Pat Metheny : American Garage

SUBJECT:	Jaco Back to Subjects
toneman Apr 10 2012 at 10:26 PM	what an incredible musician & teacher. great clips under Jaco Pastorius Modern Electric Bass on Youtube. He was so gifted, not just as a musician, but also at explaining what he’s doing.
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HAMBONE Aug 18 2020 at 1:46 AM	As I’ve posted in the past, I was lucky enough to see Jaco perform live 3 times. First with WR during the 78 tour at The Tower Theatre in Philly, Definitely one of the most thrilling live shoes I’ve ever seen. 2 plus hours of non-stop magic. Second time with Joni’s S&L tour. Another historical moment in live shows I’ve witnessed and also in all of live music. Both of these shows showed him at his best, free of the the demons that later possessed him. The last was in 82 with The Word of Mouth band. At this point he was running on alcahol and drugs and it was very apparent by the way he played and spoke. I passed him in the hallway on the way to the bathroom as one of the other musicians took a solo and his eyes were sunken and face was pale white. It was painful to see him in that state. But I always think of him from the earlier years and am grateful I was able to see him in person and learn to appreciate his amazing talent. There will never be another Jaco!
Kooltrane Jul 29 2020 at 2:54 PM	Saw Jaco w/WR about 1978 in NYC on the Mr. Gone tour which got 1 star from Downbeat (!). Brilliant musician. Nothing like him then or since.
MarcNebo Jul 29 2020 at 12:05 PM	BobSmith1 and yossarian : Thank you for your feedback. Similar reaction from me whenever seeing Weather Report and Jaco. Always a strong band no matter the lineup, but my favorite version was with Jaco. Hopefully someone in Chicago responds because I have forgotten where I saw them perform. I can’t find a good Weather Report database for Weather Report concerts.
BobSmith1 Jul 28 2020 at 8:04 PM	MarcNebo-I got to see Jaco in 1985 in Las Vegas at some roadhouse I forget the name of north of the main city. He was with his smaller version of Word of Mouth. It was him, Mike Stern on guitar but the drummer, trumpet and sax I don’t remember the names of. I had been wanting to see Jaco for a few years at that point as I almost saw him in July 82 when he was supposed to play at the (late) Monk Montgomery Jazz Festival, I think it was at the Dunes or the Sands but he was sick and didn’t show up. There were a lot of names at that ’82 show-- Marlena Shaw was one I remember and they showcased some young high school big bands too. Bill Cosby m’ceed and did a bit of drumming. Anyway, the ’85 show was just great and everyone really enjoyed it. Jaco was in good humor and had a good time and played his a__ off. I also remember that they also had a sort of jazz portrait artist who water-colored various jazz greats during the show. I think I was aware of Jaco’s sort of wild-man personality but had no idea of the other stuff going on til a bit later. Glad I finally got to see him once.
yossarian Jul 28 2020 at 4:38 PM	MarcNebo... yes, I caught him with Weather Report twice, in 1977 (Mr Gone tour) and in 1980 (not sure which tour... maybe supporting the album oddly called ’Weather Report’). Whole band just left me shaking in my seat to be honest, but, yeah, Jaco was quite a presence! A sort of rockstar but in an unbelievable musical context. Around the same time I saw Black Sabbath at the same venue. Rockstars, but not in a musical context at all... so after a few minutes the ’rockstar’ veneer totally wore off - to be honest they were terrible. But with Jaco it just got stronger.
MarcNebo Jul 28 2020 at 11:48 AM	MarcNebo (note to self) : Did anyone at American Garage catch Jaco Pastorius in a concert? I forgot to include a question mark in my Post. Jaco was an incredible performer up until his breakdown. There is a fine line between genius and crazy.
MarcNebo Jul 27 2020 at 11:54 PM	I recently found some great photos of Jaco with his Word Of Mouth big band and Weather Report. They are slides so I am planning to get prints made. Anyone else get to see Jaco Pastorius in a concert. I also saw him with Pat, Lyle Mays, Michael Brecker and Don Alias on Joni Mitchell’s Shadows And Light tour. Jaco was an incredible musician and entertainer.
VUGear Dec 23 2015 at 10:42 AM	CBC Radio interview with Paul Marchand and Robert Trujillo: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-wednesday-december-23-2015-1.3377878/jaco-pastorius-doc-spotlights-the-jimi-hendrix-of-bass-1.3377887
lorenantolik Dec 19 2015 at 1:30 PM	The new documentary looks promising. Robert Trujillo does an honorable job. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FG96cnsTBp4.
patsfan Dec 01 2015 at 10:52 PM	The documentary video I have not seen and would be interested if not more curious about it’s presentation. ... Given that it was sponsored and directed by Robert Trujillo, the lead guy for Metallica, Suicidal tendencies, etc. Trujillo can definitely play the electric base, but is over the top, looks like the toughest and meanest musician dude you will ever see.
VUGear Nov 29 2015 at 12:37 PM	From Friday’s NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/28/arts/music/review-jaco-a-documentary-about-the-jazz-musician-jaco-pastorius.html
patsfan Oct 11 2015 at 11:49 PM	Well, the really sad part of Jaco’s fate, as it were, being manic-depressive , is that despite all the attempts to cure him he spiraled hopelessly ... From a loving father and passionate musician into irrational behavior. Perhaps that was part of the high price of being a genius musician , at least in his case.
HAMBONE Oct 08 2015 at 12:27 PM	If you look into his website you’ll see his family has done a great job of continuing his legacy in a positive way. Not only the musicianship of Felix, but his wife and daughter have continued being involved in memorials all over the country. And many of today’s top musicians, not just bass players, play songs in respect of Jaco. His time with us was way too short, but the incredible music and endless influence will live on forever.
patsfan Oct 06 2015 at 1:33 AM	The Monterey Jazz Festival had a beautiful session memorializing Jaco. It was a jazz orchestra with a long list of notables ... Victor Bailey, Christian McBride,. Felix Pastorius, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer,. Alex Acuña, and others. But what was really neat was the large video screens on either side of the arena showing original videos of Jaco, many showing him with his wife and two kids in Florida,on the beach, at home ,etc. it was a fitting tribute, great music and a view of the real Jaco offstage .. A playful, affectionate father.
VUGear Oct 05 2015 at 12:16 PM	Last night I saw a screening of the new documentary on Jaco by Robert Trujillo and Paul Marchand. Anyone else catch it yet? http://jacothefilm.com/ While I enjoyed the film, I was bit disappointed to find that among the many stellar musical artists interviewed there were no soundbites from Pat, considering their time together on each other’s early albums and their joint work with Joni Mitchell, although a portion of "Midwestern Night’s Dream" from Bright Size Life was used in one spot. You can spot a very brief glimpse of Pat during a clip from the Shadows and Light shows. The film did include numerous comments by Milkowski, whose bio of Jaco has been criticized by Pat. Trujillo did note that he had much more material that so far has not made it into the cut, and that the upcoming digital release will be a slightly different edit from what I saw.
HAMBONE Apr 17 2012 at 11:45 AM	Yeah dgaw59. He finished his solo "Slang" by jumping over the amps and his bass during that whole tour. The really cool thing about it was he had the reverb on the bass set so when he landed on the floor, the music stopped. It was magical! And being in good basketball shape helped him get the lift he needed to pull it off. It is still the most amazing bass solo I have ever witnessed, and probably always will be...
Tom Rudd Apr 17 2012 at 5:28 AM	Early 80’s Jaco’s "Word of Mouth" Big Band was inrecible. With an all star line up.
dgaw59 Apr 16 2012 at 7:03 PM	Saw jaco w/w-report (or should that be reversed?) in 78 at the Beacon in NYC. He literally jumped off the amps; did the "funky chicken" while playing "Havona." Incredible memory.
bluepno Apr 14 2012 at 7:51 PM	Blackbird....faster!
yossarian Apr 14 2012 at 6:55 PM	Entrancing musician to listen to. It doesn’t matter what kind of music people are into, when they hear Jaco the reaction is always ’wow!’ I’m not talking about chops per se but the unbelievable swing, funkiness, sound, expression, propulsion... etc And despite being the ultimate individual player, he fitted into Weather Report perfectly and made that band complete. After he left they were still great but it wasn’t the same. I remember reading about the tension in the band as his behaviour became more erratic, jumping out of windows etc. Must have been a strain on tour, but the music always won.
HAMBONE Apr 13 2012 at 12:50 PM	Amen to that Dazedcat. Just check out any of his big band projects. He did it all.
Dazedcat Apr 13 2012 at 7:06 AM	Not only could Jaco play but he could also compose. He was a great writer. Jaco really was a once in a lifetime musician.
HAMBONE Apr 12 2012 at 12:00 PM	So many of today’s great bass players still say Jaco was their driving force to their success. His legacy will live on forever.
Tom Rudd Apr 11 2012 at 2:56 PM	Yes he was. To bad he had such problems. Read: Jaco - Bill Milkowski. Although I have heard the book has a few inaccuracies, it is a graphic description of Jaco’s tragic life.
thehague Apr 11 2012 at 2:48 PM	Terrible loss. Still.
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HAMBONE
Aug 18 2020
at 1:46 AM

As I’ve posted in the past, I was lucky enough to see Jaco perform live 3 times. First with WR during the 78 tour at The Tower Theatre in Philly, Definitely one of the most thrilling live shoes I’ve ever seen. 2 plus hours of non-stop magic. Second time with Joni’s S&L tour. Another historical moment in live shows I’ve witnessed and also in all of live music. Both of these shows showed him at his best, free of the the demons that later possessed him. The last was in 82 with The Word of Mouth band. At this point he was running on alcahol and drugs and it was very apparent by the way he played and spoke. I passed him in the hallway on the way to the bathroom as one of the other musicians took a solo and his eyes were sunken and face was pale white. It was painful to see him in that state. But I always think of him from the earlier years and am grateful I was able to see him in person and learn to appreciate his amazing talent. There will never be another Jaco!

Kooltrane
Jul 29 2020
at 2:54 PM

Saw Jaco w/WR about 1978 in NYC on the Mr. Gone tour which got 1 star from Downbeat (!). Brilliant musician. Nothing like him then or since.

MarcNebo
Jul 29 2020
at 12:05 PM

BobSmith1 and yossarian : Thank you for your feedback. Similar reaction from me whenever seeing Weather Report and Jaco. Always a strong band no matter the lineup, but my favorite version was with Jaco. Hopefully someone in Chicago responds because I have forgotten where I saw them perform. I can’t find a good Weather Report database for Weather Report concerts.

BobSmith1
Jul 28 2020
at 8:04 PM

MarcNebo-I got to see Jaco in 1985 in Las Vegas at some roadhouse I forget the name of north of the main city. He was with his smaller version of Word of Mouth. It was him, Mike Stern on guitar but the drummer, trumpet and sax I don’t remember the names of. I had been wanting to see Jaco for a few years at that point as I almost saw him in July 82 when he was supposed to play at the (late) Monk Montgomery Jazz Festival, I think it was at the Dunes or the Sands but he was sick and didn’t show up. There were a lot of names at that ’82 show-- Marlena Shaw was one I remember and they showcased some young high school big bands too. Bill Cosby m’ceed and did a bit of drumming. Anyway, the ’85 show was just great and everyone really enjoyed it. Jaco was in good humor and had a good time and played his a__ off. I also remember that they also had a sort of jazz portrait artist who water-colored various jazz greats during the show. I think I was aware of Jaco’s sort of wild-man personality but had no idea of the other stuff going on til a bit later. Glad I finally got to see him once.

yossarian
Jul 28 2020
at 4:38 PM

MarcNebo... yes, I caught him with Weather Report twice, in 1977 (Mr Gone tour) and in 1980 (not sure which tour... maybe supporting the album oddly called ’Weather Report’). Whole band just left me shaking in my seat to be honest, but, yeah, Jaco was quite a presence! A sort of rockstar but in an unbelievable musical context. Around the same time I saw Black Sabbath at the same venue. Rockstars, but not in a musical context at all... so after a few minutes the ’rockstar’ veneer totally wore off - to be honest they were terrible. But with Jaco it just got stronger.

MarcNebo
Jul 28 2020
at 11:48 AM

MarcNebo (note to self) : Did anyone at American Garage catch Jaco Pastorius in a concert? I forgot to include a question mark in my Post. Jaco was an incredible performer up until his breakdown. There is a fine line between genius and crazy.

MarcNebo
Jul 27 2020
at 11:54 PM

I recently found some great photos of Jaco with his Word Of Mouth big band and Weather Report. They are slides so I am planning to get prints made. Anyone else get to see Jaco Pastorius in a concert. I also saw him with Pat, Lyle Mays, Michael Brecker and Don Alias on Joni Mitchell’s Shadows And Light tour. Jaco was an incredible musician and entertainer.

VUGear
Dec 23 2015
at 10:42 AM

CBC Radio interview with Paul Marchand and Robert Trujillo: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-wednesday-december-23-2015-1.3377878/jaco-pastorius-doc-spotlights-the-jimi-hendrix-of-bass-1.3377887

lorenantolik
Dec 19 2015
at 1:30 PM

The new documentary looks promising. Robert Trujillo does an honorable job. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FG96cnsTBp4.

patsfan
Dec 01 2015
at 10:52 PM

The documentary video I have not seen and would be interested if not more curious about it’s presentation. ... Given that it was sponsored and directed by Robert Trujillo, the lead guy for Metallica, Suicidal tendencies, etc. Trujillo can definitely play the electric base, but is over the top, looks like the toughest and meanest musician dude you will ever see.

VUGear
Nov 29 2015
at 12:37 PM

From Friday’s NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/28/arts/music/review-jaco-a-documentary-about-the-jazz-musician-jaco-pastorius.html

patsfan
Oct 11 2015
at 11:49 PM

Well, the really sad part of Jaco’s fate, as it were, being manic-depressive , is that despite all the attempts to cure him he spiraled hopelessly ... From a loving father and passionate musician into irrational behavior. Perhaps that was part of the high price of being a genius musician , at least in his case.

HAMBONE
Oct 08 2015
at 12:27 PM

If you look into his website you’ll see his family has done a great job of continuing his legacy in a positive way. Not only the musicianship of Felix, but his wife and daughter have continued being involved in memorials all over the country. And many of today’s top musicians, not just bass players, play songs in respect of Jaco. His time with us was way too short, but the incredible music and endless influence will live on forever.

patsfan
Oct 06 2015
at 1:33 AM

The Monterey Jazz Festival had a beautiful session memorializing Jaco. It was a jazz orchestra with a long list of notables ... Victor Bailey, Christian McBride,. Felix Pastorius, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer,. Alex Acuña, and others. But what was really neat was the large video screens on either side of the arena showing original videos of Jaco, many showing him with his wife and two kids in Florida,on the beach, at home ,etc. it was a fitting tribute, great music and a view of the real Jaco offstage .. A playful, affectionate father.

VUGear
Oct 05 2015
at 12:16 PM

Last night I saw a screening of the new documentary on Jaco by Robert Trujillo and Paul Marchand. Anyone else catch it yet? http://jacothefilm.com/ While I enjoyed the film, I was bit disappointed to find that among the many stellar musical artists interviewed there were no soundbites from Pat, considering their time together on each other’s early albums and their joint work with Joni Mitchell, although a portion of "Midwestern Night’s Dream" from Bright Size Life was used in one spot. You can spot a very brief glimpse of Pat during a clip from the Shadows and Light shows. The film did include numerous comments by Milkowski, whose bio of Jaco has been criticized by Pat. Trujillo did note that he had much more material that so far has not made it into the cut, and that the upcoming digital release will be a slightly different edit from what I saw.

HAMBONE
Apr 17 2012
at 11:45 AM

Yeah dgaw59. He finished his solo "Slang" by jumping over the amps and his bass during that whole tour. The really cool thing about it was he had the reverb on the bass set so when he landed on the floor, the music stopped. It was magical! And being in good basketball shape helped him get the lift he needed to pull it off. It is still the most amazing bass solo I have ever witnessed, and probably always will be...

Tom Rudd
Apr 17 2012
at 5:28 AM

Early 80’s Jaco’s "Word of Mouth" Big Band was inrecible. With an all star line up.

dgaw59
Apr 16 2012
at 7:03 PM

Saw jaco w/w-report (or should that be reversed?) in 78 at the Beacon in NYC. He literally jumped off the amps; did the "funky chicken" while playing "Havona." Incredible memory.

bluepno
Apr 14 2012
at 7:51 PM

Blackbird....faster!

yossarian
Apr 14 2012
at 6:55 PM

Entrancing musician to listen to. It doesn’t matter what kind of music people are into, when they hear Jaco the reaction is always ’wow!’ I’m not talking about chops per se but the unbelievable swing, funkiness, sound, expression, propulsion... etc And despite being the ultimate individual player, he fitted into Weather Report perfectly and made that band complete. After he left they were still great but it wasn’t the same. I remember reading about the tension in the band as his behaviour became more erratic, jumping out of windows etc. Must have been a strain on tour, but the music always won.

HAMBONE
Apr 13 2012
at 12:50 PM

Amen to that Dazedcat. Just check out any of his big band projects. He did it all.

Dazedcat
Apr 13 2012
at 7:06 AM

Not only could Jaco play but he could also compose. He was a great writer. Jaco really was a once in a lifetime musician.

HAMBONE
Apr 12 2012
at 12:00 PM

So many of today’s great bass players still say Jaco was their driving force to their success. His legacy will live on forever.

Tom Rudd
Apr 11 2012
at 2:56 PM

Yes he was. To bad he had such problems. Read: Jaco - Bill Milkowski. Although I have heard the book has a few inaccuracies, it is a graphic description of Jaco’s tragic life.

thehague
Apr 11 2012
at 2:48 PM

Terrible loss. Still.

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