Jaco Pastorius
I'm the greatest bass player in the world.
I've been playing the bass guitar for almost twelve years and fretless for about nine, so I've got quite a bit of mileage in my hands already.
I had an upright - it took me years and years to get enough bread to get it. 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 anymore.'
So what, I'm living in a park. Parks are beautiful. I'm a musician. And I'm tired of dumb people who don't know where I come from.
Joseph Zawinul does overkill, and his technological overkill sucks, but there's no friction between us; I just say, 'Look,' and that's it. Do you have any idea how much music I learned from him?
My concept is not bigger than Weather Report. I am Weather Report. It comes through me; I do not create nothing. It comes from being a child and listening to the radio every day of my life.
Joseph Zawinul and Toots Thielmans, in my opinion, are the only Europeans who can play rhythm-and-blues.
Sometimes I have a very bad point of being too obnoxious. I am not too obnoxious. I mean, I just try to make things more peaceful. Me being obnoxious makes a lot of things more peaceful.
I learned everything from my friends and just constant gigging in night clubs, eight sets a night!
I play in tune like a cello player and use legitimate vibrato. There are no tricks; it's just all in the hands!
In the studio, I don't use an amp, I just go direct into the desk. It's virtually acoustic, what I'm doing.
I was playing legit snare with a traditional grip, not a matched grip. After I broke my left wrist, I couldn't hit a snare drum anymore. From the age of 13 to 17, I couldn't really get a pop on the snare drum. I would hit it, and my wrist would almost shatter.
Music is the only thing keeping the planet togetherCollection: Together
Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out.Collection: Jobs
All you've got to do is keep your ears open.Collection: Ears
A chimpanzee could learn what I do physically, but it goes way beyond that. When you play, you play life.Collection: Music
I'm not a star. I'll never be a Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley or a Ray Charles. I'm just an imitator, man. I'm doing a very bad imitation on the bass of Jerry Jemmott, Bernard Odum, Jimmy Fielder, Jimmy Blanton, Igor Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, James Brown, Charlie Parker... the cats, man. I'm just backing up the cats.Collection: Stars
The secret to the sound is to drop the bass on the floor!Collection: Secret
It's really easy to play harmonics, anyone can do it. It's another thing to be able to swing, to make to make a band swing, to create a groove. Harmonics ain't everything. Being able to play harmonics certainly does not make you a good bass player. Cleverness is no substitute for true awareness.Collection: Player
I'm not a star. I'm just backing up the cats.Collection: Music
Women and rhythm-section first!?Collection: Music
I took the frets out of my bass after I was getting into jazz a lot and I wanted to have that upright sound.Collection: Sound
Trumpets! Can you bring your... uh... extracurricular tubing necessities next rehearsal?Collection: Rehearsal