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Jaco Pastorius

post #1 of 13
4/20/10 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 
i was reading some article about Cream and Jack Bruce referenced Jaco Pastorius as one of the greatest rock bassists. can any of you guys recommend anything awesome that he played in? doesn't have to necessarily have to showcase his talent if the music is good, but it would be nice.
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post #2 of 13
4/20/10 at 1:56am
He played with Joni Mitchell on Shadows and Light, and Hejira...perhaps some other Joni..not sure. If you're a Joni Mitchell fan you might enjoy them..in the jazz groove of her repertoire. I believe he died very young.
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post #3 of 13
4/20/10 at 2:03am
There are some priceless youtube clips:

YouTube - [Bass Lesson] Jaco Pastorius - Modern Electric Bass - 1
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post #4 of 13
4/20/10 at 2:13am
If you're looking for a "rock" bassist, you'll be disappointed with Jaco's music, as it's not really in that particular genre.

He put out a few solo recordings (a lot released posthumously), but I think he's mainly known for his playing with the fusion jazz group, Weather Report. And not all their recordings. I think he only recorded a handful with them.
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post #5 of 13
4/20/10 at 3:25am
Well, he was with Weather Report all through the late 70s and early 80s. That's probably the best place to start. The Wikipedia article on him is actually fairly good.
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post #6 of 13
4/20/10 at 5:32am
He was probably the greatest fretless player of his time. His work with Joni Mitchell is sublime, but I am not familiar with much else. Definitely not a 'rock' bassist, but jazz. Fretless bass can be an acquired taste.

I believe he was quite aware of his talents and consequently a very narcissistic personality. I heard he drank himself to death or picked a bar fight with the wrong punter or something...

The excellent JP wiki seems to back this up.
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post #7 of 13
4/20/10 at 7:38am
Mandatory IMO:

Jaco Pastorius - self-titled (1976)
Jaco Pastorius - Word of Mouth (1981)
Jaco Pastorius - The Birthday Concert (recorded 1981, released 1995)
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life (1977)
Weather Report - Heavy Weather (1977)
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post #8 of 13
4/20/10 at 2:37pm
Check out Gary Willis if you like that kind of bass playing. He's a monster!
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post #9 of 13
4/20/10 at 3:49pm
I highly recommend the band - "Trio of Doom"
They only have one self titled cd. It's Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, and Tony Williams.

Amazon.com: The Trio of Doom Live: Trio of Doom, John McLaughlin: Music
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post #10 of 13
4/20/10 at 3:51pm
I listened to "Computer Incantations" a lot in the early 80's after seeing him play at "Toad's Place" in New Haven CT. It was an amazing album.
For mind blowing bassists I have found Stanley Clark and Tony Levin to be my favorites.
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post #11 of 13
4/20/10 at 9:14pm
Weather Report!
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post #12 of 13
4/21/10 at 4:35pm
NPR did a really good story about him a few years ago, on the anniversary of his death. Jaco Pastorius: 20 Years Later : NPR

I would avoid Weather Report if you want to listen to Jaco. Too much noodling from other people.

Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher) is a very accomplished fretless bass player who usually incorporates it into his electronic works, and who has also done a tremendous amount of (generally really good) non-electronic stuff. He might be worth seeking out as a related artist.
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post #13 of 13
4/21/10 at 10:24pm
This looks like a pretty good anthology.
Rhino | Punk Jazz: The Jaco Pastorius Anthology

seems to miss a few tracks that I like his playing on but pretty good.
His own "Used to be a cha cha" and the Joni version of "god must be a boogie man"

YouTube - Joni Mitchell-GOD Must Be A Boogie MAN

YouTube - jaco pastorius - used to be cha cha
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