looping in prehistory

["loop.pool" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

    I saw Jaco live at this time (but with Weather Report) and if memory 
serves, he was using an
ADA digital delay.    It could also have been an Effectron 1024 as well.
What year was this, by the way?

It was the first time I had ever seen someone use a delay live with 
infinite 
hold
and in a very rhythmic way.  He looped harmonics with a compressor so that 
the harmonics
and false harmonics were all really loud (never saw anyone do that before 
either)
...................he had an on/off pedal on one side of the
stage when I saw him and at the end of his very flamboyant solo he ran 
fast 
across
the entire stage and the slid across the stage like he was stealing home 
into his on off pedal turning
of the loop simultaneously.  It was so theatrical and punk.  I was in awe.

I thought I had seen god at that point.   I had already experimented with 
infinite cassette loops
and removing erase heads in tape delays (thanks to the inspiration of 
Michael Haumesser
who was the first person I ever saw loop) but you could not control rhythm 
at all in with those
methods or if you could it was very clumsy.

Jaco was the first digital looper I ever saw and as a 
percussionist/drummer 
the future was clear
to see.   It would be all the way until Lexicon finally put out the Jamman 
that I was ever able to
manifest my desire to be able to build up rhythm parts and that I think 
was 
in '95.