Fully agree with this! Also -
The thing about The Chicken is that it’s a simple, blues-related chord progression and there’s a pretty recognizable and repeating bass line, and there’s that killer unison line! It’s easy to grab onto and follow… where as a lot of the more heady, extreme fusion that he played can be hard to get into.
3 Likes
I’m with you although I’ve never heard The Chicken - yet.
However, I bought his debut album and simply don’t care for it. YMMV
2 Likes
I had the opportunity to sit down and play bass with Bakithi Kumalo last weekend… I’ll tell the full story on my Bass Stories thread… (yes, it was amazing and dreamy).
It was for Kala (U Bass love!!).
We sat down with our U basses, and the very first thing he plays in The Chicken.
We jammed it - traded the melody back and forth, and smiled and had our first musical connection with that song.
If you’re a bassist, have this one in your back pocket!!
10 Likes
@Tokyo_Rat No, I don’t find any redeeming qualities in Clapton 
although I saw him in concert but I was there for Stevie Ray Vaughan where Clapton didn’t even come close to playing as Stevie did. But that’s just me, and with regards to Jaco, I hope to one day know what Jaco had forgotten about bass…
2 Likes
PS maybe if Clapton didnt sing but just did instrumental music…maybe LOL
1 Like
@Gio Thanks for all the background on Jaco. I’m with @studio - I like a lot of stuff including hard bop, but free/modal jazz and Weather Report in particular just aren’t my cup of tea. So it’s been weird to see Jaco referenced over and over, but still not like the music. I’ll follow some of your leads to hear his covers and maybe I’ll become a fan.
On a slightly related side note - I absolutely love covers when an artist puts an entirely new spin on it. As a funk fan, I follow Scary Pockets - 100% covers, 100% funky and the band has an ever changing line-up of musicians and is almost never the same song to song. My point is: they even made Hanson’s mmmbop sound great.
2 Likes
I was just reading about Jaco’s Bass of Doom. After being lost for 20 years it finally turned up in a New York guitar shop.
The family tried to get the bass returned, because the original story was that it had been stolen. (There have been conflicting reports about this.) After a couple of years in litigation, Robert Trujillo stepped in and handled whatever financial concerns there were and is now the owner of record for the Bass of Doom.
Trujillo has said, even though he is the owner, the family makes all decisions regarding the instrument. The Bass of Doom is currently in the safe keeping of Jaco’s son, Felix who is also an accomplished bass player. Felix has said, he plays it regularly.
3 Likes
RT what a legend!
2 Likes
Yeah, knowing how he died, and that lifestyle, chances are he pawned it.
Just speculation tho.
2 Likes
My favorite Clapton is Pink Floyd Clapton. I saw him as lead for Roger Waters, and his take on Have a Cigar or Comfortably Numb was magical.
I like Santana better when he was in the Santana Blues Band before he became a rock star. I saw him do a more bluesy set when he did a tour with Buddy Guy 15 years ago or so. Fantastic.
Not a particular fan of jazz fusion or Jaco, closest in my playlist would be Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, who have a decent bassist of their own, but will try and check Chicken out after work.
I’m fixing to go through a blues period and this might fit in
2 Likes
Yeah, he is OK-ish 
8 Likes
I’m not the hugest Jaco fan and especially not some of his really fast playing but i think Portrait of Tracy and Teen Town are pretty brilliant and come on come over, Havona and Donna Lee are good too.
4 Likes
Funny thing, when i was playing banjo several years ago i paid a lot of attention to Bella Fleck and never really noticed Victor Wooten 
4 Likes
Yes, that Bela guy ain’t so bad either 
4 Likes
When I saw them I was captivated by Bela and Victor’s brother on the drums. That’s a really talented band.
4 Likes
Roy “Future Man” Wooten is a pretty cool dude, so is their brother Roy; they’re all amazing musicians.
2 Likes
Jaco’s Son is in the new Bass The World video posted to YT a few hours ago.
3 Likes
Jaco falls in the same camp as Michael Brecker on sax.
They played in the same era a style of music that I just cannot dig (and I can did a LOT of things).
I completely get how talented they both were, and why some people go gaga over them for their technical prowess, but if the music don’t move me, it don’t move me.
Even the covers.
Even the famous solos.
5 Likes
Cool to see the offspring of famous bass players taking up the bass too. We need more bass players like that 
2 Likes
@John_E Love the Brecker Brothers!! And if you never heard of the band Dreams check out their debut album (Columbia 1970) both Randy and Michal are part of it one of my favs…
1 Like