JacoJacoBy Bill Milkowski
When Jaco met his tragic death in 1987 at only 35 years of age, he had reinvented the role of the electric bass in modern music. Playing melodies, chords, harmonics and percussive effects simultaneously, Jaco single-handedly fused jazz, classical, R&B, rock, reggae, pop, and punk. His unparalleled innovations on the bass rank beside those of Hendrix on guitar, Armstrong on trumpet, Parker on saxophone.
But as you'll learn here, this revolutionary musician was both hailed as a genius and dismissed as a madman.
Pick up a copy of Jaco and catch his first gigs on the Florida nightclub circuit in the late '60s. Follow him on the road with Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders in the early '70s. Watch him make a stunning solo debut, and catapult to worldwide fame with Weather Report by 1978, at age 27. Discover Jaco's private, and often publici, battles with diagnosed manic-depression, aggravated by drugs and alcohol. And witness the inevitable downfall that led to bizarre behavior on the streets of New York, homelessness, institutionalization, release, and his tragic, violent death.
Laced with personal memories from famous musicians, friends and relatives, plus telling photographs, this revealing narrative shows you how the self-described Florida beach bum metamorphosed into the self-proclaimed "world's greatest bass player." As Jaco often said, "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up." As you'll see, he always did.
"Jaco had that magical thing about him, the same kind of thing Jimi Hendrix had." _Joe Zawinul, founder of Weather Report
"I got my basic education from listening to Jaco." _Marcus Miller
"As a kid, I was playing six hours a day and felt very confident about my playing. And then I heard Jaco, and he turned my head around." _Sting
"Jaco will definitely go down in history as one of the cats." _Stanley Clarke
Bill Milkowski has covered the rock and jazz music scene since 1976 and is a regular contributor to Down Beat, Jazz Times, Guitar Player, and Bass Player magazines.
Available in book stores and music stores everywhere,
or available directly from Miller Freeman Books:
Phone: 800-848-5594
Fax: 408-848-5784
Mail: Miller Freeman Books, 6600 Silacci Way, Gilroy, CA 95020
