On Jaco
There's a moment in the live performance of "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" towards the end of Michael Brecker's solo where Jaco appears to pwn Brecker with a machine gun spray of 16th notes. When I first heard the recording in 1980, I heard that as a cunning staging of tension, released at the end, as Jaco's chromatic arpeggic portamento ends the song.
It is only the result of having concert videos freely available on YouTube, that music performances have been forensically analyzed. What can be interpreted as a musical expression of tension and release is now a damning indictment of Jaco. Was Brecker really miffed? It's interesting how new technologies pose new questions on what might remained unknown unknowns. But the internet can be as much as vindication of a prior misunderstanding as much as they spin out new myths: Apparently Ron Carter had said the reason for Miles Davis' turning his back on the audience was not an act of intentional arrogance, but rather to interact and direct the band. Of course this makes sense in hindsight, but the myth that Miles was arrogant probably will never die. I don't think Jaco was stepping on Brecker's toes (at least how I initially heard it on the record), but it is established that he was overly cocky on the bandstand. What is amazing is this is all improvised, although I suspect was a bit premeditated or experimented with at the rehearsals.
It is only the result of having concert videos freely available on YouTube, that music performances have been forensically analyzed. What can be interpreted as a musical expression of tension and release is now a damning indictment of Jaco. Was Brecker really miffed? It's interesting how new technologies pose new questions on what might remained unknown unknowns. But the internet can be as much as vindication of a prior misunderstanding as much as they spin out new myths: Apparently Ron Carter had said the reason for Miles Davis' turning his back on the audience was not an act of intentional arrogance, but rather to interact and direct the band. Of course this makes sense in hindsight, but the myth that Miles was arrogant probably will never die. I don't think Jaco was stepping on Brecker's toes (at least how I initially heard it on the record), but it is established that he was overly cocky on the bandstand. What is amazing is this is all improvised, although I suspect was a bit premeditated or experimented with at the rehearsals.
