Jaco Pastorius

Jaco was one of a kind. This debut album is amazing. Stellar cast of players, great tunes and Jaco's virtuoso Bass playing is magnificent

This album which is called simply Jaco Pastorius, is probably the best of Jaco (RIP) after his brilliance with Weather Report's best times alongside Zawinul, Wayne Shorter and Peter Erskine, which I think was the best WR formation, with all due respect for the others... It is IMO better than the other Jaco's project, Word of Mouth, and the jams recordings with Lagrene Bireli, and so forth. In here there is not only technical abilities and playing virtuoso on the instrument, but so many emotions are running here with "Continuum", "Portrait Of Tracy" and tracks where he is really throwing in the kitchen sink as "Cha-Cha" in 2 takes, 6/4 Jam. This is a special moment in my collection which always reminds me what a man John Francis Pastorius III aka Jaco was and how the "jazz" establishment treated him when he was alive, only to realize what a genius and they then all paid tribute like Pat Metheny which I always thought was his nemesis, musically I mean.

One of the best Bass Guitar Players ever. Alexis Korner introduced me to his music and he was in "Weather Report". If you want to put the music in a box it is probably Jazz but I just call it good music. If you like music you will like this as it is funky riff bassed tunes.....with emphasis on the bassed. The track with Sam & Dave singing is just such a classic but it is mainly instrumental.

This is the ground-breaking 1976 album from Jaco Pastorius, the genius manic depressive who rewrote the book of what was possible with the electric bass guitar. Pastorius' eclectic style might be classified as jazz but incorporates 1970s funk plus ballads and latin rhythms. His music is difficult to pigeon-hole because more than anything else, it's his own style of playing which shines: fast, inventive, melodic and of awesome virtuosity, he placed bass guitar at the centre of the band and used it as a lead instrument. If you're an aspiring musician and have never heard Pastorius' playing, just listen to this and be blown away. Pastorius always used a fretless bass for recording and on stage but practiced regularly with a fretted instrument, "because the strings eat the neck up". He is joined here by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Lenny White and a host of top-flight jazz musicians (as many as 10 musicians surround Jaco and attempt to keep up with him) and the result is astounding. However on a couple of tracks - the stunning opener `Donna Lee' and `Portrait of Tracy' - Jaco basically plays solo, supported on `Donna Lee' only by the congas of Don Alias. This release contains 2 previously unheard bonus tracks: an alternate take of `Cha-Cha', and `6/4 jam' both of several minutes' duration. It has been said that Jaco Pastorius was the last jazz musician of the 20th century to make a major impact on the world at large, so radically did he re-define the musical landscape. His tragic death in 1987 aged 35, following a violent attack by a nightclub bouncer (who later pleaded guilty to manslaughter) was a serious loss to music, but he left behind one heck of a legacy and is revered by genuine musicians everywhere.

My favorite music and great artists from my youth.

This has to be one of the greatest debut albums ever. Jazz, Rock, R&B tracks showcase Jaco's talents to the maximum.The running time is short but it is quality all the way. This reissue has some bonus tracks. Recommended.

If you have not already purchased this masterpiece in all the years since its release - get thee forth and invest - bass non-parallel.

Wonderful jazz bass player..... what a sad loss to jazz when he died so tragically ( google him if you don’t know)....