Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When Jaco taught me how to play those songs, he didn't diagram the notes
forme.Hedidn'tsay,“WellthisisA,andthisisC.”Hejusttooktheguitardown
and
showed
me how to play it. That's why it had an impact on me. Luckily I had
the ability to understand the direct language he was using, the language of play-
ing the instrument
Jaco was also a trickster! He would roll up his pant cuffs, pour baby powder
in the cuffs and jump around. The powder would go everywhere, all over the
floor! This is what he did when he gave me the guitar lesson. You have no idea
about how crazy this guy was, but there was a genius behind the curtain! He'd
rollhispantsupallthewayandputIndianmakeuponhisfaceandbraidhishair.
He'd put powder in his hair, or pour beer over his head.
Down around the West Fourth Street basketball courts, all the black guys
came from the 'burbs to play basketball, and these semi-pro guys would play too
on these asphalt courts. Jaco was about six-foot-four and loved basketball. He
would dive into the middle of these basketball matches between two teams, grab
their basketball and run away with it down the street. They'd chase him down
and
pound
theguy,beatthecrapoutofhimandtosshimoutontothestreet.They
didn't know who he was.
PAUL VOLMER
I used to play basketball on a local court, so I had a basketball. I turned my back
for a second, and when I turned around again, Jaco had run off with my basket-
ball! Later, I heard that Jaco had been seen enjoying himself in the park with a
basketball.
TIM SULLIVAN
But Jaco gradually deteriorated. He ended up losing everything, including his
ability to play. He kept drinking. He became homeless. I saw him down at Wash-
ington Square Park sitting there begging for money. He had been beat up—his
face was all puffy. Then I heard he went down to Florida and somehow got
was thirty-four.
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