Marcus Pelta discusses Jaco's drummers
Posted - 01/01/2003 : 4:16:19 PMKenwood Dennard was the most sensitive and funky about the humor and spontinaety in Jaco's playing; you hear that all over the Live in N.Y.C. dates. For example, in the rendition of "I Shot The Sheriff" on vol. 2, Kenwood throws in that cowbell in a 1/2 note triplet across two bars after each phrase of the head. That ****e is just funny to listen to, and who else could have inspired Kenwood to do that?
For the spontaneous part, remember in the DCI instructional video when Jaco, Kenwood and John Scofield are playing the blues in F (1st tune after the talking finishes)? During Jaco's solo, he goes into that 16th note riff from the horns-and-pans arrangement for Fanny May, and Kenwood is right there with him on the hi-hat, I mean note for note! Kenwood was tuned into the deeper magic of Jaco's playing, man.
Lastly, when the aforementioned blues is ending (which started in F), Jaco moves it to A, and then it ends on C. Do you remember when Jaco threw his bass to Kenwood? Kenwood caught it on the 8th fret of the E string! Right on C! Let alone that he played his final crash at the same time as catching it! My god, Kenwood deserves all props for being right with Jaco in the magic and transcendant genius of his overall presence and playing.
Alex Acuna was perfect for the Heavy Weather sessions. He gave all the flavor and nuance to go along with Jaco's grooves. Period.
Lenny White's playing on Continuum? SEN - SI - TIVE. You hear the way he caresses the ride to play the final phrase of the head right at the end of the whole cut? That is just tear-inducing beauty of the highest order.
Bobby Economou on Kuru/Speak Like A Child? SMO - KINN! Especially the way he puts on the brakes when the fast section goes to the slow secion for the last time - those triplet snare hits, my god!
Erskine had the technical side under total control. Those WR live dates are smokinest for that.
I'd really like to have heard more of Lenny White and Bobby Economou's playing with Jaco. Not sure if it's Lenny White playing on 4AM (from Herbie's album Mr. Hands) - sounds like it could be, but if it's not, whoever that drummer is, I put him on high as well - damn, what groove sensibilities and feather touches!
Tha end.
B A C KEmail: JacoFamilySite@aol.com
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