Some Folks Just Have It!

[Dr. Cheese]

I truly believe that most of what we call talent was the result of hard work, but Victor Bailey’s testimony is proof that some people really have profound talent.
Of course, Victor Bailey worked his but off too. No one just falls into a gig like Weather Report.

 

[jerry]

There is definitely a talent for music you can be born with, I don't have it, but have known a lot of cats that do. A singing voice is a definite head start.
In my opinion and all that!

 

[Neon Blues]

Definitely, there are a lot of players that have worked endlessly to get where they are. I have seen quite a few big name bass players particularly who have stories of playing gigs at 9-10 years old and learning songs straight away just by ear.

There's also some that are just playing the wrong instrument. I am semi-decent bass player, but I grew up wanting to be a Hendrix wannabe. I was a terrible guitar player. I played drums for 4 years in primary school and I was a terrible drummer.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Definitely, there are a lot of players that have worked endlessly to get where they are. I have seen quite a few big name bass players particularly who have stories of playing gigs at 9-10 years old and learning songs straight away just by ear.

There's also some that are just playing the wrong instrument. I am semi-decent bass player, but I grew up wanting to be a Hendrix wannabe. I was a terrible guitar player. I played drums for 4 years in primary school and I was a terrible drummer.

Those other instrument surely helped to be a successful bassist.

 

[DeepHz]

Great video Doc! Interesting that Victor mentions Rocco as another influence to Jaco. It makes total sense! Thanks

 

[40Hz]

Weather Report always seemed to be able to enlist more than its fair share of notable bassists: Clark, Johnson, Pastorius, Vitouš…mmm…ok, maybe not him so much. But out of all of them Victor Bailey is still my favorite. And he’s definitely a gentleman who has both talent and a work ethic.

Talent can be such an unfair thing in many ways. Because it really is a gift. A gift has to be given, unlike a prize or reward which can be earned through personal effort.

You can develop talent (and skills) through thought, effort, and practice. But all the thought, effort, and practice in the world won’t give you a talent if you don’t already possess it in some measure.

Having talent and being skilled are two different things. There are a lot of highly talented people in the world with no skills. And a fair number of technically proficient musicians who lack talent.

There’s few things more commonplace than wasted or underdeveloped musical talent. And few things sadder to see than someone diligently plugging away to develop a talent they just don’t have.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Weather Report always seemed to be able to enlist more than its fair share of notable bassists: Clark, Johnson, Pastorius, Vitouš…mmm…ok, maybe not him so much. But out of all of them Victor Bailey is still my favorite. And he’s definitely a gentleman who has both talent and a work ethic.

Talent can be such an unfair thing in many ways. Because it really is a gift. A gift has to be given, unlike a prize or reward which can be earned through personal effort.

You can develop talent (and skills) through thought, effort, and practice. But all the thought, effort, and practice in the world won’t give you a talent if you don’t already possess it in some measure.

Having talent and being skilled are two different things. There are a lot of highly talented people in the world with no skills. And a fair number of technically proficient musicians who lack talent.

There’s few things more commonplace than wasted or underdeveloped musical talent. And few things sadder to see than someone diligently plugging away to develop a talent they just don’t have.

I know a bit about plugging away with no talent!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Great video Doc! Interesting that Victor mentions Rocco as another influence to Jaco. It makes total sense! Thanks

Rocco was a true original and another naturally talented bassist. Southern session bassists Jerry Jemmott and Tommy Cogbill, the guy who played Funky Broadway and Son of a Preacherman were also great Jaco influences.

 

[lomo]

Every one is born with a floor and a ceiling, because genetics are variable and the machine's factory spec is dictated by them. Within those boundaries, work/effort & favourable random chance (good luck) will push one towards one's ceiling, and lack of effort & other obstacles (bad luck among them) will drop one closer to the one's floor. Ideally, we should all have equal opportunity, but the notion that we are all "created equal" is often misconstrued/misunderstood as meaning we are all the same. We are obviously not. Some are born taller, stronger, smarter, more empathetic, talented, etc. than others.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Weather Report always seemed to be able to enlist more than its fair share of notable bassists: Clark, Johnson, Pastorius, Vitouš…mmm…ok, maybe not him so much. But out of all of them Victor Bailey is still my favorite. And he’s definitely a gentleman who has both talent and a work ethic.

Talent can be such an unfair thing in many ways. Because it really is a gift. A gift has to be given, unlike a prize or reward which can be earned through personal effort.

You can develop talent (and skills) through thought, effort, and practice. But all the thought, effort, and practice in the world won’t give you a talent if you don’t already possess it in some measure.

Having talent and being skilled are two different things. There are a lot of highly talented people in the world with no skills. And a fair number of technically proficient musicians who lack talent.

There’s few things more commonplace than wasted or underdeveloped musical talent. And few things sadder to see than someone diligently plugging away to develop a talent they just don’t have.

What bass player named Clark played in WR?

 

[retslock]

I truly believe that most of what we call talent was the result of hard work, but Victor Bailey’s testimony is proof that some people really have profound talent.
Of course, Victor Bailey worked his but off too. No one just falls into a gig like Weather Report.

I have had extensive debate about talent versus hard work and it is clear to me that some individuals show aptitude BEFORE the work is taken on. To me, that is natural talent. The hard work develops and focuses that natural ability to produce excellence. Without it, hard work will provide improvement and good results but with it superior results are far more likely.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Rocco was a true original and another naturally talented bassist. Southern session bassists Jerry Jemmott and the guy who played Funky Broadway and Son of a Preacherman were also great Jaco influences.

The guy that played Funky Broadway, Preacher Man, Chain of Fools, and yes Mustang Sally and others was Tommy Cogbill.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The guy that played Funky Broadway, Preacher Man, Chain of Fools, and yes Mustang Sally and others was Tommy Cogbill.

I just looked him up because I could not remember his name.

 

[40Hz]

I know a bit about plugging away with no talent!

Me too. There’s a lot of things I love to do that I’m absolutely no good at no matter how hard I try.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I just looked him up because I could not remember his name.

Quite the resume

 

[40Hz]

What bass player named Clark played in WR?

Stanley Clark unless I’m mistaken.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Stanley Clark unless I’m mistaken.

I don't believe he ever played in Weather Report. Return to Forever was the band he played in.

 

[Michedelic]

That’s Clarke with an ‘e‘.

 

[40Hz]

I don't believe he ever played in Weather Report. Return to Forever was the band he played in.

Stanley Clark unless I’m mistaken.

I don't believe he ever played in Weather Report. Return to Forever was the band he played in.

You’re right. Forgive my senior moment combined with my brain’s unfortunate tendency to have all fusion jazzers kinda mentally merge into an interchangeable musical slurry. I liked the early lineups of Weather Report and Return to Forever. But then players started leaving to form new bands who broke up to form yet more new bands, and so on and so on, the whole Fusion Jazz subgenre seemed more like Fission Jazz and turned into a slush pile of interchangeable names for me.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I had the good fortune to meet Victor Bailey when he was a student at Berklee in Boston, must have been around 1979. One of my Brothers friends was his roommate. I was considering going to Berklee, and went up with this guy to check it out. I remember Victor had a metallic red 60's Jazz, not sure what year, that he had pulled the frets out of, al la Jaco, and he was already, at 19 or so, a ferociously good player. I brought my Ric 4001 bass with me and slept on the floor of their dorm room. I woke up to the sound of Victor noodling on my Ric, extracting sounds I didn't know were possible from it, but he kind of shrugged and put it down. Definitely not his cup of tea. Nice guy, and a monster bassist. I was sorry to hear of his passing a few years ago.