Jaco

[Richard Lindsey]

One of the main reasons I won't play weddings any more involves accordion. Repeated listening merely drives me closer to buying an Uzi.

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There's accordion, and there's accordion. Somebody like my old bandmate John Whelan is something else. So is a guy like Eddie Monteiro (burning jazz accordion).

Needless (I hope) to say, I'm *not* suggesting that you have to like it ....

 

[Brad Johnson]

One of the main reasons I won't play weddings any more involves accordion. Repeated listening merely drives me closer to buying an Uzi.

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I think it would be very cool to have an accordion in a band, especially someone with as diverse a background as the rest of the wedding band I'm in (imagines an accordionist with a Keith Jarrett vibe).

Check this out... the leader is a Jazz vocalist, the guitar player has Jazz chops and and has his own metal band, the male vocalist fronts a Parliament/Funkadelic tribute band, the drummer worked with Isaac Hayes back in the day, I'm a mutant, the new keyboard player is even more bent than most keyboard players and isn't the least bit embarassed to do the robot when the mood strikes him (which is why I typically play with my back to him... I have difficulty playing while convulsing in laughter)... we have a ball.

*Imagines accordion taking the lead on "Hollywood Swingin' "*

 

[Passinwind]

There's accordion, and there's accordion. Somebody like my old bandmate John Whelan is something else. So is a guy like Eddie Monteiro (burning jazz accordion).

Needless (I hope) to say, I'm *not* suggesting that you have to like it ....

I mixed a CJ Chenier (Clifton's kid or nephew, I think) show once, it was totally smoking. He brought a 1000 watt Crown for his accordion, and I didn't have any of the usual issues at all. I think I had some Eddie Monteiro force fed to me at a practice, but I threatened retaliation with Ornette or worse. The instrument's OK, it's the guys who play it that bug me.

 

[Brad Johnson]

It's all about "playing the spaces".


The tune I usually use as a guide is "Hollywood Swinging". The guitar plays its little bit, the bass does its thing; neither really plays while the other is 'busy'.
I once had this original where the bass, guitar, & sax each played a specific part of a larger riff...a total Brecker Bros' ripoff(I think I actually copped it from a linear drum groove). Anyway, as usual, no one else wanted to play along.

Everything in it's place and space is king. It's the root of tons of good music and unfortunately a dying art.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I mixed a CJ Chenier (Clifton's kid or nephew, I think) show once, it was totally smoking. He brought a 1000 watt Crown for his accordion, and I didn't have any of the usual issues at all. I think I had some Eddie Monteiro force fed to me at a practice, but I threatened retaliation with Ornette or worse. The instrument's OK, it's the guys who play it that bug me.

It's the lapels, isn't it?

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I grew up listening to Myron Floren and the rest of the Welk crew (with my grandparents)... and I liked it. Probably because I didn't know I wasn't supposed to


That's right... mutant

 

[Passinwind]

I think it would be very cool to have an accordion in a band, especially someone with as diverse a background as the rest of the wedding band I'm in (imagines an accordionist with a Keith Jarrett vibe).

The guy in question owns a MIDI accordion, and has mad sKilLz. Should I hook you up? Seriously though, the wedding crowd loves this guy, to the point that we lost half our set to him going overtime. That would've been fine, except for repeated past transgressions.

 

[Brad Johnson]

The guy in question owns a MIDI accordion, and has mad sKilLz. Should I hook you up? Seriously though, the wedding crowd loves this guy, to the point that we lost half our set to him going overtime. That would've been fine, except for repeated past transgressions.

Oh... you're jealous? It's understandable, they do get the best chicks.



Just kidding

As far as I'm concerned, a cat who can play can play... and I'll try and hang with them. I like good music.

 

[Red Wonder]

Is Jaco on record anywhere noodling around on a double bass? I heard he played it but never see/hear him playing on one. For $%#%st's sake his arms were sure long enough...

 

[Red Wonder]

Yeah...Yeah...Yeah...guys come on...quit hording all the Jaco clips

 

[mariner]

OK, now that it's 2am and I've just finished reading this entire thread, I feel I must share my Jaco revelation of many years past...

I played trumpet throughout school, maybe 7 years. Then switched to bass. My hero's of the time were Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinson, Chuck Mangione, etc... 88 was when I bought my first bass (yes, I'm young in comparison to the experience of this forum) and immediately latched on to the likes of Geddy Lee, John Entwhistle, Michael Anthony, Les Claypool, Billy Sheehan.. It was the melodic chops that drew me to them. My brass past was leading the way..

However, I was not schooled in the "classics". I forget how I heard about Jaco, I used to watch PBS late at night because like Headbanger's Ball on MTV, it was the only way to partake in truly unique music. I think there were many tributes to Jaco happening or maybe I was even lucky enough to see footage of him playing. I bought his 1st major release and was blown away. I'm very fortunate to have experienced the effect of liking his music. It was intricate and melodic and enlightening. It changed me so much that I actually defretted my 2nd bass. I learned so much about proper finger technique for good intonation because I didn't have a fret to set me right.

I hope RAV kept reading as those that followed trashed his opinion and others defended him. Many young people get scared away from things when ridiculed for their opinion. I hate too assume, but he never declared enough about himself to make me think he was anything else but young.

In closing,

Jaco - RIP

RAV - Hang in there and remember, just because you don't like it doesn't mean it sucks, it just means you don't like it.

Everyone else - I look forward to many more enlightening posts and exchanges.

 

[JimK]

... 88 was when I bought my first bass (yes, I'm young in comparison to the experience of this forum)

Go ahead...say we're 'old'. You're allowed.

I hope RAV kept reading as those that followed trashed his opinion and others defended him. Many young people get scared away from things when ridiculed for their opinion. I hate too assume, but he never declared enough about himself to make me think he was anything else but young.[/QUOTE}]
I think he mentioned getting back to Otis Redding...Otis is still happenin' at any age!

RAV - Hang in there and remember, just because you don't like it doesn't mean it sucks, it just means you don't like it.

Everyone else - I look forward to many more enlightening posts and exchanges.

Agree and...
...we'll see about the "enlightening" part.

 

[JimK]

Is Jaco on record anywhere noodling around on a double bass? I heard he played it but never see/hear him playing on one. For $%#%st's sake his arms were sure long enough...

Can't say I know of any.

 

[JimK]

And-
Bill Leigh's opening paragraph or 2 in the new March '05 issue of Bass Player("Low Down/editorial) makes some points relative to this thread.
"Openess to change enables us to dig deeper, to get beyond the hard outer barriers that keep us from being the best we can be".

...and over in Ed Friedland's Woodshed/Column, "The Art Of Subbing"-

"Listen to every type music, even if you don't like it-one day someone may offer you a whole mess 'o dough to play that stuff you can't stand".

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

And-
Bill Leigh's opening paragraph or 2 in the new March '05 issue of Bass Player("Low Down/editorial) makes some points relative to this thread.
"Openess to change enables us to dig deeper, to get beyond the hard outer barriers that keep us from being the best we can be".

...and over in Ed Friedland's Woodshed/Column, "The Art Of Subbing"-

"Listen to every type music, even if you don't like it-one day someone may offer you a whole mess 'o dough to play that stuff you can't stand".

Yep - agree 100% with that - Jaco's music has a lot to teach us and help us as bassplayers, I think it would be pretty foolhardy to spurn that.....

But in fact, I think only two people have disagreed in this thread -- one newer member and one older ......

 

[dlloyd]

Yep - agree 100% with that - Jaco's music has a lot to teach us and help us as bassplayers, I think it would be pretty foolhardy to spurn that.....

But in fact, I think only two people have disagreed in this thread -- one newer member and one older ......

I'm not sure I saw anyone say that.

Some people said they didn't like him and some people said it was okay not to like him. And that's about it.

 

[cowsgomoo]

just to address the original post, I don't think you necessarily have to like a person's music to appreciate their abilities, or acknowledge their influence on others...

there isn't much of Jaco's style that I can hear that's seeped into my own playing, and I'm not the world's biggest fan of jazz/fusion anyway, but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate Jaco for what he did, his musicianship and his unique voice on the instrument... surely any musician can spot great phrasing when they hear it??

but I think it'd be awful if we all liked the same musician and (even worse) all strived to sound as much like him as possible

 

[Kraken]

just to address the original post, I don't think you necessarily have to like a person's music to appreciate their abilities, or acknowledge their influence on others...

there isn't much of Jaco's style that I can hear that's seeped into my own playing, and I'm not the world's biggest fan of jazz/fusion anyway, but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate Jaco for what he did, his musicianship and his unique voice on the instrument... surely any musician can spot great phrasing when they hear it??

but I think it'd be awful if we all liked the same musician and (even worse) all strived to sound as much like him as possible

I think this was the point of the original poster (I may be wrong) but hey after all it would be shocking if some of us could not enjoy listening to Jaco, even if we can appreciate his Ability.

 

[pulseczar]

I personally love Jaco's music, being a jazz fan and everything.

I bought his Word of Mouth cd a year ago when I started learning bass (I played Bari Sax 5 year prior to that) and it suprised me how fast his fingers could go, even though some songs were a bit ehh.....

a year later I put it back into my cd player and even more blown away before by his amazing sense of rhythm and other stuff. His work with harmonics is definitely kickass, but how he could groove for weather report amazes me. I accompany the pianist in my church, and whenever I try to imitate his style in church, it just doesn't work. Not because it's wrong style of music, but I just can't seem to keep the bass in the background while moving all over the bass.

Listen to his Weather Report stuff (I recommend the Heavy Weather album) and listen to the bassline. It's constantly moving, almost never on the root, but it does hold the band together.

 

[cassanova]

Bruce and Brad. Cut the crap ok. Take your differences out with each other in a PM. You are both in violation of the rules and regs by fighting. So Stop!

I'd had sent you both PM's about this, but I'm at school and just dont have the time too. If Jay or James has the time, hopefully one of them will PM you. But for now, If you cant play nicely then dont play at all.


Thank You and Much Love
Mama Cass

 

[cassanova]

Like I said in my last post. Knock it off! I dont give a care who started it. I'm ending it right now. You both have PM's.

If you have any questions, doubts, anxiets, or concerns about the PM's, then PM me back. This is no longer to be discussed out in the open.

I also think that we all need to read or re-read Jay's sticky about respect.

Now, lets just move on and learn from it as men do.