician (pro or amateur) are capable of recognizing the unique quality of some artists, even if you personally don't identify with the music.
Bass is an instrument where technical achievement make it all too easy to step on one's higher and best use.
nice portrait, OP! really cool rendition of a great player/musician. 
in spite of a host of demons, jaco used his natural talents + hard work + passion.
all of that trumps anything you'd post on a forum like this.....using a keypad.
in spite of a host of demons, jaco used his natural talents + hard work + passion.
all of that trumps anything you'd post on a forum like this.....using a keypad.
those three items in bold get discussed often here.
Guys like Jaco are a perfect example of how natural talents exceed the hard work/passion aspect.
I'm passionate about bass, and have worked hard at it also. On average spending hours practicing on almost a daily basis. I've gotten better over the years, and in my small tidal pool of musicians have a rep as being a competent and skilled bass player (or at least thats what I think people think of me, could be exact opposite), but
my abilities just simply do not equal the amount of time I've put into the instrument at all.
Some of that might be attributed to practicing the wrong way, practicing the wrong things, not having formal training as a youngster, etc..etc..but a lot of it is just simply not have the natural talent for music that guys like Jaco, Coltrane, Mingus, etc...have. Those guys worked hard for sure, but they also had a natural/built in aptitude for this stuff.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
That you may not have a deep musical vocabulary? Or maybe you focus on the music more than the musicians?
Whenever I bought an album or heard something I liked, I always wanted to know everything about the act or album. The musicians, producer, studio, cover art, instruments, everything. From my perspective (which is only mine of course) I can't imagine being a bass player of a certain age (I am in my 50's) and never having heard of Jaco Pastorius.
Then again, last year someone posted here that they never heard The Beatles!
True. It wasn't known back then the danger bipolar people are exposed to. Some of the medications available then could kill you if the dose wasn't right or if you didn't follow food restrictions to avoid certain amino acids. (Nick Drake is an example of death by psyc medicine error) A high % of bipolar patients commit suicide, I believe more so than any other diagnosis.
What amazed me about Jaco was his time, his sense of the beat.
Go to the guy you happen to think might be the best and ask them what they thought of Jaco.
Yes! This is something that came to me over the years also. The immersion of getting to know everything about the album release was not only entertaining, but educational. There’s countless times I’ve been led to new ideas, previous release of songs, and inspirations by just getting to the nuts and bolts of each release. Ironically, that’s also something I picked up by listening to Jaco too. He was a great deconstructed too. That and his lesson that you can do anything on the bass.
As for someone not knowing the Beatles. I was in a Tower Records store in 1974. A girl in the next aisle says to her friend, “oh look, Paul was in another group before Wings”!
And an Apple is No Orange..
