He was a genius in general, I think - an inventor from the start. My main instrument is guitar, and I can ‘fake it’ on bass, like most of us. I am more of a composer/arranger/producer type, so I'll leave it to the bass players to comment on Jaco's playing for now.

That comment by Peter Graves: "I still believe your pencil was mightier than your fretless." really made me stop and think. I guess I overlooked that a bit. I don't feel so bad, though - Jaco had everyone 'faked out' from the start, didn’t he? He got so far out in front of all the bassists around me, they were wondering just how he did it, as I remember! But they all learned from him, and I try to learn from the best and study their craft as best I can.

It kind of stunned me actually, to realize what an amazing and unique composer he was. I guess his playing was so unique and revolutionary, not to mention overwhelming and subtle, it overshadowed the fact that his skills in the areas of composition were every bit as unique as he was, and his ability seemed to know no bounds in this area.

I don't have his complete discography, so I'm basing this post on what I now own: All the Weather Report recordings, all his recordings with Joni Mitchell, Pat's 'maiden voyage' "Bright Size Life" and Jaco's debut recording which IS "without question the most auspicious debut album of the past quarter century" - as Pat Metheny said, and I now DO find that "inarguable".

I've listened to his "Word of Mouth" recording less, so I'll won't comment as much on that as much specifically. I will say, when you stop to think about it: The fact that he could have a big band of musicians of that caliber just show up by 'word of mouth', that alone should speak volumes about the magnitude of his writing and BANDLEADING skills. Leading and writing for a big band as novel as HE was in the 1980's? And that shows REAL respect and faith that they would just show up and enjoy being 'lost' at first because THEY KNEW Jaco he could pull it off!

I think I now understand better what Pat Metheny (who influenced ME and many others tremendously) was getting at when he said: "for all the caterwauling that has gone on about new musicians that have shown up in recent years being toted as the 'next miles', or the 'duke ellington of their generation', or whatever, jaco outranks all of them and all of that by being the one and the only of his kind, without predecessor;"

Before Jaco burst upon the scene, Stravinsky called Duke Ellington one of greatest living composers, and I think most agree with that. I'd put Jaco in Ellington's league as well as a composer/bandleader too. And the analogy to Ellington is apt as well. That big band was, in its own way, as inimitable and revolutionary as Ellington’s, in my opinion. Jaco seemed to find a 'unique voice' as a composer as early as he did as a player. I think he was getting into some real uncharted territory there, but I'll have to listen more to that, though.

Think of the range and depth he had as a composer. Jaco seamlessly blended so many disparate styles. And from the BEGINNING, he wrote with a unique voice in ALL of them. I find THAT truly "astonishing", don't you? As great as "Maiden Voyage" and "Bright Size Life" were, well both Herbie and Pat said it - Jaco's was the most "auspicious" of them all.

He wrote for Weather Report (not easy - they were the best), for big band (never easy, and don't forget: being a bandleader is a LOT of work too) and the orchestrations he did for Kuru/Speak Like a Child on his DEBUT recording. I'm going to order the re-mastered 24 bit-depth version of that, right after I finish this. I just noticed it. Recordings of that era generally didn't have high sonic quality, and it's DEFINITELY WORTH IT to me, because I'd like to hear "Continuum" shimmer as much as Havona did. Those two songs - perfect, beautiful, aren't they? That recording is what is often called "landmark" or "seminal".

If he wasn't already, I think Jaco could have written some serious '20th century classical music' or electronic music. I wouldn't put anything past him.

I'll just list, in rough order my personal favorites, from the collection I have (see above) in a reply to this, as I’m at the limit. Perhaps others would like to reply with their favorites. And I'd love it if anyone would consider the following two general questions, as I did:

1. Is there anything Jaco wrote that you didn't love?

2. When you focus on his compositional ability alone, does it become clearer how astonishing a writer he was? And do you feel a bit remiss, as I do now, for not noticing how unique and without pier his work was from a compositional standpoint alone?

Listening To: The BBC on NPR

Ok, from the recordings I listed above, here are of my favorite Jaco compositions, in rough order, because they were all so good.

1. Three Views of a Secret -

Sweet, gentle, melodic (as always). It has that 'easy' rhyhtmic 'feel'. I wish people wrote more music like this. I love both versions. I can see why Jaco would prefer the big band, because that's a LOT of work and any composer strives to perfect their the vision of their work. I think the Weather Report version is a great showcase for both Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. Just a beautiful song.

2. Hovano

Perfect. It has that shimmer. Wonderful chord changes and it's melodic as always. It culminates in that great melodic line. It's perfect. It reminds you that Zawinul was a virtuouso pianist. I love Wayne Shorter so much - he stretches the time like an elastic band in this one, and Jaco supports and compliments it all with real synergy and that 'Jaco growl'. His TWO chorus of solos. So melodic, and all of those melodic leaps and chords and interesting ryhtmic figures. I'll let the bassists comment on that one.

3. Contiuum

Perfect as well. The name describes it. It's composed so to sound connected and have no begining and no end. It's perfectly joined. This is my personal favorite on the record. It's simply gorgeous.

4. Portrait of Tracy (all versions I've heard)

Completely new and innovative, moody, haunting, what depth. I can't add much to what has been said and I'm not a bassist.

5. Teen Town

Groove Music!!! Exhilarating. With those dark changes behind the bass meldody. Zawinul - is there anything he can't play? Those melodic lines, the percussion. The 16th note rhythms he pioneered. Astonishing.

6. River People

More Groove music! My favorite song on Mr. Gone, which I like still. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I got the feeling Zawinul wasn't happy with this recording because he couldn't achieve what he wanted we the technology available. If so, I guess I can see that. I can't imagine what that guy hears, though. Yikes. Jaco was writing for the best - Zawinul and Shorter, and that's not easy.

6. Slang (and all the solos like it, I guess)

I thought the showmanship was great fun, myself. He had the music to back it up, so why not? This is what I mean by inventive and having everyone fooled - was it effects? No, it was his ear and his hands (note articualation and melody and I'm sure it took a lot of work) Inventive: the two acoustic amps, the basses he worked on. And the cheap delay effect he used. I love that trick of setting up a simple groove and harmonizing it, and playing over it. That was so clever - no one thought of that, did they? I do that sometimes on guitar. It's great fun! And all the 'quotes' from Hendrix tunes, and everywhere, really. Was he the first to do the variations of the opening basoon melody to 'The Rite of Spring'? There is something special about those four notes. I do that intuitively, and probably too much.

Well, Stavinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' (1913) is to me, the most intense and powerful peice of music I've ever heard. I have some nice 'descriptive writing', with Stavinky's words about it somewhere here, and an image (a drawing of Igor) I use with it that I like. Maybe I'll post that some day. My current favorite version of 'The Rite' is Tilson Thomas, San Francisco SO (1999). I saw the BSO perform it and I was lucky enough so see Jaco perform with Weather Report a few times. I have end this post soon, but if you know anything about the story behind 'The Rite'or about it's debut, you'll understand this. I heard someone summarize 'The Rite' in two words: 'Primitive and modern'. If you haven't heard it, it's as bold and intense as Jaco, it a way. My training is in jazz, so I just 'like what I like' in what's considered as 'classical' music and all music for http://www.jacop.net/roots.html. I seem to share Jaco's taste to a large degree. Mostly 19th and 20th century. I love Hindemeth. I don't know why, but I do. Ravel - now he was a brilliant orchestrator. I can hear that. Stravinsky is still my personal favorite. I think Jaco could have written in those styles, (if he wasn't already). I wouldn't put anything past him. He "outranks them all". Yeah, he does, I think.

7. All the others I forgot: Punk Jazz, Barbary Coast, Kuru/Speak like a child, etc.. I don't have the capacity to absorb it all at once, but I'll get there. I love "The Chicken", "CRISIS", but I have to listen more to that recording.

Again, is there anything he wrote you don't love? And Zawinul and Shorter were both great composer/arrangers as well. Neferrti (was one of Wayne's masterpeices - that's something special), In a silent way (Zawinul - of). It makes you think, I hope.

I'm not a great writer of prose and I don't have an editor (obviously), but I did think about this and I hope you liked it.
Jaco - as unique as Weather Report.

Genius composer, I think.

Listening To: Silence, concentrating