| Author |
 Topic  |
|
southboundw
Starting Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 05/14/2003 : 5:32:06 PM
|
| Hey all, new around here, seems like a good board. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could recommend any books on Jaco, I know there are a few out there. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! |
|
|
grammytracy
New Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 11:14:25 AM
|
| I have not seen any book out there worth reading. I have just recently been considering writing something. After all these years, I may finally be able to look back with some perspective and not fall apart. I was with Jaco for 12 years - I don't really know if anybody would be interested in the personal side of our life together. Does anyone have an opinion? |
 |
|
|
bassmon76
Starting Member
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 12:31:36 PM
|
just curious grammytracy, are you tracy pastorius? i respect privacy if you dont want to answer but you said you spent 12 years together...just curious. either way, welcome to the forum yes a personal perspective would be refreshing.
keep holdin' it down!
everas |
|
|
|
southboundw
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 12:33:41 PM
|
| I for one would certainly be interested in a personal perspective! |
|
|
|
grammytracy
New Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 4:55:22 PM
|
| Yes, I used to be a cha-cha - I mean I used to be Tracy Pastorius. Now I respond better to "grammy". I know it's hard for some of you to realize that Jaco would be a grandpa if he were still alive. He would have loved it! He adored John & Mary. It's very sad that Sophie and Francis will never know him personally. But, Sophie knows her grandpa - whenever we are in a record store together, she always points to his CD's and says "look, there's grandpa jaco". Thanks to all of you for keeping him alive for her. |
|
|
|
zombywoof5050
Starting Member
29 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 6:47:29 PM
|
quote:
[i]Originally posted by grammytracy[/i]
[br]Yes, I used to be a cha-cha - I mean I used to be Tracy Pastorius. Now I respond better to "grammy". I know it's hard for some of you to realize that Jaco would be a grandpa if he were still alive. He would have loved it! He adored John & Mary. It's very sad that Sophie and Francis will never know him personally. But, Sophie knows her grandpa - whenever we are in a record store together, she always points to his CD's and says "look, there's grandpa jaco". Thanks to all of you for keeping him alive for her.
grammytracy,
Thanks for dropping in.
I would definitely be interested in your perspective.
Thanks also for (evidently) being a great inspiration for Jaco, whose music continues to inspire me. |
|
|
|
bassmon76
Starting Member
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2003 : 9:39:22 PM
|
wow grammy!!!
thank you so much for contributing to the forum, it is an honor to have you share with us. it's funny, my children while not related also know jaco's face on the album, i taught my daughter to say jaco and now my son is also familiar with his mug.
may i say that portrait of tracy is one of the most powerful songs i have ever heard, i cant imagine what it must be like to be associated with such a historic piece of music and i'd like to echo zombywoof5050's sentiment in thanking you for being a force in jaco's life. he has touched my life while being inspired by you so i'd like to thank you for inspiring me.
eric from nyc
keep holdin' it down!
everas |
|
|
|
alienswamp
Starting Member
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2003 : 03:55:51 AM
|
| grammy tracy...if it is really you then yes..i would personally be interested in you and your life with jaco..i would like to ask you some questions,start up some dialogue with you(maybe a few e-mails)..if it's cool with you..let me know... kylehonea@hotmail.com |
|
|
|
grammytracy
New Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2003 : 10:27:01 AM
|
| To alienswamp: it is me - Jaco and I met when we were 15. I divorced him 12 years later. As they say, "It was the best of times, the worst of times." I only had sporadic calls from him the last years of his life. I held his hand as he died. I have never spoken publicly before. I rarely listen to his music - every song hits a nerve, a memory and, whether that memory is good or bad, for some reason it still hits the raw core of me. I think the only reason I have even thought about talking about Jaco is the Bob Bobbing project. My son John talked me into talking to him about a few things (our son John can talk me into anything- he has his father's charm) and forced me to listen to the recordings Bob had. I was flooded with wonderful memories of those early, innocent years. Do I miss being married to Jaco - NO - but every day I miss knowing he's on the planet somewhere. So, Alienswamp - no I am still not comfortable talking one on one to a total stranger about the past; therefore, you cannot have my personal email, but don't take it personally - and know that you have helped me purge my soul a little. tracy |
|
|
|
alienswamp
Starting Member
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2003 : 03:12:20 AM
|
| Tracy,thank you so much for responding!! you seem to have a real straight forth way of coming out and telling your honest feelings..that's good.if you don't mind me asking(i'm going through this myself) did jaco practice alone late at night??did you ever argue about him practicing?? my wife tries it with me sometimes and i just have to wonder what jaco was like when it came to practicing..thank you for your response!! kyle honea |
|
|
|
grammytracy
New Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2003 : 10:03:10 AM
|
To Alienswamp: Jaco practiced all the time but never late at night. He rarely stayed up late unless he had a gig - he loved getting up early. But, whether he was sitting in the back yard soaking up the sun or watching Star Trek or Jeopardy on TV, his bass was always in his hands. It never bothered me - I don't know why - maybe because my father was a jazz musician too. I've read where people have said he never practiced, but that wasn't the case when I was with him. All his early works were written on the bass because we couldn't afford a piano. Then he actually started writing on a little toy piano my mother had given our daughter Mary for her birthday. He had never had a music lesson and I remember my mom showing him where "C" was on that little toy piano. tracy
|
|
|
|
Julius Seizure
Junior Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2003 : 12:49:06 PM
|
Grammy, (I like that title) I think everyone here would LOVE to know about Jaco's early years and particularly (for me anyway) how he spent his time away from performing music. The gigs, fan adulation, his undeniable artistic gifts, the popularity in the polls and the alleged bizarre behavior are the areas of his life that seem to be the most well-documented. I would be interested in knowing what books he liked to read, favorite TV shows, if he had pets, how he spent time with John and Mary, things you and he did for amusement and other humanizing domestic stuff. I've only read a few accounts of people talking about the MAN that didn't focus on their musical relationship with him. Your perspective would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for joining us.....Southbound, as far as books go you might enjoy reading "In a Silent Way" by Brian Glasser. It's a book about Josef Zawinul but it has some interesting stories about Jaco's years with Weather Report. It doesn't reduce Jaco to a bunch of anecdotes about bizarre behavior but focuses more on the personality dynamics within the band. If you're a fan of Zawinul as well you might really enjoy it.
Julius L. Pfalzgraf |
|
|
|
grammytracy
New Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2003 : 11:43:55 PM
|
I think I may be getting too involved in this on-line chat stuff. I've never done it before. I must thank you all - I haven't thought about some of this stuff for decades and it feels kinda good. Our son John called me today and said, "Hey mom you're gettin' pretty chatty all of a sudden!" I asked if I were embarrassing him or if I sounded illiterate or stupid and he said "No - it's all good." So..... one of you asked how it must feel to be associated with such a powerful song (Portrait of Tracy). I'll tell you the background of that title. You are probably all bass players and whether you realize it or not, it is not always the most enthralling thing in the world to listen to a bassplayer practice - riffs - scales - all that stuff. It never bothered me at all, but to say it was engrossing would be pushing it. Well, one day Jaco starting practicing a new song and it was like nothing else I had ever heard him practice. It was so different and hauntingly beautiful. It got so that everytime I went to take a bath I would holler to him, "Jaco, play my bathtub melody!" because it made me feel so relaxed. So for months that is how it was referred to between us - the bathtub melody. I did not know until the day his first album came out and saw it that he had called it "Portrait of Tracy". So to say I was the inspiration for it may be an exageration but thank you. Years later people who new us knew he was pissed at me whenever he started playing it with that fricking fuzz tone on! tracy
|
Edited by - grammytracy on 05/18/2003 11:45:34 PM |
|
|
|
dshib
Starting Member
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2003 : 02:21:44 AM
|
Fantastic story, great details. Honest and straightforward writing. Very good.
DShibler |
|
|
|
pedro
Senior Member
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2003 : 12:33:28 PM
|
[Thanks for dropping in. I would definitely be interested in your perspective
Ditto. (Talk about understatements.)
[I rarely listen to his music - every song hits a nerve, a memory and, whether that memory is good or bad, for some reason it still hits the raw core of me.
I’ll bet it does.
[but every day I miss knowing he's on the planet somewhere.
You have a lot of company, albeit none of us share your POV.
[You are probably all bass players
Well in my case ‘bass player’ is a relative term. I do pluck the strings on a Fender bass but other than that I have nothing in common with a guy like Jaco.
[and whether you realize it or not, it is not always the most enthralling thing in the world to listen to a bassplayer practice - riffs - scales - all that stuff.
LOL! And you were listening to one the greats ~ just think how ‘our wives’ feel when we practice. ;)
Pedro |
|
|
|
wdent
Senior Member
USA
3979 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2003 : 12:58:15 PM
|
| Tracy: it is refreshing to hear from you. I didn't find much regarding you in Bill Milkowski's book but I did feel that you must have been quite an influence on Jaco in his formative years (mid-teens to early twenties) as he must have been on you. One cannot separate a serious love interest from the music of a sensitive romantic who wore his heart on his sleeve as Jaco seemed to do. I echo the sentiment that 'Portrait of Tracy' is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. It is definitely one of my favorite Jaco tunes. With the imminent release of 'Portrait of Jaco', my interest in that part of his life with which you had much to do, has reappeared. I always felt that with all of the bickering over Jaco's legacy after his death, you continue to maintain your dignity and the pride with which we all should remember Jaco. Thank you! |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
