Originally Posted by
proggy_jazzer
Hi John, and thanks for your well-thought-out review as always.
Before I dive in here, let me just make clear that JB has been and always will be one of my favorite electric bassists, going back to his eye-opening appearance on Moraz's Story of i. However, 'Joe Frazier' has always been among my least favorite examples of his recorded output - just as 'Teen Town' is among my least favorite in Jaco's ouvre.
Which brings me to the subject you broach of JB's notoriety vis-a-vis JP. When you said you were loathe to open the door, my first thought was that you might be heading to Jeff's reputation as an abrasive personality. Your point about the American-European schism in jazz is well taken, but I would posit that that may be only part of the reason. From the mid-80s, I remember hearing among my friends in the jazz education world that Berlin was, well, 'difficult' in certain situations, mainly having to do with teaching. Completely anecdotal, as I've never met the man, but when you hear something from enough people in the industry, it starts to take on the patina of truth. And it was borne out in Berlin's own words later in his career. To his credit, he has made an effort to soften his tone and approach in recent years, and appears to have won over some folks as a result. But, following his FB page shows that he still tends to speak in very absolute terms about musical subjects that are inherently subjective, such as the efficacy of certain practice methods. Now, this is entirely his right, not only as a human being, but as a musician who has more than paid his dues and has nothing to prove to anyone. However, I believe that this aspect of his personality and approach to interaction has had an adverse effect on his popularity and renown. We will never know, sadly, how Jaco's career arc would have compared had he a) lived a full life and b) had his mental issues appropriately addressed. Certainly he had his measure of arrogance as well, and perhaps he could be just as abrasive and might have alienated people over the long term.
All (obviously) IMHO only!
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