It’s Sunday and I’m recovering (believe it or not) from a Christmas party I attended with my wife last night. In spite of not feeling in the holiday spirit just yet, it was a good time and the function gave my wife and I the opportunity to spend some quality time together. It also got me thinking of how my feelings and respect for her continue to flourish over the years…
Two years ago I dedicated one of my first posts called Beale Street: The True Home of the Blues to my wife. The past several years she’s been responsible for guiding me through some very challenging times. Her incredible focus has generated a new healthy lifestyle for me and the result is a resurgence of creativity and new found inspiration I didn’t think was possible a few years ago…
One of my wife’s favorite performers is Nina Simone. I remember some of her albums from the seventies, but my appreciation developed as a result of my wife’s knowledge and awareness of this amazing and important artist. Simone has recorded over 40 albums with the largest volume of work being released between 1958 and 1974…
Nina has influenced many of today’s modern artists such Alycia Keys, Mary J Blige, Lauryn Hill and so many others including her daughter. Simone’s music has been featured on several soundtracks such as The Big Lebowski, The Thomas Crown Affair and the Sex and The City movie. And the tune “Feeling Good” was the promo song for the fourth season of HBO’s Six Feet Under. A show my wife and I enjoyed watching together.
I could go on and on about Simone and mention many of her meaningful contributions to the music world and the Civil Rights Movement. But so much has already been written by more knowledgeable and credible people than me, that I will refrain from elaborating further. However, if you are interested in learning more about Nina Simone you can click here…
A singer you’ll definitely want to check out is Nina’s daughter, a recording artist and Broadway actress. I found her website and music very intriguing. You can find that link here at simonesworld.com…
For The Past Two Years
I’ve had this incredible urge to get back to my love of writing. And I’ve tried to jar loose some of the memories of my past that I tucked away for so many years. The Blues Blogger demands many hours of my time, especially on the weekends when so much needs to be done around the house. It couldn’t be possible without the support of my family… I love creating new articles and ideas for posts, and the readership that is growing is just the icing on the cake for me.
So why is it that the most important people you have in your life are the ones that seem to know the least about how you feel? Funny how that works! For the record, without my wife I may not have survived two years ago… Because it’s her love and faith in me that keeps me feeling good.
And no, I didn’t write this because I’m in the dog house… Just credit where it is due!
The following was written November of 2007 and was originally featured on blogcritics.org. It came at a tough time where I was doing a lot of soul searching. Certainly one of my more personal pieces, it represents the creative building blocks for this blog and the therapeutic road to my recovery… I have re-posted this with some slight revisions and cosmetic changes.
November 2007
I haven’t written very much in the past 20 years. Recently I’ve rediscovered one of my greatest passions. There are many reasons for this that are not necessary for me to get into. That’s another story. Perhaps my recent heart attack gave me the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time reflecting back into my past.
I started listening to a lot of music recently and drifted back to my childhood. Maybe in some profound way I finally felt more justified to discuss my love of jazz music and especially blues. These latest events made me finally attempt to bring my love of music and writing together.
Growing up in the sixties I recall so many genres of music that played in our household. From The Beatles and The Monkees in my sister’s room, to big band jazz in the living room, to my brother’s turntable that spun the soulful sounds of electric blues and jazz in the bedroom we shared.
Music Was Everywhere
Tunes were always playing in our house even before my birth. It would appear I was breast-fed music and by the time I was in my early teens I developed a natural but unusual knowledge level for my age. My father played the harmonica and my brother the guitar. Together they would have jam sessions that filled the house with a vibrancy that I can never forget.
My grandparents were very orthodox, and while my parents never got too involved in Judaism, they thought that out of respect, they should make me understand my roots. I went to Hebrew School and studied up until I had my Bar Mitzvah at thirteen. I was the strange child that loved listening to the Cantor sing at the synagogue because I was convinced he sounded like Jack Bruce of Cream. To this very day I still think that!
It was this very thought wave that made me think… Is there a link between this? Maybe there was something to it. I know there are people who are going to think I’m off my rocker, but that’s OK. We’re all entitled to our opinion. I wanted to see if instinctively I felt something back then that I couldn’t explain until now.
I started thinking to myself… Out of all the blues and jazz music I remember, how many of these were Jewish? I mean the roots of blues originated in the late 19th century in the American south by African-American slaves forced to work from sunup to sundown. Hmmm… Sunup to Sundown… Sunrise Sunset… Sorry drifted off.
These slaves sang a rhythmic “call and response” to ease their brutal labor and to converse without knowledge of their masters. They were known as “field hollers.” One of the workers would shout a solo line, and then the others would repeat a harmony line, all while being in tempo with the work at hand. This is the seeds of the blues, and the improvisational style of early jazz would stem from this.
In Europe something interesting was developing…
At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th, many of the Jewish people lived in the Pale of Settlement. This included the territory of present day Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus. The Jewish people from these Eastern European parts borrowed and synthesized music from different cultures, including styles with North Africa. When this Jewish culture started arriving as a whole in America’s northern cities, they brought with them a style of music called the “Klezmer.” A word created when combining the words vessel and song together.
African Americans were escaping poverty, and in America’s south headed for a new beginning in the great cities of the industrial north. They brought the blues with them and started to form a new lifestyle away from oppression. In the formation of the blues, vocalists developed a style that was familiar, but at the same time not heard of before. During this time, horn and string players studied these blues singers, imitated their techniques and altered the sound to their own instrumental accompaniment.
W.C. Handy was one of these horn players and would eventually be known as the Father of the Blues. Jewish people and African Americans would live together in the big cities of New York, Boston, and Chicago; sharing their experiences with similar impoverished roots.
Al Jolson
is a name which comes to mind as somebody who best links the two cultures. Jolson’s The Jazz Singer was the first movie to use sound as dialogue. The movie is a creation of Jewish imagination and it tells the story of a dream and new found ambition in conflict with old world values in America at the time. Musically it’s a mix of jazz and Yiddish blues by way of Tin Pan Alley.
A professional scholar of musical studies could better explain the musical notes and the similarity in the Jewish musical roots to that of the blues…
The contributions of many Jewish performers would continue to influence the blues and jazz scene. The significant clout of artists like Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Stan Getz and Irving Berlin were massive at the time, and that’s just to name a few. Many believe that George Gershwin was strongly influenced by his Yiddish background. The beginning clarinet of “Rhapsody in Blue” was definitely a Klezmer influence and Benny Goodman is also a good example of this. Not to compare myself by any means, but these were Jewish people with their roots in the synagogue like me.
My soul searching while I was recovering from my heart attack was now starting to come together. There was something I felt back then. The big band jazz and sleepless nights of soulful blues was finally making sense. It would certainly explain why my father would play his harmonica and jam with my brother, and so profoundly be turned off by The Monkees and even The Beatles.
Fast Forwarding to the Sixties
The contributions of Jewish people in blues and jazz continued, and I recalled my brother spinning music of The Paul Butterfield Band on his turntable. Mike Bloomfield, who received his first guitar as a Bar Mitzvah present, would contribute and inspire a new generation of musicians and fans. It really didn’t matter where he was from; the sound was pure and heartfelt. Everyone, including all the blues giants couldn’t deny his talent. Bloomfield was so dedicated to his craft, he turned down going on the road with Bob Dylan to stay with Paul Butterfield.
By the way, speaking of Dylan, between Al Kooper’s The Blues Project and the Highway 61 Sessions Revisited, there were so many Jewish contributions you could have easily had a minion if you needed to.
In the sixties, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers were carving a name for themselves in the British Blues scene. Now don’t get concerned, I’m not going to tell you that Eric Clapton was Jewish. However, when Clapton left The Blues Breakers he was replaced by a Jewish blues man called Peter Greenbaum, more commonly known as Peter Green.
Green would eventually be known as a pioneer of the British blues scene. Everybody would marvel at the sound that Green would generate from his famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul. B.B. King would go on to say that Green,
“…has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” ~ B.B. King
Similar to Clapton, Green only worked on one major album with John Mayall and the Blues Breakers and would go on to form a little known band of his own called Fleetwood Mac. Just in case you never knew, he also wrote “Black Magic Woman,” made famous by Santana.
I mentioned earlier about Jack Bruce. My research leans towards the fact that while certainly Scottish, he has some Jewish ancestry. I cannot prove that notion, but he always had the Cantor feel to me. However his songwriting partner Pete Brown, responsible for many of Cream’s hits was definitely Jewish. So maybe Brown did have some Klezmer influence on Jack. Who knows!
I feel I could go on and write more on this subject. There are so many names to mention. I’m sure that many of you who are reading this are coming up with a few yourselves? We can always touch on this through your comments.
Anyways… I hope you found it interesting.
I think it’s important to know that this subject matter is quite vast and has viewpoints that are not very positive. I have chosen not to touch upon those areas. My whole approach to writing is not to concentrate on the negatives, but to be positive and upbeat. Music has and always will be my great love. When all is said and done, it doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from. We will always feel sorrow, joy, anger and love together through song.
The following article was written exactly one year ago. Out of the many jazz posts I’ve written, this one is my favorite. Twenty two years after his tragic death, Jaco Pastorius’ extraordinary talent continues to generate a sentimental spot, and is a source of inspiration for musicians and fans the world over.… If you haven’t read this post before or perhaps unfamiliar with Pastorius’ work, then here’s a jazz piece I wrote last September… I hope you enjoy the variation in genre this time around. ~TBB
September 2008
Saturday morning I had breakfast with an old friend that I’ve known for most of my life. It’s been a few months since we last spoke, so we took the opportunity to get together for a few hours to catch-up on stuff. My friend is a bass player and doesn’t play live that much anymore, but he continues to record as often as possible. I won’t get into his music credits in order to maintain his privacy, but he’s a respected musician in many circles. It’s really cool, as we have been in contact for over 40 years now. I owe much of my music sensibility to this gentleman. So much so that I weaved him into a piece I wrote called Remembering Little Walter.
He was always a little different in his approach to his instrument than your average musician. To this day he reminds me of Jaco Pastorius. Not only in his tone, but also the way he’s able to make his bass sing so expressively. His playing is always a focal point on anything he touches; bringing his experience to the forefront on every note for all to enjoy.
During those few hours during breakfast we discussed that it was 21 years ago this Sunday that the great Jaco Pastorius passed away. I mentioned that I felt from an influential perspective, Jaco just may be to bass players what Hendrix was to guitarists. The impact Jaco created was truly inspirational and it’s difficult to ignore his influence not only on bass players, but all musicians that were fortunate enough to hear and experience his very special gift.
Jaco Pastorius
was on born on December 1, 1951 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Shortly after his birth the Pastorius family moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida. Jaco went to elementary and middle school at St. Clement’s Catholic School in Wilton Manors, and he attended high school at Northeast High in Oakland Park. While growing up, Pastorius loved playing sports and watching basketball with his father.
Jaco started his music career by playing the drums; following in his fathers footsteps. A broken wrist while playing football prevented him from drumming. The injury eventually required surgery and Jaco decided that he would fill in the vacant bass player spot in a nine piece band he was in called Las Olas Brass. The band did covers of popular R&B artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Otis Redding.
As Pastorius’ interest in jazz developed, so did his desire to play the double bass; an instrument used not only in jazz settings, but other genres such as 1950s-style blues and rock and roll. After saving up money to buy the instrument, he discovered that it wouldn’t hold up to the Florida humidity. Instead he replaced his bass with a Fender that he pried the frets out of. Jaco then filled the fret holes with wood putty, and coated the fingerboard with marine varnish.
“I had an upright — it took me years and years to get enough bread to get it,” he once said. “I’m from Florida, so one morning I woke up, go in the corner and the bass is in a hundred pieces, cause the humidity is so bad, I mean, the upright just blew up. I said forget it, man, I can’t afford this any more. So I went out, got a knife and took all the frets out of my Fender. That was it.”
Throughout his youth Pastorius continued to develop his skills, honing his songwriting prowess in bands like Wayne Cochran and The C.C. Riders. In 1974, he started to play with his friend and later famous guitarist Pat Metheny. Together they recorded with artists such as Paul Bley. They also made an album together for ECM with drummer Bob Moses entitled Bright Size Life.
In the mid seventies, Pastorius met up with drummer Bobby Colomby, who played with Blood Sweat and Tears. Together with Colomby acting as producer, Jaco made his first album the infamous self entitled album entitled Jaco Pastorius in 1976. The album became the talk of the jazz scene and was widely praised by critics. His solo album was also noted for its incredible lineup of serious jazz musicians that included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, David Sanborn, Lenny White, and Michael Brecker just to name a few. Even R&B singers Sam & Dave would reunite to appear on the track “Come On, Come Over”.
The Weather Report Years
It was during the time that Pastorius released his solo album that he ran into keyboardist Joe Zawinul in Miami where Weather Report was playing at the time. Not being shy about his talent, Jaco told Zawinul that he was “the greatest bass player in the world.” And he sarcastically told Zawinul that he thought his band was sort of alright… Sources say that Zawinul initially had a few F sharps for Pastorius, but eventually admired him for his brash demeanor. The two of them would stay in touch and it eventually led to Jaco joining the band during the recording of Weather Report’s Black Market album. Pastorius contribution to the band became a vital part of the group’s makeup. His presence brought Weather Report new fans and enhanced the band’s compositions and their live shows.
If people were unaware of Jaco’s talent, the Grammy nominated album Heavy Weather in 1977 would certainly change that. His bass playing on that album was outstanding, and he would also receive a co-producing credit along with Zawinul. Pastorius also returned to his original instrument the drums by playing on the cut Teen Town.
During his career, Pastorius played on many recording sessions for other musicians, both in and out of jazz circles. Some of these include, Ian Hunter, David Sanborn, Al Di Meola, Mike Stern and Biréli Lagrène.
Out of the many guest appearances by Pastorius, my personal favorites would have to be the some of the work with artist Joni Mitchell. The album Shadows and Light in 1980 had him and friend Pat Metheny joining forces again. The music on this album was beautifully driven with Pastorius’s melodic flair.
As the years passed Pastorius started to develop severe mental health issues. Drinking and drug use would only worsen the problem. Diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, he began a path of strange behavior that ultimately affected his life on and off the stage. Slowly he started to become an outcast in the music community as he would be banned from one club to another. Eventually it was this erratic behavior that would take his life as he was involved in a fight with a bouncer after sneaking on stage at a Santana concert. The confrontation would send him into a coma. On September 21st, 1987, he was taken off life support, and at the age of 35, we lost the great innovator.
Many artists over the years such as Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, John McLaughlin, Rod Argent, Bela Fleck and countless others have paid tribute on their albums to this legend of the music world. All of these artists work ensures us that his legacy will continue to be honored for a long time to come.
My Breakfast Meeting Came To an End
When I think about some of the people that inspired my love for music, I think about the great Jaco Pastorius. It was Jaco that led me to listen more intently to Weather Report and artists such as Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny. When I worked at the record boutique in my teens; I turned as many people on to Jaco as I could. I would play his music to anyone who was willing to listen. His self entitled first solo album Jaco Pastorius along with Heavy Weather will always be one the most played vinyl jazz albums I still own and will forever cherish; major pieces of inspiration for TheBluesBlogger.
As my friend began to drive off, I started to think, it really was him that made me aware of Jaco. It was his playing over the years that opened my ears up to the jazz genre and provided the inspiration and motivation to move to NYC and search for work in a recording studio. Listening would not be enough! I had to be a part of it somehow. My friend allowed me to be a part of his music world, and it helped me to appreciate music generated right from the creative process. Thank you my friend!
During the writing of this article, I realize I have left many gaps in the life and career of Jaco Pastorius. There are just too many to fill in just one post. Perhaps that’s where you can help. Please make sure you add your comments below and help fill in some of the details that may be important to you. Did Jaco have any influence on you as a music lover? Or did he inspire you as a musician? Your comments are always appreciated.
The music seen and heard on this site are meant to enhance the enjoyment of the articles and the reader's overall experience. My intention is to honor the artists that have inspired me by weaving my personal experiences together with my love of their music... If you like the music you hear, I urge you to support them by attending their performances and/or purchasing their music. If you hold the copyright and would like me to remove your song or picture then please contact me. I will do so immediately upon request.
