My beef with the book is multifold, based simply on several experiences surrounding it.
While Jaco was in a coma, BM had started interviewing, some were taken aback by him taking this insensitive approach while Jaco was fighting for his life, I was one of them.
He had already released a book in Japanese, yet didn't interview stateside until he was commissioned to do one in English. Haphazard is what it seemed to me, wrong quotes, misrepresented time lines, and other things.
BM lives in NY, only knew Jaco during those last few years, not before. Did Jaco know that BM was writing his story? Or did Bill start writing when he found out Jaco was in a coma?
If Jaco was aware of BM writing, surely some of his tactics were for Bill's entertainment. LOL
Jaco's book needs to be on so much a higher level.
Barbara, I Baker-acted Jaco twice so that he could be taken off the streets, get some rest, and clean out, once in 1982, then again in 1986, sad and horrible experiences, tough times, medications didn't work all that well, once released he would stop taking them.
Thank you for being on this site, and for enjoying Jaco...John and Mary is a great listen! :)
Harry, of course Jaco practiced..lol.. a lot... and he was into meditation, fasting, running, beach, juggling, tending to his yard, basket and base ball, writing music, hearing new "music" consistently...
The third version of the book, 10th Anniversary, was to promote a CD and add some more about the earlier times, those were not based on BM doing the work to interview, they were from others' recordings.
I don't think Bill is capable of writing a more complete and harmonious book, he's had several chances...he had a butt-backwards start..lol :)
Dear Ingrid, dear Larry,
thank you Ingrid for your reply; as a Jaco fan I really appreciate the awesome work you do to keep up this wonderful site because, to be honest, the other site is really poor of information and quite flat.
I did not know that a previous edition of Jaco's biography was published in Japanese, I believe it is because Jaco was so immensely popular (and still is) in Japan...It would be great if a Japanese jazz journalist could redress Jaco's memory and write the biography he deserves, they are such accurate and honest writers, if only a Japanese publishing house could finance such a project, there would be so much material avalaible since I believe Japan is the country where Jaco has toured most apart from the US..and then we fans all over the world would work on the translations of the book...
I know I am dreaming but it would be nice to spread a "viral" campaign on Jaco's websites "let give Jaco the biography he deserves"
Love and peace!
yes , that book does get very distressing and im about to take one of my copies to oxfam/charity bookstore ! reason two is that the book has a coffee stain done by an ex girlfriend nightmare and i want to erase those memories ..... milkowsky did do a very nice interveiw with jaco in 84/85 though in guitar player magazine where jaco mentions the meditating,practising and how much he loved jerry jemmott. great article that made me a fan before i had heared the music. infact the first part of the book is quiet inspiring but then it goes into you know where and gets upsetting ... mike .
Jaco didn't think much of BM, and the interview was a strategic move that Jaco had instigated.
Got your email, and the timing is perfect, as of yesterday I semi-secured one venue for Sunday the 4th, still hoping to get that Friday or Saturday.
But to make things a bit more complicated and exiting, there will also be a celebration in NY on the 30th at the Zinc, singing Happy Birthday at midnight.
The reason I always wait till the last minute before confirming is because I am not sure whether there is an official event planned, but as usual, nothing, not even for Jaco's 60th, so I am scrambling to get it together, just leaving it up to the Universe, the bigger power, and as it has been every year past, it's always magical. :)
