iwriterchina.com
Playing Since: 1970
Experience Level: Purty Good

Interests:
[Socializing] [Helping]

Occupation: Teacher and Writer

Gender: Male
Age: 68

My Instruments:
Hot Rod Steel Classic Tri Cone

Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Ry Cooder, Son House, Derek Trucks .....the list goes on.

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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 3/24/2012
Last Visit 9/3/2012

Hey I'm Jaco. Guitarist, Traveler, Teacher, Writer and Blogger. I've been playing the guitar since the age of 12. Hendirx was my inspiration at that time. I studied some music theory at the Wilmington Music School. Later played some Jazz .....went off and hung out with a bunch of Rastafarians for ahout 10 yrs. I actually grew up around the corner from Bob Marley when he lived in Wilmington, Delaware with his mother. I know the whole family. Spent the better part of 11 yrs. playing Reggae ....just kind of fell in love with that crooked beat. I've always loved blues .....Albert King was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Later discovered Son House and Charley Patton. Fell in love with Son House. Robert Johnson was another favorite. I then somehow went back into the Jazz thing again really loved Weather Report. I didn't pay too much attention to Jaco Pastorius at first, it was only later that I realized he was to the bass what Hendrix was to the guitar. I actually traded my National Estralita straight up for a Fender Jazz bass and had a good friend and tech rip the frets out for me. I played fretless bass for several years and earned the nickname Jaco by emulating Jaco Pastorius' playing style. But there is just something about the dulcet sound of a steel or brass body guitar that goes straight to the soul. Nothing else in the world like it. One of my favorite pieces of music is Dark was the night, Cold was the ground. I love both the original by Blind Willie Johnson, and love Ry Cooder's rendition of it. Ry was quoted as saying "Dark was the Night Cold was the Ground was the most soulful, transcendent piece of American music recorded in the 20th Century." I've also worked for the Du Pont Co and Computer Sciences Corp as an IT professional. Downsized in March 2001, I made my way to China and became an English teacher. I live in Chongqing which is in the southwest of China. I was here from 2004 until Mid 2007, went back stateside and just returned in October 2011. I am teaching again and love it. I married a great woman here on Feb 21st. We've known each other for seven yrs. I thought there were two things in life I could not live without and that's the woman who is now my wife and my guitar. Glad to be a part of this forum. Thanks for reading. Best, Jaco