The first time I heard Jaco.....

[Dad3353]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1367577577' post='2067098']...gob smacked...[/quote]

Still the wizard of understatement, eh..?

[fumps]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1367579274' post='2067126']
Still the wizard of understatement, eh..?
[/quote]
Yep ...although I once told him I bet I could win him at twister.....he agreed......

Aye hazz da powerzzzzzzz

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1367568294' post='2066899']
Maybe, but bear in mind that Jaco is not one of my main musical heroes - I'm just saying that people should recognise what he did and not come out with spurious comparisons to James Jamerson! He was always going to have more of an effect on someone like Bilbo because be likes that kind of music.

My point about people getting defensive when they hear brilliant musicians was way more general than just talking about Jaco...
[/quote]
People do not get defensive when they hear brilliant musicians. Or perhaps I'm just hanging around with the wrong people.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1367576715' post='2067081']
Sure... this looks quite difficult, but...

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOjHhJd70f4[/media]
[/quote]
There are no words to describe how awful that was.

[icastle]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1367571514' post='2066985']
I've done her.
[/quote]

She reckoned it was the other way round actually...

[icastle]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1367595518' post='2067410']
People do not get defensive when they hear brilliant musicians. Or perhaps I'm just hanging around with the wrong people.
[/quote]

Nope I don't reckon so.

If I hear a brilliant musician then I'll say something really original like 'wow, what a brilliant musician!'.

If people agree then that's fine.

If they don't agree then that particular 'bombshell' is going to lose me all of about 5 seconds sleep.
I'm certainly not going to bore them to death by insisting they listen to obscure widdly sh*te or lecture them on how ignorant they are for not agreeing with me, comparing genitalia sizes and insisting that every note played is influenced by them.

[risingson]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1367597415' post='2067450']
If they don't agree then that particular 'bombshell' is going to lose me all of about 5 seconds sleep.
I'm certainly not going to bore them to death by insisting they listen to obscure widdly sh*te or lecture them on how ignorant they are for not agreeing with me, comparing genitalia sizes and insisting that every note played is influenced by them.
[/quote]

It is a little frustrating to see people quite obviously throwing up the walls when it comes to some of the more very obvious important bands, writers/composers and musicians in history, kind of of like plugging your ears and singing because you're unwilling to change your opinion too - not that I've seen any of that in this thread at all but it does have a tendency to happen on here from time to time.

I completely agree though, and in the case of Jaco (someone who I really loved when I was a younger player), it's very easy to see why people might not be at all keen to listen. His music definitely isn't for everyone, neither is his playing, tone etc. etc.

[fumps]

comparing genitalia sizes.
No Mr Castle not getting caught out by you again.....can I please have that polaroid you took ?

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1367245337' post='2063067']
The first time I heard Jaco?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXiYkOEBv8U[/media]

Mind you, it would be another 30 years before I realised it ...
[/quote]

this but not 30 years - anyone in the south east area remember listening to radio caroline? they used to play all american alien boy quite often in the late 70s and iirc thats the first time i heard jaco and then on the joni mitchell mingus album

[icastle]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1367604635' post='2067563']
comparing genitalia sizes.
No Mr Castle not getting caught out by you again.....can I please have that polaroid you took ?
[/quote]

Ah sorry, it's the data protection act... that and the chance of £50 from the Guinness Book Of Medical Curiosities...

[Davo-London]

The first time I heard Jaco it was on a cassette of Heavy Weather that was lent to me by a school friend. I was 15-16 and had been playing bass for a couple of years. OMG I still remember it to this day. I just couldn't believe it. Loved WR and Jaco instantly. That was about 40 years ago. Saw WR and Jaco about 3 times at Hammersmith Odeon (Apollo).

Happy days
Davo

[julesb]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1367336004' post='2064385']


Aw, come on..! Joni Mitchell..? Hejira..? Shadows and Light..? Nah, it's as close to perfection as we're likely to get this side of Paradise, surely..? :rolleyes
[/quote]

I came across Joni while looking for jaco many moon(dances) ago. She is now my no.1 favourite artist and Jaco's best work is with her imo, playing songs supporting vocals and showing amazing restraint (for someone who could play anything) and playing with with great sensitivity. That's proof of a great musician.

[Japhet]

I first heard Jaco on Weather Report's Birdland. At the time I was immersed in Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. I had never played a bass and was a very poor guitarist. Some of the riffs on Birdland blew me away and captured my interest in the bass as an instrument. Can't say I'm much of a fan of his stuff in general but he most definitely opened my eyes (and ears) to something special to me.

[72deluxe]

Hey, someone insulted Vai and Satriani in this thread! Just because it is instrumental does not make it wrong. Vai can perhaps be a bit much but his early stuff had very interesting backing arrangements (listen to the BACKING on Passion and Warfare - it is far more informative than the lead guitar lines).

As for Satriani, his early stuff sounds scratchy tone-wise and there are many long runs, but if you listen to his phrasing it is all based around singing the parts. He had lessons with Lennie Tristano who would make him sing the melodies scat-style. Listen to his melody lines and timing and notice that they are mostly hum-able. There may be bursts of speed but who walks the same speed for their entire life? Sometimes you must run. You do not saunter everywhere.

I would disagree that it is "showing that you can play for the sake of it" instead of melodies. It is like jazz - I did not understand it at all and could not hear the melodies, being used to rock and pop, so I bought a book on jazz and read it to understand in general terms what was going on. Some of it I don't understand still, but you listen to it differently and listen for interplay, not necessarily melodies that you can hum. I think this was what someone was saying earlier about "not getting it"; perhaps they mean that we're listening for the wrong thing in it, or expecting it to be different. I don't "get" hip-hop but I wouldn't assign all of it to the dustbin - I just don't know what to listen for in it, other than the world's loudest drum sound with poetry over it?

I had not heard Jaco so bought his solo CD which I was initially disappointed in, as I was expecting non-stop playing all the way through. His flash bass parts are very impressive and I sadly cannot play them at all. In any case after repeated listens and attempts to understand what he is doing I now think it is a good album. For me, the move moving parts of music on it don't really feature the bass, nor do they feature overly complex routines like "Come On Over".

Whenever I hear this album it makes me want to pick up the bass and play, so that's a good thing. Flea does the same for me, although I am not a fan of all his music either. Jaco does not make me want to dance to Portrait Of Tracy, and I suspect that's not what he was aiming to do with that song.

Edited October 29, 2015 by 72deluxe

[jacko]

For an alternate take on Jaco's playing, try to listen to his Jazz street album with Brian Melvin. It's a far cry from the frenzy of his solo albums - more laid back like some of his work with Joni.

[Dapper Bandit]

Heard him when I was seriously getting into bass, bought a magazine that had a lot of different tabs in it and between a Rage against the Machine song and a Blink 182 song there was a tab for 'Portrait of Tracy'. The notation was unlike anything else in that whole issue and I got the album to find out what the hell it all meant. His solo albums have always impressed me as he was acting as much as a composer as a player and for me that is where he always shone.

TL;DR I prefer Portrait of Tracy to Teen Town.

[lowdown]

[quote name='72deluxe' timestamp='1446114071' post='2896947']Jaco does not make me want to dance to Portrait Of Tracy[/quote]

No, certainly not - But, it is easy to dance in 5/8 when you are pi***d.


Always been a Jaco fan - His arranging chops were pretty special as well.

[Bilbo]

I think it is was to forget what a shock to the system Jaco was when he hit in '76. I lived, ate and breathed him for a time but moved on as my tastes developed. I still go back every now and then and get a fix. It's his sound, groove and chops. No-one has made me sit up and listen as much before or since.

PS first was Heavy Weather

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='72deluxe' timestamp='1446114071' post='2896947']
Hey, someone insulted Vai and Satriani in this thread! Just because it is instrumental does not make it wrong. Vai can perhaps be a bit much but his early stuff had very interesting backing arrangements (listen to the BACKING on Passion and Warfare - it is far more informative than the lead guitar lines).

As for Satriani, his early stuff sounds scratchy tone-wise and there are many long runs, but if you listen to his phrasing it is all based around singing the parts. He had lessons with Lennie Tristano who would make him sing the melodies scat-style. Listen to his melody lines and timing and notice that they are mostly hum-able. There may be bursts of speed but who walks the same speed for their entire life? Sometimes you must run. You do not saunter everywhere.

I would disagree that it is "showing that you can play for the sake of it" instead of melodies. It is like jazz - I did not understand it at all and could not hear the melodies, being used to rock and pop, so I bought a book on jazz and read it to understand in general terms what was going on. Some of it I don't understand still, but you listen to it differently and listen for interplay, not necessarily melodies that you can hum. I think this was what someone was saying earlier about "not getting it"; perhaps they mean that we're listening for the wrong thing in it, or expecting it to be different. I don't "get" hip-hop but I wouldn't assign all of it to the dustbin - I just don't know what to listen for in it, other than the world's loudest drum sound with poetry over it?

I had not heard Jaco so bought his solo CD which I was initially disappointed in, as I was expecting non-stop playing all the way through. His flash bass parts are very impressive and I sadly cannot play them at all. In any case after repeated listens and attempts to understand what he is doing I now think it is a good album. For me, the move moving parts of music on it don't really feature the bass, nor do they feature overly complex routines like "Come On Over".

Whenever I hear this album it makes me want to pick up the bass and play, so that's a good thing. Flea does the same for me, although I am not a fan of all his music either. Jaco does not make me want to dance to Portrait Of Tracy, and I suspect that's not what he was aiming to do with that song.
[/quote]
With regards to Vai it's all about context and what he was trying to achieve musically.

If he was shredding over 3 min pop songs I'd accept he was just a shredder. However, his composition are about being musically advanced and interesting. This doesn't mean it's bad cos it's not pop. Look at Mozart, Stravinsky etc. all there music contains fast musical passages. Does this. Make them shredders? violin w***ers?

[NickD]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1367417311' post='2065375']
,Jaco played some great stuff and some dross. He played well on some crap tunes and poorly on some great tunes. For me, when he was hitting, he was hitting and his hit rate was the envy of a generation. He opened doors for me that I didn't even know were closed. What he does for anyone else is of no interest to me. He was 'my man', along with 3 others, and I sometimes still hear him today and go 'wow'. There aren't many that do that anymore.
[/quote]

I don't think I can add anything to this thread, partly because I know nowt, and partly because all the expected posts are already in. I'd really like to know who your '3 others' are though?

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1446205423' post='2897674']
I don't think I can add anything to this thread, partly because I know nowt, and partly because all the expected posts are already in. I'd really like to know who your '3 others' are though?
[/quote]
His 3 others were Sid Vicious, Guiggsy from Oasis and Peter Hook!

[NickD]

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1446207578' post='2897700']

His 3 others were Sid Vicious, Guiggsy from Oasis and Peter Hook!
[/quote]

No Lemmy?

[CamdenRob]

This is up there with never having watched Star Wars, but I have never heard anything Jaco has played on... Not out of any dislike for the man, just general disinterest has led to me not bothering to look him up on youtube etc.

.. he's not alone, I've never heard anything by Geddy Lee either, which is a another name that keeps cropping up.

One day I'll have to have a session going through all these names that get mentioned on BC

Edited October 30, 2015 by CamdenRob

[wateroftyne]

I read the Jaco book recently. Fascinating story.

He was clearly a genius. And an incredible, effortless, game-changing, player.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for him, the music still does nowt for me.

[sblueplanet]

First time I was aware of Mr. P I was visiting my older brother who was in a prog-rock/jazz fusion band. This would be around 1979. He put Jaco's debut record on his deck and out came Jaco at what seemed a hundred miles an hour! I kept asking "are you sure he's playing a bass?"
I discovered him again years later in my late teens when I started playing fretless. His playing can still cause shock & awe to the un-initiated, haha.