Jaco Pastorius : A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Styles and Techniques of the World's Greatest Electric Bassist

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful, but has an obvious flaw
Review: As a bassist and longtime Jaco fan, I wanted to get deeper into his playing, so I got this book. I must say it is obviously very helpful to see his lines written out. My ear is not that great, so fast passages are very hard to pick out by ear. But, even his slower lines have many nuances that escape the ear. Now, the CD offers slowed down versions of some of the lines, which is great. But why not ALL of them? I mean, lines as complex as Donna Lee or Teen Town do not appear as slower versions on the CD, and that is a major bummer. In fact, the whole point of the CD in my opinion would be to have these slower versions to aid your practice. For the normal speed versions, I could just buy the albums, I really don't need them here. But, that is my only gripe. If you play the bass, and you would like an overview of Jaco's major contributions to the electric bass, this book will do just fine. There are other books that actually transcribe whole songs, but this one includes a couple of choruses of each and the bass solo if there is one. I think this is good enough, as with that much material one gets a clear idea of Jaco's concept for the song. I don't really need a transcription of his 12th chorus of the same tune, with 2 or 3 I get a clear enough idea of his style and technique. Enough so that I could eventually incorporate his ideas into my own playing. If you want complete transcriptions, look elsewhere, as this book's only complete song is "Portrait of Tracy." But to learn Jaco's style and techniques, as the title clearly states, this one is great.

Rating:
Summary: concordia student
Review: i guess i was looking for a little more when i had bought this book and cd. it is really nice to have the cd right along with you in order to hear what the music is supposed to sound like, but i was looking for more girth, although this is still a very good book, with some words on the reasoning about the music.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate, but where's the meat?!
Review: Is the notation and tab accurate? Yup, but who cares, there's a million tab sites you can get that from. What I was hopping for was a break down on his right hand positioning and technique as well as his left hand. On tunes like Portrait of Tracy, where there are multiple lines going on at once, technique is very important. All of Towey's Commentary seemed bent on deifying Jaco. That's useless, Jaco's music Deify's itself. Give me adaquate information on how to place my hands in order to play the material!

Rating:
Summary: Good Instuctional
Review: Okay, first--you have to have skills needed to not only read music and tab, but the dexterity and articulation needed to tackle material other than the most basic rock lines. Secondly, you will need the CD's or source material needed to pick up on the nuances that Jaco employs through dynamics, touch and feeling. Thirdly -- you will need time. Acquaint yourself with the music then start hitting the book. Not wanting to play anything note for note like some sort of automotron, I choose rather to go for the feel. Afterall, can one really achieve each individual percussive attack or note? I hope not! If you can then buy an old beater Fender Fretless, drop in .9mf Cap, make sure the pickups supply the necessary Low, Mids and Trebs... change your roto-sounds weekly pick up an acoustic 360 amp and go for it. If not... go for the feel. The selections are good and cover a wide range of material and styles. It is enjoyable to get inside the music a bit.

Rating:
Summary: Good Instuctional
Review: Okay, first--you have to have skills needed to not only read music and tab, but the dexterity and articulation needed to tackle material other than the most basic rock lines. Secondly, you will need the CD's or source material needed to pick up on the nuances that Jaco employs through dynamics, touch and feeling. Thirdly -- you will need time. Acquaint yourself with the music then start hitting the book. Not wanting to play anything note for note like some sort of automotron, I choose rather to go for the feel. Afterall, can one really achieve each individual percussive attack or note? I hope not! If you can then buy an old beater Fender Fretless, drop in .9mf Cap, make sure the pickups supply the necessary Low, Mids and Trebs... change your roto-sounds weekly pick up an acoustic 360 amp and go for it. If not... go for the feel. The selections are good and cover a wide range of material and styles. It is enjoyable to get inside the music a bit.