Jaco Pastorius

[Robert Blythin]

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[Joe Porto]

"Bright Size Life" completely changed the way I looked at music. Still one of my favorite records.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by Robert Blythin

Dear 'henryrobinett',

You'll have to be a bit more clear - I didn't realise Bach or Mozart wrote songs? Anyway I think we would do well to perhaps create a new term? To me all the great musicians & songwriters are socially-indulgant...they express & write to what we all feel, not their own little world...this is kind of the jist of what I'm getting at....a lot of people are simply not interested in Jaco 'cos he's not very socially-indulgant, if you like....hence why he is only revered in circles of 'skilled' people who can appreciate, at least a little, what he was getting at.

Let me know your thoughts, I'm interested to know what you think...

Kind regards,

Rob

Sure. I think art, the kind of art I value, is created by people who indulge in their own vision, believing that if they are true to themselves, that truth is also true for others, great or small. The more you try and second guess what might be saleable, profitable, or fashionable, you begin removing yourself from the sublime to the wider margins of humanity, which are necessarily not artists or people interested in artistic things. They're interested in dancing, listening to music as wallpaper while they purchase items, pick up members of the opposite sex, feeling music as a sensation or being moved by lyrics as romantic feminine adolescent pop fantasy, etc..

BTW Bach and Beethoven certainly DID write songs. But I didn't know this conversation was limited to modern pop songwriters? I thought we were talking about music? Jaco actually. Not a pop songwriter, but he's the topic of the thread.

So I think a lot of the great instrumentalists also play and write "what we all feel," - it's just few people take the time to GET what it is they're saying. What some people hear is a bunch of meandering, noodling. It takes time to understand the language. It takes time to HEAR it. And then the associated body of language it's connected with -- the jazz lineage or the instrumental rock, R&B, pop lineage. And it's associated classical lineage. It all has context.

[andyspiller]

Pastorius was to Bass what Bob Moog was to keyboards - a revolutionary new modern dimension IMO.

Jaco was also a tremendous arranger - my personal favourite was Joni's Mingus - "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" is funky swing defined, it's also amazing to watch him live on her world tour with Brecker et al, there is such a humanistic mournful quality to his sound and melodic progression. His solo records seemed other worldly to me on first hearing them. With the continuation of the Pastorius Big Band in concert format, clearly many people feel the same way. In this context it's also interesting to hear contemporary Bass players doing Jaco's thing and still he was the best.

[Robert Blythin]

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[Joe Porto]

Originally Posted by Robert Blythin

OK, I did not know they wrote songs, my mistake. I thought they wrote pieces of music. I'll have to reconsider my understanding of what 'song' is. A lot of your post makes sense to me Henry,

Regards,

Rob

Actually, technically you are correct. By definition, as "song" is a lyrical work. I guess technically, opera would count, but an instrumental piece of music is, by definition, not a song.

[henryrobinett]

But they did write the occasional lieder. Not as much as Shubert did.

[BigBadJohn]

I was just sitting down at my keyboard and I remembered one of my all time favorite Jaco tracks - "4 a.m" from the great Herbie Hancock album Mr. Hands. Herbie, Jaco and Harvey Mason playing trio. Some serious playing and a great tune. Harvey is really killing too. And of course Herbie.

John

[Joe Porto]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

But they did write the occasional lieder. Not as much as Shubert did.

Thanks Henry...I just learned a new word.

And to quote the late great Johny Carson: "I did not know that".