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Do you enjoy listening to Jaco?


GreeneKing
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A huge 'no' for me.


Too many notes, too much w***ery, a horrible sound and Michael Manring are reasons I dislike his music.


I did sit down with an open mind and try to listen but it does absolutely nothing for me. I did give it a good chance as well, not just playing the start of songs but trying to listen to find something I liked. Nothing. Hee Haw.


I enjoy listening to other players who play fretless such as Jack Bruce & Pino etc and their music seems more listenable.



A very definite point of view and one for which our US counterparts tried to shoot me to shreds over, especially as they seem to think that everyone in the world was influenced by him. They can't see past the fact that some people may not like his playing.

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He's been a huge influence on me and my playing, more so when I was younger I guess.

The greatest compliment anyone has ever paid me was "You're a fan of Jaco Pastorius aren't you, I can hear it in your playing, you sound very much like him". That came form one of the best guitarists I've ever played with, he was referring more to my choice of notes and phrasing, rather than anything else. I can't play half the stuff that he could.

His groove, timing and stamina are amazing, listen to 'Kuru/Speak like a child', he never loses the feel or the tone once through 64 bars, I read somewhere that it was recorded in one take.

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[quote name='GreeneKing' post='407312' date='Feb 12 2009, 09:20 AM']A simple question. Musically he really does it for me, a whole range of his stuff that I find subtle, musically tight, and appropriate. It grabs my soul. Then again I love jazz.
I get a feeling that even among bassists I'm in the minority. Yes I know some of you think he's clever, moved the goalposts etc but that's not the question.
Musically does his stuff 'move you'?
Satisfy my curiosity :)

Yay or Nay?
Peter[/quote]

Nay.

Balcro

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The only album I really got into was his self titled Jaco Pastorius album. I thought that was great and has been the only album of his that I’ve ever listened to more than once, but I think this is mostly because of all the ideas that it introduced me to as a newbie bass player. As a 15 year old, the first time I listened to it was also the first time I realised that the bass can be played as a lead and solo instrument and I was completely blown away and inspired by this. It was also the first time I had properly heard a fretless bass and this was also new and inspirational. For me I feel that that album took my concept of the bass to a new level and really kick started my playing even though I don’t play anything like the sort of stuff that he played. I still listen to it every now and again, and reading this thread has made me just put it on ;)

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I always smile when people talk about Jaco as a far out jazzer; he was a funk/groove player who could take it up a notch further than his peers. His 'jazz' stuff was no where near 'far out' and was all essentially groove oritentated. There is very little Jaco that is hardcore, improvised music. Massive chunks of what he did was very tightly rehearsed groove playing, what I call 'implied repetition'; like Larry Graham or George Porter.

His second LP, Word of MOuth, is marvelous. Great writing and arranging - takes repeated listening (if you can get past 'Crisis', the train wreck that opens the cd)

Edited by bilbo230763
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Nope.... nothing I've heard him play is to my liking at all.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='407312' date='Feb 12 2009, 09:20 AM']A simple question. Musically he really does it for me, a whole range of his stuff that I find subtle, musically tight, and appropriate. It grabs my soul. Then again I love jazz.

I get a feeling that even among bassists I'm in the minority. Yes I know some of you think he's clever, moved the goalposts etc but that's not the question.

Musically does his stuff 'move you'?

Satisfy my curiosity ;)

Yay or Nay?

Peter[/quote]

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[quote name='fede162162' post='407528' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:48 PM']there are tu races:

the wooten fellows and the jaco fellows,
I'm definitively among the first group[/quote]

I don’t think it’s as black and white as that (no race pun intended). I’m a huge admirer of both.

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[quote name='GreeneKing' post='407527' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:48 PM']Okay Bilbo recommend me some jazz that's likely accessible for someone with an open ear and mind?

Peter[/quote]

Hal Williner 'Weird Nightmare'

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Nightmare-Meditations-Various-Artists/dp/B0000028OW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234443279&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Nightmare-Me...3279&sr=8-1[/url]

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[quote name='bilbo230763' post='407522' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:44 PM']His second LP, Word of MOuth, is marvelous. Great writing and arranging - takes repeated listening (if you can get past 'Crisis', the train wreck that opens the cd)[/quote]

What I find interesting about Crisis is where the idea came from.....Jaco was trying out a Roland effect and came up with a bass loop, he then put it on a cassette and took it home, when he was recording Crisis he had the players just play to the bass loop without hearing anything else but would occasionally bring some of the other tracks in for the player to hear.......so the story goes.

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I like 'Word of Mouth' but I think if your very 1st introduction to Jaco is Crisis then you may run away ;)

I think his self titled album is more easily accessible. Heavy Weather by Weather Report is a favourite of mine too.

Thanks for the recommend Bilbo, I'll check it out and let you know how I get on.

Peter

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Its a yay for me. I bought 8:30 Live on the basis of a review when I was a teenager, just at the point when I was in danger of getting into prog rock. It saved my life! That album, and Heavy Weather are both favourites. The whole band are excellent, but Jaco's understanding of meolody and counterpoint are extraordinary. I've never really listened to his work with Joni Mitchell, but will do so based on what I've read in this thread.

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[quote name='Steve_nottm' post='407520' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:42 PM']anyone got a recommendation for an easy intro for me to check out?[/quote]
I'd start off with Heavy Weather and keep going from there. Enjoy! :)

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='407532' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:54 PM']I find both unlistenable :-( Does this make me a bad person?[/quote]
Not at all. No more than my incredibly low opinion of Cliff Burton makes [i]me[/i] a bad person. ;)

[quote name='bumfrog' post='407541' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:59 PM']technically amazing, but apart from that, just sounds like fret w*nking to me.[/quote]
Fret[i]less[/i], surely? :P

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