"The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius" on Night Lights

[ghost of miles]

Last week's Night Lights program, featuring Jaco's recordings from 1976 to 1981, as well as an interview with bassist and Indiana University jazz faculty member Jeremy Allen, is now up for online listening:

The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius

[rockefeller center]

1982-09-10 interview with Jaco (WLRN, Ed Bell; the interview starts at 23:15) about the upcoming Word Of Mouth shows at Gusman Hall, Miami and the "Holiday For Pans" project:

 

[Teasing the Korean]

I thought Paul McCartney was the greatest bass player.  Was I misled? 

[ghost of miles]

11 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I thought Paul McCartney was the greatest bass player.  Was I misled? 

Don't go to Casablanca for the waters either. 

[Teasing the Korean]

3 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Don't go to Casablanca for the waters either. 

[felser]

5 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Don't go to Casablanca for the waters either. 

Don't underestimate McCartney in. his context either.  You really don't want Reggie Workman or someone like that on Beatles records

[ghost of miles]

3 hours ago, felser said:

Don't underestimate McCartney in. his context either.  You really don't want Reggie Workman or someone like that on Beatles records

No disrespect to Sir Paul intended whatsoever.  Just couldn't resist the urge to get in a Casablanca allusion.

[JSngry]

Jaco wasn't even the "greatest" bass player in America, never mind the whole entire world.

[ghost of miles]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Jaco wasn't even the "greatest" bass player in America, never mind the whole entire world.

The show's title is referring to Jaco's well-known proclamation about himself.  I suppose I could have put that part of it in quotes to make it clearer, but didn't think it necessary.  The whole notion of such a ranking is a highly, if not completely, subjective practice in any event. 

Edited September 7, 2017 by ghost of miles

[Scott Dolan]

Just a quick note on McCartney. If anyone in the genre is better, I'd like to know who it is. 

[JSngry]

Yeah, I know, just had to live through it all and remember not really being convinced, not even about his greatness, but just about him being too much more than a "picker" (i.e. - dazzled by the initial flash, but after the dazzle wore off...), until those Joni albums. Still have a little  in me about all the young players who thought that Jaco had invented all that stuff. No.....

I also lived through the decline...the grapevine travels fast...that was sad, because you'd hear stories and think "surely not"...but know we all know, surely yes.

Apologies in advance if this is "improper" in any way, but for me personally, the more dead he becomes, the more his annoyance factor diminishes and the more I can allow myself to really "get" him as the flawed but ginormous spirit he really was.

8 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Don't go to Casablanca for the waters either. 

Oh, I don't know...

[medjuck]

Around 1982 I met with Jjean-Luc Ponty and he raved to me about how Jaco had revolutionized  bass playing.  I'm not sure I'd even heard of him at the time but Ponty was definitely convinced (and convincing).  

[felser]

This was the Jaco cut for me (get past the Overture into Cotton Avenue):

 

Lots of "greatest" bass players, lots of styles, lots of needs for the music.  James Jamerson, anyone?

 

 

Edited September 7, 2017 by felser

[JSngry]

Jaco definitely consolidated a lot of things that were already going on, so as a coalesce-er, yeah I get that.

But I'd argue (and I'd be convinced, although probably not convincingly) that Larry Graham was just as "revolutionary" as Jaco, maybe more so.  I mean, on what/whose turf is this "revolution" being fought and what are the stakes?

Now having said that, this is totally convincing to me, not as a "revolution", but just as a rightness of concept, vision even. People talk about WR during most of the Jaco era and note the absence of a percussionist as some kind of concession to "rock" or whatever, but hell, the way Jaco played, a percussionist was not needed, he filled that role himself when it was needed. Between him and Erskine, there it was.

Maybe to focus on the "revolutionary" aspect of his bass playing is unintentional misdirection away from his overall vision. Erratic and short-lived as it was, it definitely existed.

 

 

 

[felser]

Charles Mingus?

 

[JSngry]

And ok, quiet as it's kept, the line from Jerry Jemmott to Jaco has Rocco Prestia in between, and let's talk about Chuck Rainey as well..."white people" who were all slack-jawed about Jaco very often, in my experience, didn't really pay that mjuch attention to R&B records - but Jaco damn sure did. Hell, checking put bass players and not digging into R&B is like checking out women and never looking at Sophia Loren, you know, even if the style is not your thing, the foundations, mechanics, and the execution of the concept and design are fundamental to the overall concept. You need to be aware, ok?

Check out Chuck Rainey here, hooking up with Harvey Mason, this shit is impeccable, don't let the loping tempo fool you into thinking there's anything "basic" about this, this shit is right;.And deep.

Chuck Rainey, y'all, Chuck Rainey. BASS!

[Teasing the Korean]

7 hours ago, felser said:

Don't underestimate McCartney in. his context either.  You really don't want Reggie Workman or someone like that on Beatles records

I was just making fun of the blind McCartney worship over on the dreaded you-know-what forum. 

[felser]

Bernard Edwards, bass

 

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

And ok, quiet as it's kept, the line from Jerry Jemmott to Jaco has Rocco Prestia in between, and let's talk about Chuck Rainey as well..."white people" who were all slack-jawed about Jaco very often, in my experience, didn't really pay that mjuch attention to R&B records - but Jaco damn sure did. Hell, checking put bass players and not digging into R&B is like checking out women and never looking at Sophia Loren, you know, even if the style is not your thing, the foundations, mechanics, and the execution of the concept and design are fundamental to the overall concept. You need to be aware, ok?

Check out Chuck Rainey here, hooking up with Harvey Mason, this shit is impeccable, don't let the loping tempo fool you into thinking there's anything "basic" about this, this shit is right;.And deep.

Chuck Rainey, y'all, Chuck Rainey. BASS!

Chuck Rainey absolutely kicks butt on Gato Barbieri's "El Pampero" album (as does Pretty Purdie).   That is my favorite Barbieri album of all, pure magic at Montreux, three worlds of musicians (Barbieri, Lonnie Liston Smith. Rainey/Purdie) coming together for something unique and wonderful.

Edited September 8, 2017 by felser

[rockefeller center]

1972

 

[rockefeller center]

Hello McCartney!

 

[rockefeller center]

30th death anniversary today.

Erskine:

Greatest yell in the world (02:36).

 

[ghost of miles]

We’re re-airing this program this week, but I’m upping the thread today in honor of the anniversary of Jaco’s birth:

“The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius”

[soulpope]

No disrespect to Jaco`s birthday, but while reading the thread I thought about this one ... :

 

[ghost of miles]

Up for Jaco’s 70th birth anniversary yesterday:

The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius

Edited December 2, 2021 by ghost of miles

[BFrank]

I was bowled over by Stanley Clarke when he came on the scene, and always thought of Jaco as a Clarke wanna-be. He had his moments for sure, but Weather Report was never the same after he "took over". They made a lot of money, though.