Remembering Jaco

Remembering Jaco with a foreword by Rodney Vidanes

September 21 is Jaco Pastorius’ death anniversary.  Bass players all over the world will once again pay tribute to a man who took the electric bass to a whole new level and blew away its limitations.  Those who knew him miss him.  They miss Jaco: the  musician, the artist, the bass player, the father, and the friend. For us who only knew him through his music, one thing’s for sure — he has definitely left a smile on our faces.  With every note that he played, he made an impact in our lives, even changing it at some point.  He may be gone, but his music lives on — in all of us.

As a young bassist during the 90’s, I listened to mostly all-American rock and metal bands. I was heavily into Guns ‘N Roses during those days so obviously, Duff McKagan was the first bassist that caught my attention (it also comes as no surprise that I first learned to use a pick until a friend encouraged me to use my index and middle fingers to play).  I was also into Mr. Big; Billy Sheehan blew me away with his exceptional skills on the bass and his amazing antics on stage.  My love affair with rock and roll went on until a friend of mine introduced me to jazz-fusion, a sound which was totally foreign to my ears. I wasn’t able to digest this new sound all at once.  It was like an on-and-off thing for me — I would listen to it for a few minutes, and then stop and go back to it again after days or weeks of listening to rock music. My lightbulb moment was the time when I was given a cassette tape with one of Jaco’s pieces, Donna Lee. When I first listened to the track, I didn’t understand what Jaco was doing  but it ignited a spark of curiosity in me. I wanted to find out more about his music and who he was. For me  his music wasn’t just outstanding — it was beautiful!

In the months that followed, slowly but surely, I became more interested in knowing more about John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, known as “Jaco” and the so-called “world’s greatest bass player.”  Trying to find his records on CD at that time was difficult because his albums and works with other artists were still on LP format here in the Philippines. But I was fortunate enough to have bought my first Jaco CD/record at a music specialty store  in Manila. The album was Curtain Call, a recorded live performance with Brian Melvin (drums) and Jon Davis (keyboards). This became one of my treasured rare finds. I didn’t even dare remove the price on the CD case (P420).

I then went on a mad hunt to find his other albums. I got most of them from the jazz section of the now-defunct Tower Records, where they used to have lots of great hard-to-find records at affordable prices (P250 at that time).  Some of my favorite finds were of course, his self-titled debut album Jaco Pastorius, Heavy Weather, 8:30 and The Birthday Concert.  I tried to grab as many Jaco records as I could to nourish myself with his music and to drown myself in the sweet  distinct sound that his beat-up, fretless Fender Jazz bass produced.

Jaco was right, ‘The tone IS in your hands.’ 

a Jaco masterpiece… Havona

The bass was Jaco’s speaking voice.  You could understand and feel what he wanted to say just by listening to his phrasing, his funky muted notes, his relentless 16^th-note pulsations, his beautiful harmonic and chordal patterns, and his impeccable time — all stunningly executed in perfect taste.  There’s no one like him. In fact, almost everyone wanted to be like him or sound like him. But there could only be one Jaco.

Jaco truly opened the door for us bass players… and we all walked through.  He showed us how musical the bass can be as a rhythmic and as a solo instrument.  He revolutionized the electric bass in a way that most bassists would truly understand, even incorporate in their own playing style.

Let me leave you with a quote from Bob Moses in the book The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius “The World’s Greatest Bass Player”, ‘I come across students who play well and have good taste, who have good time and know the language — but somehow it’s not flying.  Jaco was just fearless. His id was wide open, and he experienced life on that level on a daily basis. To me, he was just the highest cat to be around.’ 

 Well, that was Jaco — he flew.  He played from his heart — free and without fear — Jaco, the man of bassdom.

 

 

Thank you Jaco!

Pinoy bassists remember Jaco:

 

“Jaco was introduced to me by one of my closest friends and mentor, Noel Asistores. As a young college student and budding musician, I was always, immaturely, looking for the fast flurries and blistering lines as that was my criteria for what a “godly” bass player should be. Not getting my fill, I thrust Jaco aside and just simply acknowledged him as one of “The Greats” as deemed by my peers so as not to stray away from the general consensus. 

After a good 10 years though, I was revisiting some of my old records (majority of which, bass players) and was just running through my collection when I stumbled upon the infamous CD jacket with Jaco, cross-armed, wearing a thick turtle-neck in all his monochromatic glory. Memories flooded and I asked myself why I ever bought the damn thing (probably to fit in hehe.) I put the record on and went about my daily rituals. The CD player was on shuffle mode and it played the 3rd track, “Continuum”.  At that moment, time stood still and I found myself tearing up. Every detail was crystal… the the bed of cymbals and rhodes panning left and right and Jaco’s voice in all its majestic purity. I remember resigning to the thought, ‘Tangina, eto si Jaco?!!!’”

- Karel Honasan (bassist of YOSHA and Barbie Almalbis)

 

“Nakilala ko si Jaco sa instructional video nya. Nagpadala kasi sakin kuya ko ng mga instructional videos noon — bale 3 video tapes yun way back 1998 ata yun sa VHS pa! Aksidente lang yun pagkakapanood ko sa kanya kasi ang talagang papanoorin ko that time was instructional video ng mga drummer, because I used to be a drummer talaga. So noong chine-check ko yung mga video tapes, ang nai-play ko agad is yung kay Jaco! Dun palang sa opening ng video habang nagkakabit si jaco ng strings ng bass niya, hanep agad yung backround music, tapos yun nga napanood ko ’til jinam nila yun CHICKEN! Sobrang laki ng naging impact sa akin nung instructional ni Jaco na yun kasi di ko na namalayan na after ko panoorin yun, humahawak na ako ng bass guitar! Nakalimutan ko na bigla yun stick ng drums hahaha! Isa yun sa mga nag trigger sa akin para mag shift to bass. Natuwa kasi ako dun statement nya na “GIVE ME A GIG” …sobra yung passion nya hindi lang sa pagiging bassist, pati sa pagiging musician in general! All time favorite ko talaga is yung CHICKEN especially nung sila na nila Peter Erskein.” 

- Mike Bayas (bassist of Kitchie Nadal)

 

“Nakilala ko siya sa kaibigan kong Singaporean. Pinarinig sa akin at binigyan ako ng video, betamax pa yun! hehehe Favorite song ko noon yung Birdland at Chicken! Nagulat talaga ako nung marinig ko siya lalo nung sa backup niya kay Joni Mitchell! Galing niya ron grabe!!!”

- Bong Gonzales (bassist of The Group and Ultrashock)

“The very first time I heard about Jaco Pastorius was at the Red Rocks bar (Club Dredd). The owners were holding a party for Jaco’s 2nd death anniversary. Nagulat ako kasi lahat nung tao sa bar pinaguusapan si Jaco at kung paano niya ni-revolutionize yung bass playing! Ako naman walang kamuwang-muwang sa kanya, hehe. Simula nun nag-research na ako kung sino sya. Swerte ko naman at binigyan ako ni Angelo Villegas ng VHS copy nung instructional video ni Jaco. Nung pinanuod ko na yung video, opening jam palang — Natulala ako! (literal) Tumigil yung mundo ko sa ganda nung ginagawa niya! Pwede pala gawin sa bass yung ganun?! Ang ganda nung naririnig ko, kahit alam ko hindi ko kaya tugtugin yung ginagawa nya. Since then, dahan-dahan ko na pinag-aralan kung paano niya ginagawa sa bass yung mga lines. Yung version ni Jaco ng “The Chicken” mga 2 years ko ata pinag-aralan bago ko makuha yung feel, groove & notes nung track na yun. Hahaha!

Favorite track ko “A Remark You Made”, kung binabasa mo yung book ni Jaco tapos yun yung background music maiiyak ka talaga…. Malaking inspiration sa playing ko si Jaco, kahit alam ko na hindi ko kaya tugtugin karamihan nung music niya, marinig ko lang … mapapangiti na ako — tapos hindi ko namamalayan hawak ko na pala yung bass ko.”

- Mally Paraguya (bassist of P.O.T. and Wunjo)

“Ako nakilala ko si Jaco sa mga kwentuhan dati sa peyups. Di pako enrolled noon — extension palang. If I remember correctly ang nagkwe-kwento ata nun si Bopip. Basta tungkol sa pagkamatay niya, yun nga na gulpe siya sa alley ng isang bar. Saka lagi ko nalang naririnig yung pangalan niya sa mga bahista. First material I got from him was yung instructional niya, VHS pa nun. Pinahiram lang sakin ng tropa (w/c hindi ko na ata nabalik kasi hindi ko na talaga maalala kung kanino yun). Naalala ko may part dun na parang ang dami nung tinotogs niya e. Apparently chromatic fantasy pala yun. Giba ako dun. Humingi pako ng material sa ibang tropa (na hopefully nabalik ko sa kanila, hindi ko na kasi talaga maalala e), tapos narinig ko yung Birthday Concert. Grabe ang bassline sa Invitation. Hindi ko maarok kung pano niya naisip yung bassline na yun over those changes. Pero all-time favorite ko malamang is yung Havona. Ang galing nung comp. Pwede pala yun?! At lalo nako na in-love sa Havona nung linabas yung “Word of mouth revisited”. Si Haslip pa yung nag interpret. Yun na.”

- Noel Asistores (bassist of Sinosikat and Henry Katindig & Friends)

“The first time I was introduced to Jaco was during my high school years in jazz band. The guitarist in my “garage band” had convinced me to try out, and despite having little exposure to jazz altogether, I agreed and surprisingly made it (probably for lack of bass players all together hehe). One of the first pieces I remember doing was our big band rendition of “Birdland”. Having little experience in sight reading, I got a copy of Heavy Weather to learn how the bassline went, and proceeded to be blown away. I remember of course being in awe of Jaco’s tone and phrasing, and went as far as considering turning my newly acquired jazz bass into a fretless (as Jaco had done) to attain the same sound as him (never did ’cause I wasn’t a handyman kinda guy, and figured I would probably just ruin my new bass). There are many a bass player that have taken the instrument beyond its traditional role, and he was the first one I had heard doing this. In essence he inspired me, not just in regards to bass playing but life in general, to challenge myself to go beyond what is expected and strive for excellence and individuality. With regards to my favorite tune, it would probably be “Opus Pocus”. I really just dig the grooves and feel of the tune.”

- Gareth Somers (bassist of Novus Luna)

“Sa akin, I was not influenced directly by Jaco in the beginning, but definitely through musicians who were his fans. And judging by how many and varied those fans are, and by how much I learned from them and, later on, through Jaco, I just have to give respect to the man himself – a troubled but brilliant bassist, a true pioneer and genius.”

- Richie Ramos (bassist of Cog and Cellar Doors)

“I can still vividly remember the first time I saw a video of Jaco. …sa isang cybercafe yun sa may DLSU. Ang bagal pa ng connection nun eh. I was searching for anything about Jaco. That time kasi the only CD I had of him was the album ’8:30′ — a live Weather Report album. Talagang blown away ako whenever I listen to that album. May super in-your-face version ng ‘Black Market’ dun and a really happenin’ ‘Birdland’. Plus of course his trademark ‘Slang’. Naintriga lang talaga ako kung sino ‘tong Jaco na to. Then yun nga, nag-search ako and I clicked on a link. What I saw was probably the worst quality na video ever! As in super low resolution… panay ang skip… and the audio was really crappy. Pero that video totally blew me away. That super olats video was a turning point in my life. Kung baga eh, binuksan nito yung isipan ko about the possibilities of the bass. 

Isa pang di ko malilimutan — yung tone niya.  Grabe talaga yung tone ng bass niya.  Sobrang tumatagos sa kaluluwa mo eh.  Umabot pa nga sa puntong talagang ginaya ko yung tone na yun.  hehehehe  Pero kahit anong pilit kong gayahin, di ko talaga maplaka eh.  Until I realized na yung tone ay part of the equation lang — it was his phrasing, attack, and his attitude.  Sama-sama na lahat!  Sobrang enlightenment para sakin yung realization na yun — na yung voice mo sa instrument, di lang siya sa bass na gamit mo or settings mo sa EQ nakukuha —- it’s YOU… the whole package!”

- Roger Alcantara (bassist of Ebe Dancel, Wickermoss, Eternal Now, Barbie Almalbis)

“Nung nagsisimula palang ako mag bass, 11yrs. old ako noon, una kong napakinggan na bass solo was by Cliff Burton dahil na rin sa dami ng mga taong nagtuturo sakin na panay ang banggit kay Cliff. Then there was this guy na friend ng uncle ko na binigyan ako ng recorded VHS tape na nakalagay Weather Report and ang sabi nya “idol ni Cliff yan”. As far as I can remember, nung pag play ko nung VHS ang 1st song was Black Market. Since open naman ako sa different kinds of music, tinago ko muna sya at sinabi ko sa sarili ko na gagamitin ko yun for future reference kasi hindi ko pa sya gaanong masakyan noon. Years went by, i saw the same VHS tape sa house ng friend ko na hindi naman talaga musically inclined pero somehow naging trip niya yung pag gigitara. I asked him kung bakit nasa kanya yun. Ang sabi nya pinahiram ko daw. Anyway to cut the story short, we played it and guess what? Bold movie! Na-recordan nya ng bold movie yung Weather Report! We ended up laughing nalang after that. Well yan yung blooper Jaco story ko.

Nagsimula akong ma adik sakanya when i was 15. Nakilala ko ulit sya nun coz kinekwento sya sakin ng grand dad ko (Eddie K) na nameet daw niya one time sa isang bar sa states (sorry I can’t recall kung saan exactly pero ang sabi nya the year was 1979) nung may tour sya dun. Then ang hilig daw jumam. Ang galing daw, yun nga lang nung pinakilala sa kaniya ang yabang daw. After that conversation with my grand dad, I began researching mga Jaco tunes. Grabe ang impact nya sakin coz from 15 to 22yrs. old na pag hawak ko ng bass gusto ko ganun lang ang tunog ko and I keep on imitating his lines kahit “sounds like” lang. Kay Jaco ko natutunan yung triplet feel a.k.a. swing feel which is until now nagagamit ko. Masyadong mahaba kung iisa isahin ko, but all I can say is siya yung isa sa pinaka malaking influence ko as a bassist. Sa sobrang naging idol ko sya, I even bought a sunburst jazz bass na relic! But since my younger cousin who’s also a bass player is into Jaco right now, pinamana ko na sakanya yung bass na yun. I know the feeling kasi when you idolize someone kaya gusto ko ma experience nya rin yung ganun. And hindi lang someone yung ina-idolize nya…. its Jaco Pastorius!”

- Empi Martinez (bassist of Alakpa, Jack Versus The Crab, Allona, Champagne, Cris Pastor, & Flight Skool)

“Jaco speaks in a language of his own —  a language that everyone understands. When I was starting out on the electric bass, he made me realize that even though as a bassist, I only occupy the low end, I can still fill up the whole spectrum of sound in a band setting.

In many ways, he influenced me to think outside the box, disregarding anything theoretical —  to think “practical” and not “logical”, to create vague conversations with intrigue, and to perceive sound in other perspectives.

 

Jaco revolutionized and  rewired my bass playing.”

- Oneil Carantes (bassist of Kitchen Sync and Hungerstrike)

“After months of continuous playing and practicing, I eventually had the chance to go out of the country. Our keyboardist then was a big fan of Jaco Pastorius, so he basically introduced me to him. I started to ask fellow bassists in China about Jaco until I was eventually given a copy of Jaco’s instructional video. When I started watching it, I instantly fell in love with his style and his attitude towards music. I watched it almost everyday but I didn’t dare try to learn it, I just listened to it.

After our contract ended we went back home to the Philippines. We disbanded after a few months, but my keyboardist and I got an offer to go out of the country again so we accepted it. While we were in Singapore (early 2005) we went to a record bar inside a mall. I saw two albums of Jaco and bought it without even blinking (even if the CDs were relatively expensive). As I listened to the albums that night, I fell in love with Jaco’s pieces — all of ‘em — but the ones that really caught my attention were ‘Portrait of Tracy’, ‘Donna Lee’, ‘Continuum’ and ‘Come on, Come over’. How a person can come up with such brilliant ideas like those is beyond me. He is really a genius and I really admire him.

I started studying two of his songs, starting with ‘Come on, Come over’. It took me a week to learn just the chorus part, haha. Then I started learning ‘Portrait of Tracy’ — then I stopped. I just kept playing those two for like 9 months for me to somehow digest his style. After learning and practicing those two pieces my playing suddenly changed. I became more relaxed and confident, it gave me some sort of power, haha, sorry, I just don’t know how to explain it. My bandmates noticed it too and they started to appreciate me. And for once I finally heard someone tell me that I can be a good bassist in the future. Lagi na lang kasi lait naririnig ko simula nung nagumpisa ako. hahahaha! Pero totoo. I owe it to Mr. Jaco Pastorius. He opened my eyes in many ways. His pieces taught me how to be confident, somehow consistent, and how to be in control of the groove. Up until now I still listen to his works and I still learn from him. Even his idea about reading music makes a lot of sense to me. It motivated me to start learning how to read. I really feel blessed for having Jaco as one of my biggest influence, musically. Thank you mr. Jaco Pastorius for your music. Thank you Lord for creating such a masterpiece. God bless everyone!”

- Red Presillas (bassist of K24/7)

“Jaco is a 20th century musical genius. He took the bass and showed us what could be done as far as musical expression is concerned.

I remember hanging out at Nikki Cabardo’s house one day when he put on ‘8:30’ …yung live album ng Weather Report. When the song “Teen town” came on, my life changed.

The sound coming from his battered Jazz bass was beautiful! Saan galing yun? Melodies after melodies — he played as if it was his last gig. His undeniable groove was top of the list.

After that, I heard his work with Joni Mitchell — it was unearthly!

His compositions are in a class of its own. Listen to ‘Havona’ — you can see and hear the gift that he shared with us all.”

- Rommel dela Cruz (bassist of Freestyle)

“First song I heard was ‘Birdland’. Gitarista pa ko nun so wala pa masydong impact. When I shifted to bass, I got the ‘Heavy Weather’ album. Yun na. ‘Teentown’, ‘Havona’, ‘A Remark You Made’ which is still my fave song. After that there were only 2 options… be inspired or go back to playing guitar. Luckily I was inspired and still am.”

- Simon Tan (bassist of  Peryodiko, Akasha, WDOUJI, Lampano Alley)

“I first heard Jaco’s playing when I bought a Weather Report CD back in college. Back then, I haven’t heard of his name yet. I was blown away by the bass lines of ‘Birdland’ and ‘A Remark You Made’. That’s when I started researching on the Weather Report bassplayer. That was it for me. I got hooked to the tone he produced from his bass to the point where I used to use that kind of tone in inappropriate situations (ballads mostly) just because I was addicted to that kind of bass tone.

He is one of the pivotal bass players in bass history because of all his innovations in technique and tone. All that he contributed in music affects all musicians, not just bass players.”

- JC Magsalin (session bassist and a member of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra)

“My first encounter with Jaco was when a friend let me hear ‘A Remark You Made’. Although I thought it was a really beautiful track, it didn’t strike me that hard on an emotional level. It was only after reading the Milkowski book ‘The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius, the World’s Greatest Bass Player’ that I slowly started to comprehend the man and his music. 

 Listening to Jaco’s work always has a tremendous impact on me. To put it simply, Jaco never fails to inspire and confuse me at the same time.

Favorite track? ‘Havona’. Very aggressive, almost rock in approach yet so precise, and then comes the solo section… wala na. Game over!”

- Louie Talan (bassist of Razorback, Kalayo, Spy, Cynthia Alexander, Loquy, Mishka Adams)