25 Years Later: The Continued Influence of Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius

Usually when we mark an anniversary, it is cause for celebration. Today isn’t one of those anniversaries.

Twenty-five years ago today, the world lost a man many say was the greatest bass player ever. Jaco Pastorius, at the age of 35, died days after a violent altercation at a Florida bar.

In the 25 years since Jaco’s passing, a lot has changed in the world of bass. But one thing has remained consistent: Jaco’s enormous influence.

Not only do you hear this influence in new music, the tributes and unreleased material never ceases to stop. A quick search on Youtube for “Jaco Pastorius” brings about 14,000 results today. Think about that. In an age without cell phones or cheap portable video devices, Jaco performed countless stages. If there were recordings made then, it was typically on cassette tape or reel to reel.

Thanks to Youtube and the web in general, young bass players coming up today can experience Jaco’s music like never before, and that helps that 14,000 video count continue to grow, with previously unseen Jaco videos surfacing all the time, but also the Jaco tributes, playalongs and covers from his loyal and growing fan base.

Jaco also remains a perennial favorite among No Treble readers, reaching top 10 status every year, with few articles and videos to compete with working bassists who generate lots of news throughout the year.

It seems every bassist has a Jaco story… that “Jaco moment”, a favorite song, the influence he had, or just a memory of something tied to him and his music.

For me, September 21, 1987 will always be as clear a memory as any in my life. I was in the music building of my university, spinning the dial on the combination lock to my double bass locker when someone ran down the hall to tell me the news that Jaco had died. I had pictures of all my bass and other musical heroes taped to the inside of that locker, and I just stared at Jaco’s photo, stunned. It dawned on me in that moment that I never saw Jaco perform in person, and now I never would. My hero was gone, way too soon.

In the years following, I became pretty much obsessed with collecting every recording I could find with Jaco – the rare vinyl discoveries in record stores around the country, and then the live recordings listed all those years but impossible to locate until the web emerged. Lots of gems, and a handful of not-so-great stuff too. And that’s part of the Jaco story in the last 25 years too.

My first Jaco experience was Weather Report. “Cannon Ball”, “Teen Town” and “Havona” all knocked me out. But it was Jaco’s debut, which I experienced next, that made me the Jaco fan I am today, and that only grew stronger as I discovered his work with Joni Mitchell (still among the best music in my collection), and later made my way through his vast recording list.

There was another Jaco milestone last year: his 60th birthday. At that time, I opened a discussion about the world’s greatest bass player, sharing a lot of thoughts about his legacy, and hearing from a lot of readers who added their stories.

This time around, we reached out to several bassists to get their take on Jaco’s continued influence as well as their own “Jaco moment”. We invite you to share your stories here as well.

Jerry Jemmott

Editor’s note: Jaco listed Jerry Jemmott as a major influence – perhaps the only bassist named in his list of influences. Jerry and Jaco eventually teamed up for Jaco’s instructional video in the 80’s.

Jaco Pastorius and Jerry JemmottJaco’s flawless execution and knowledge that he formally attained on his own, is timeless. He worked hard at keeping down inherent sympathetic vibrations that occur with an aggressive approach which we both shared. I heard the fantastic BBC Radio Documentary which has four parts and hearing him with Wayne Cochran & the CC Riders was quite a real hoot. I can see him now. He had an incredible since of taste and control of his amazing ability.

My defining Jaco moment started when Jimmy Tyrel – the legendary New York session bassist who eventually became a Vice President at Columbia Records – sent me a copy of Jaco’s first CBS release. This moment became a never ending series of events once we met face to face that took place whatever and whenever he played. His total understanding of what I call the 5 components and 5 Elements of “Souler Energy”; that he could verbalize and reproduce with his bass and that you hear in his compositions and arrangements. These 5 Components are The Groove, Skill, Technique, Knowledge and Creativity. The 5 Elements are Commitment, Passion, Compassion, Physical Endurance and Mental Fortitude. He lives in all of us.

Robert Trujillo

Metallica’s Robert Trujillo has unique ties to Jaco as well… he’s financing an in-production documentary film about Jaco, and he’s also the current owner of Jaco’s Bass of Doom.

Robert TrujilloJaco’s music is Bass notes of Love, fueled by EDGE and ATTITUDE, Pure Passion!!!

My first Jaco moment came when seeing Weather Report in person at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1979. It changed my life. Jaco slid into his bass like he was sliding into home plate. Talc powder on the floor in his jam zone so he could funk it up, moving, and groovin’. NYC skyline as a back drop behind the back line = Super Bad Ass!

Words cannot describe the magnitude of magic in ‘JACO’ the film. Still editing, much more to do. Be patient, and we will see you next year.

Christian McBride

Christian McBride - electric bassThere are very few musicians who completely redefine their instrument. Jaco was clearly one of those musicians. Before Jaco, it was considered unusual for an electric bassist to have the intelligent melodic sensibilities of a pianist or a horn player. Since Jaco, when one hears an electric bassist with the technique and melodic intelligence of a Charlie Parker or a Miles Davis, it comes from Jaco.

My defining “Jaco moment” came listening to my dad practicing “Portrait of Tracy”. I’d never heard a bass play “false” notes (harmonics) before. When I asked my dad what he was doing, he said, “I’m trying to learn this Jaco tune.” Since then, I myself have tried to learn not only “Portrait of Tracy”, but everything else from Jaco’s debut solo recording. I proudly call myself a “Jaco clone”. No one else since him has extended the melodic language of the electric bass as a soloist or as a composer.

Michael Manring

Michael ManringIn my opinion, Jaco’s greatest contribution was in bringing a high level of musical sophistication and imagination to the instrument. By doing that he opened up some wonderful possibilities for growth and increased relevance for the bass as a cultural force. I’m not sure whether or not that lesson has really taken root in the musical community, but I think that message is always there in his skillful, wide-ranging and heartfelt approach.

The times I sat down alone with Jaco were the most significant for me — getting to know him personally a bit, being able to express my appreciation, sharing ideas and having a chance to make the connection between who he was and the music he made.

Anthony Wellington

Anthony WellingtonFor me, Jaco is one of four true innovators on the electric electric bass guitar. And when I say “innovator” I mean that the trajectory of the electric bass guitar changed. The instrument’s role was now defined differently. That hasn’t happened a lot. There have been tons of great players, and even more so now, but Jaco changed how we thought of the electric bass guitar. That will forever impact impact all future bass players… even if they don’t know it. I will not to list the other three, because I’m not interested in debating my personal Mt. Rushmore of bass guitar.

There are two defining Jaco moments for me. One happened in 1983/84 when I was a student at the University of Miami. First of all, he and my high school music teacher were the reasons why I chose that school. While I was there, I got to see Jaco perform a free concert. I think it was in Ft. Lauderdale. Steve Bailey, who was friends with Jaco, took me me to the concert. My mind was blown! Mike Stern and Kenwood Dennard were in the band. Jaco wasn’t in the best frame of [mind], but he sounded great. And he was every bit the showman! When I think of some of the what I consider to be some of the best examples of recorded bass playing, Jaco’s name shows up repeatedly. The same is true when I think of compositions by a bass player.

The other defining Jaco moment: I never used to read the newspaper as a young man. But for some reason in September of 1987 I was reading the Washington Post back in the DC area. Not only was I reading the paper, but I actually felt drawn to look at the obituaries section. I had never done that before. On that day I saw the name John Francis ANTHONY Pastorius III. I remember saying, “That’s weird, another person with the name ‘Pastorius’.” Jaco was the only person I know of with that name. But I didn’t know that ‘Jaco’ wasn’t his born name. I read the obituary and realized it was Jaco Pastorius. That’s when the legend was born!

Stuart Hamm

Stu HammJaco created a unique sound that is often imitated but never equaled… it is next to impossible to play fretless and NOT sound like Jaco. He broke all of the rules about what is and what is not possible to play on an electric bass.

My Jaco “moment” happened on November 8th, 1978 at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, MA. I was new to Berklee and not aware of Jaco. This was the tour that they recorded 8:30 and from the opening jungle howls of “Black Market” my life was changed forever. Back at the Berklee dorm everyone was watching the Grateful Dead on Saturday Night Live and I just couldn’t hang… my thoughts were that if we ever met people from another planet instead of sending politicians to represent our planet, we should send Weather Report!

Alex Webster

Alex WebsterThe first time I heard Jaco was the bass solo intro to “Punk Jazz”. Steve DiGiorgio and I used to trade tapes, he sent me a tape that had few cool metal demos plus some bass oriented stuff, including Jaco’s “Punk Jazz” solo. I was really blown away, and wound up buying many of Jaco’s recordings. I’m sure from trying to learn his parts and from listening to him so much he’s influenced my playing somehow, as he has for countless others.

Evan Brewer

Evan BrewerJaco’s legacy, to me, is his musical voice. He really had something unique to say on his instrument. He taught me that it’s more about what you are saying than how you are saying it.

My Jaco “moment”: I was buying some bass related music, searching for inspiration, and picked up his self titled [album]. What I heard was a player seamlessly transition from solo to full band settings while maintaining his identity in any setting. I’ve been hooked ever since!

Steve Lawson

Steve LawsonJaco still casts a remarkably big shadow over contemporary bass playing. It still takes me by surprise how many people see ‘solo bass’ as beginning and ending with Jaco. He is, for a large sector of bass-listeners, the standard by which all other solo bass, fretless bass and fusion bass playing is to be measured. It’s a remarkable testimony to the impact he had that over three decades after he first emerged on the scene, his name is still the first point of contact for so many bass conversations.

Conversely, it’d would be fascinating to be able to tell how many people have avoided certain forms of musical expression because of a fear of being compared to Jaco. Having heard a number of well-known bassists talk about their own concerns at ending up too close to his hallowed turf, it still seems baffling that some people see fretless bass and harmonic chords as his sole domain, despite the massive range of music that has grown out of the various innovations be brought us.

My defining Jaco “moment” was definitely hearing Joni Mitchell’s Hejira for the first time – it was given to me on cassette by the trombone player in a trad jazz band I played with in my teens. It had his own ‘best of Jaco with Weather Report’ on one side, and Hejira on the other. The Weather Report stuff was OK, but it didn’t have anything like the impact on me that the Joni record did. The marriage of her freewheeling narrative style and his beautiful snake-like melodic lines weaving around her vocals was a bolt from the blue. A real damascus road moment for teenage me.

Adam Nitti

When I think about Jaco’s impact, I continue to be amazed by how profound his influence still is amongst players of all ages and backgrounds today. Even within the last decade, I feel there has almost been a fresh redefining of his legacy that has brought his playing and musical identity once again to the forefront of the bass world; and this is in spite of the fact it’s been 25 years since his passing… That is quite a testament to the way in which he communicated with and moved people emotionally and musically. There are a lot of players that think of Jaco as having been the one that helped further define the function of the bass by bringing it more to the forefront with his solos and unmistakable fretless tone, but the truth is his impact lies far outside the realm of bass playing alone. His contributions as a composer and his infectious energies onstage as a band leader and sideman were so huge that they could not be merely faded by time nor the achievements of the innovators that followed him. 25 years later, Jaco continues to be THE brave and fearless voice that inspired bass players to boldly pursue a voice of their own.

Although it’s not a happy memory, I’d have to say the most significant moment for me was when I found out he passed away, because he died on my 17th birthday. I’ll never forget being in a bass lesson that day and having my teacher tell me the horrible news. It impacted me deeply on many levels, because I was relentlessly practicing and trying to become a great bass player almost completely due to Jaco’s influence and the way his playing and music captured me. I was very fortunate at the time, because I had a bass instructor that was equally as enamored with Jaco’s genius and had spent many years transcribing and learning Jaco tunes. He was my closest connection to Jaco’s music, and in a strange way I think its impact on us grew even deeper knowing that he was gone. I couldn’t believe it. Although I’m still pained by the fact that Jaco is no longer with us, I am so grateful we live in a time in which bass players and music fans have unbelievable access to his music and life history because of the internet. We now are able to see and hear performances that might have otherwise been hidden from us forever. He will forever remain the one that caused me to fall in love with the bass.

Jeroen Paul Thesseling

Jeroen Paul ThesselingJaco was a very innovative musician and composer. He developed a language, invented new colors on fretless bass. He created such an amazing sound and rhythm. And what about the way harmonics sounded when he played them? Probably most bassists are directly or indirectly influenced by him. Imagine how fretless would have evolved when Jaco would have been another twenty-five years with us.

My defining Jaco “moment”: His solo performance of [Jimi Hendrix’s] “Third Stone from the Sun” during a Weather Report concert in Offenbach, Germany, September 29, 1978.

Doug Johns

Doug JohnsJaco is that rare musician that continues to be a timeless influence on generations to come.

My defining moment came while sitting in my bedroom as a teenager… I distinctly remember dropping the needle on [the solo debut] for the first time, and I KNEW I had found the Jimi Hendrix of the bass.

 

Juan Alderete

Juan Alderete with his Fender JazzI believe Jaco brought all styles of bass playing together. Of course, so many musicians love him, but I really saw bass players from different genres gravitate towards Jaco and his music. From jazz to rock to punk to fusion…all bass players understood what he was doing to the instrument and to music.

I saw Jaco play in the 80’s at Musician’s Institute for the Bass Institute of Technology department. It was Jaco, Jeff Berlin, Frank Gambale. First, Jeff and Jaco were sort of playing duets and then Jaco would fly off and play Hendrix riffs or jazz runs. Then when the group started to jam, Jaco really went crazy, playing more Hendrix to a seemingly unaware Gambale. Then Jaco would have these bursts of melodies roll through him and out his amps. After the seminar (if you could call it that), the instructors asked for a show of hands of who they enjoyed more…Jaco, or Jeff. The entire room raised their hands for Jeff. I was the only one who raised my hand for Jaco. I said to the class that I believed Jaco had more musicality and excitement in those little flurry of melodies he would play in between the jams/nonsense that no musician up on the stage could match. I still stand by it. To put it more into perspective, this was the 80’s and Jeff was the new favorite and Jaco was deteriorating physically and mentally. Jeff had so much technique but I will always believe that Jaco had so much more music in him…and before they played, I was a Berlin guy. After that performance, I was a Jaco guy forever.

You

What would you say is Jaco’s continuing legacy and impact for the world of bass and music today? What was the defining “Jaco moment” for you? Tell us in the comments!

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  1. There will never be another Jaco…

  2. You can’t be a bass player and not know and have somehow been touched by Jaco regardless of what kind of music you play…for me his teachings on tone ( it’s all in the hands and we are all unique) how to be a man ( he got so good because he had a family to feed) I’m still struggling with… but they are the lessons I work every day.
    I had the good fortune to see Jaco twice…once with his big band where all night he just laid down in the groove and didn’t “Jaco”…except one nanosecond of sound and fury that happened so fast it blew me and every bass player away who probably brougt a ticket to see the blazin “Jaco”.
    The other time I saw him come up on stage with Stanley Clarke to jam, he was handed a bass but Stanley’s bass techs couldn’t get the bass to work so Jaco just stood on stage and smiled and bopped along to Stanley’s playing and you could see the lve and admiration in both these MASTERS.

  3. I’d say my defining moment was when I picked up” The Best of WR’ cd..I had already been a fretless bass enthusiast thx to Steve Di Giorgio but when I popped the cd in, the first song was Punk Jazz and it took me quite awhile to pick my jaw up off the floor…Over time my Jaco collection grew and my respect for him still grows..Understand it wasn’t only his chops but also his musicality, phrasing, note choice and dynamics..A lot of cats are just about chops…

    I mean who else would attempt a Bach or a Bird piece on fretless bass? especially during that time period..He, along w/ Jimi, Fripp and McLaughlin, was truly a visionary and forward thinking artist… RIP Mr. Pastorius

  4. Wow. In a two year period we lost Jaco, Cliff Burton, and Phil Lynott. Huge sad losses in music.

    • Jaco was a huuuuuge influence on me as a boy. On the album Heavy Weather, there was a song called ‘A Remark You Made’ that, to this day, just floors me. The bass solo in it makes me cry. Sad to think that ALL of my main bass heroes , (except Steve Harris) died within two years of each other. Jaco, Cliff Burton, Phil Lynott. Thanks for the post Gil!!

  5. I saw jako the first time near venice , I don’t remember exectly the year , i suppouse 1979 , whit the weather report, and it was like a raimbow in my music life, I’ll never forghet jako!

  6. Thank you God for putting this man on this planet, and putting a bass in his hands! Thank you Jaco for showing the rest of us what that bass was capable of! A pioneer, a warrior and a musical genius. You are truly missed, Jaco, although, the musical legacy that you left will live on forever!

  7. My Jaco moment occurred while I was a music major at a small community college in Central N.Y. majoring in trumpet. My professor discovered that I played bass guitar in my H.S. Stage band and he invited me to an improvisation lab. It was there that I met some of the bass majors. I remember this one bass player coming over to my apartment and playing me Jaco’s first solo album. I was completely blown away. I NEVER heard bass played that way. Soooo melodic and fast! I never looked at the instrument the same way again. I tried to find out everything I could about him.

    Later on I remember reading a Guitar magazine and being outraged that the article complained about Jaco disrupting some big blues jam in NYC because “he couldn’t hear anybody, but himself”. I wrote it off thinking it was just some jealous, blues guitar playing writer( You know THOSE guys? “Everybody get behind me while I play a 10 minute solo of the same regurgitated guitar licks as the last 15 solos”). Little did I know Jaco was having mental health issues.

    The day of his death, I read about it in a little two paragraphed article in our local paper. I was shocked and saddened all at once.

    I never attempted to be a “Jaco clone” as simply my chops weren’t at his level but, I did manage to play several versions of Birdland over the years.

    I often wonder what he would be playing today.

  8. I had the pleasure of having a short but profound chat with Jaco during a Weather Report concert break where Jaco had to walk passed me to get to his dressing room..Lost for words I ask Jaco how he got his sound? He replied as he rubbed his magic fingers together..IT’s IN THESE! He also said there are many great bass players but few that play with finesse..Amazing how much knowledge and music he gave us in such a short time..He will always remain a musical treasure…

    • I love that. I was wearing my “the sound is in my hands” t-shirt yesterday – a shirt I got from Ingrid Pastorius. I’m almost afraid to wear it wash it any more. There won’t be any more like it. And you said it: “magic fingers”!

    • Its Ironic Corey after I had that short conversation with Jaco I read a few weeks later an article about the bass player for Spyro Gyra ..Cant recall his name.. He explains that Jaco said the same thing to him as he rubbed his fingers together(( Its in These)) Apparently that must have been an answer Jaco gave to others who were curious about his magic.Hang on to that T shirt my friend..

  9. My first introduction to Jaco’s music and his impact on the way people play bass came from my friend Mike Champigny who is a bass player himself, after listening to some of his recordings I said he was the Jimi Hendrix of bass, but I liked Mikes description even better….there was bass before Jaco and there was bass after Jaco full stop!

  10. I think my Jaco moment would be with anything Weather Report, I’m currently playing a really old Ibanez EB3 copy converted to fretless w/ebony fingerboard/Carvin electronics and an Ibanez SR505 fretted that is the most light weight bass I have ever owned, (used to have an Alembic Essence 5 str that weighed a ton).
    My point is, Jaco had a sonic signiture in his playing that rounded out the bottom and yet filled the chordal signature needed for the music at hand.

  11. The first time I head Jaco was with the Peter Graves big band in Miami. Jaco’s solo album and all the hoopla was still to come. But….all the musicians in Miami knew he was an enormous talent. Basically, it was Jaco on bass and the the entire big band working off of each other. It sounded like Jaco could hear all the players notes and phrases and worked off them in a brilliant, dynamic way. I certainly had never heard anyone play that way other than the greatest jazz musicians. No one had done this on electric bass before! Years later, I would run into Jaco in New York and he had really suffered a lot because of his mental illness and drug addiction. After I left a club one night Jaco offered to carry my gear, said he played the bass too….I told him I knew who he was and I wouldn’t let him carry my gear. Later on I realized he was more or less homeless and I should have squared him up. Sigh….A brilliant man in music; but his story also says a lot about addiction and mental illness that we should address as a society. Otherwise there will others…. R.I.P. Jaco, we remember you.

    • Did you know Jim Godwin grew up w him and played little league w him? I halfway didn’t believe it until jaco’s first downbeat interview where he mentioned him. I don’t think you could have sucessfully” squared him up ” without outting yourself in jeopardy, Dave. Your first gut reaction was probably best. I never saw him at his down time.

    • Hi Dave. I first moved to Manhattan in 1980 and ran into Jaco a number of times during the early ’80’s. Your words bring alive my experience with Jaco. I realized that he was basically homeless and sometimes slept in parks around the city. I truly admire and love the man and his musical genius. Unfortunately, my personal contact with him was often full of confusion and tension. Being a bassist, myself, I tried to be as supportive as I could but I couldn’t do much for him. Partially, as a result of meeting Jaco in some of his trying times, I have spent many years dealing with helping others with mental illness and addictions.
      God bless you, Jaco. You will be remembered.

    • Nice words Dave, I think a long Jaco chat is on the cards when I come to NY!

    • Thank goodness for Jaco and for you Dave. What I wouldn’t give to hear him play again, through Aguilar of course.

    • Jaco was one of a kind ! An extraordinary musical talent. I saw Weather Report many times with different rhythm section line – ups. The Jaco – Acuna – Badrena, Heavy Weather era version was the best. He was so spirited on stage ! I caught them again in ’81 w/ Peter Erskine, the vibe was darker, his eyes were all glassy. I also had a strange Greenwich Village encounter with him right before the end. We miss him.

    • Jennifer Vincent

      You said it all when you said that Jaco could hear everything that was going on and worked off of it brilliantly.

  12. I had the pleasure to talk with Jaco on 2 occasions, one after a Beacon theatre show and another after an Avery Fisher Hall show. I think he really didn’t know how many looked up to him. He told me and a friend, you’re the only people listening to this sh=. As a brother with a big fro most in the hood were playing funk but after hearing Jaco the fretless became my favorite instrument. We drank brew from the green bottle and talked Miles, Ellington and all kinds of jazz until he had to leave for the airport. Really a down to earth guy. Funniest thing I ever saw was a guy in a business suit, briefcase and all as soon as the Beacon concert started he broke free stood up and yelled Jaco throw down those heavy riffs then sat back down, lol.

  13. I was 12 years old and my bass teacher told me that “The greatest bass player in the world” died the day before. I got Heavy Weather shortly after……

  14. My Jaco moment was when I heard Michel Colombier’s ‘Dreamland’… I had been playing a few years at that point and wanted to be a Verdine White clone(still my idol BTW) BUT when I heard that melody IT BLEW MY EARS APART! I had the great privilege of meeting and taking ONE lesson from the maestro back in the mid 80s and just being around his spirit influenced me greatly… There are only a handful of musicians that can be identified by one name… Duke, Count, Jimi, Miles… Jaco deservedly is in that class… on a personal note… if ‘The Bass Of Doom’ was found where is James Jamerson’s ‘Funk Machine?

  15. My Jaco moment….

    The first time I ever heard Jaco Pastorius was about 2 months into taking bass lessons with my first teacher and I was 14 years old. My teacher had made me a mix tape with many of the great bassists and basically told me to check them all out. It was a pretty well-balanced look at all the greats and side 2 of that tape was a special Jaco compilation. By that point, he had already passed away so I never had the chance to meet him or see him play live.

    The thing that struck me the most about Jaco besides his massive impact as a player was his writing and his unique voice on the instrument. One could also argue that much of his work has become part of the cannon for technique on electric bass.

    Case in point, like most serious electric bass players looking to expand their skills, I went through a phase where I studied many of his licks and phrases. It was a confidence building thing in high school to be able to say shit like “Yeah, I can play ‘Teen Town’ as fast as the live version.” and then do it. Then that all changed when I went to Berklee’s 5 week program at age 16. There was this one kid with long, straight hair and a headband, a fretless sunburst Fender Jazz bass, and he was like just the worst embodiment of musical cloning ever. It was fucking sad, to be honest. This went beyond transcribing someone’s licks/solos/etc. Why would someone put work into playing an instrument just so they can sound like someone else?

    And that’s when I truly had my first ‘Jaco’ moment….Because I realized that while I gained a lot of technique and musical insight from checking out Jaco, I probably had missed the point about individuality a while back. The coolest thing to me about Jaco was how he took all of his influences: Hendrix, Bach, James Brown, Zawinul, Jerry Jemmott, the Beatles, etc. and synthesized it all into a new style of playing. Musically, he was fearless. The fight to be yourself at all costs is the only battle worth living and dying for….in music and in everything else. That’s what crosses my mind when I hear Jaco now.

    RIP.

  16. Jaco redefined the entire role of the electric bass in all musical genres, he combined the world class technique with the extraordinary musical sense and feel.

  17. For me the Jaco moment that lasted forever in my life is the night I saw Weather Report at the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ, 1977. All the hits, Peter Erskine on drums, non-stop action and lots of Hendrix licks. The big moments occurred when the last tune was played and he took off his guitar which was still ringing with feedback and sustain from his last strum. Laid the bass on the floor and walked behind the stack of speakers and left me thinking the others would close out the show without him for the last notes. But when the last note came he took a flying kung fu-type leap from behind the tall speaker stack and landed right on cue on his bass to finish the show with his dead-on jump note onto the bass strings! No strings were harmed by the impact of that precise jump and landing……what musician can pull that perfect physical and musical feat off today?

  18. I saw Jaco live when I was a young girl when he played the tour with Joni Mitchell. He made such a huge impact on me that has lasted through all my years. He made the bass otherworldly , I have no idea how he got some of those sounds.
    god like pure energy of sound vibration I feel one of the lucky to have had that experience in my life he will always live inside of me..

    • Jaco the Great!! May he rest well :0(

    • Jaco was phenomenal. Unfortunately, when I met him, he came over to dinner with some of Weather Report and ran in and out of the bathroom all night doing coke. I think he just wasn’t able to control the side of his brain that was destroying him. All that talent…

    • Jeff c

      I have that DVD and it’s great – “Shadows and Light.” Check out Weather Report’s “Havona.” It’s a masterpiece.

  19. a volte sento parlare di cose passate.
    non si puo parlare di cose passate quando poi a distanza di 25 anni si parla ancora di un grande bassista.
    praticamente come napoleone giulio cesare e I grandi del passato che hanno fatto storia.
    anche lui ha fatto la storia anzi oserei dire che la storia del bassista moderno inizia in tutti noi.
    dalle sue tecniche melodie e lezioni che ci ha lasciato in eredita a tutti noi.
    cerchiamo solo di farne lezione di vita musicale.
    ciao

  20. Jaco’s style of bass playing reminds me of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. They all played a very unconventional style of music that challenged our understanding of what music is and what it is supposed to sound like. Perhaps that’s what genuises do. Though I respect the amazing abilities of all these men I must confess… their styles are way over my head. To my ear their music lacks a descernable rhythm and flow.

  21. Jaco’s style of bass playing reminds me of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. They all played a very unconventional style of music that challenged our understanding of what music is and what it is supposed to sound like. Perhaps that’s what genuises do. Though I respect the amazing abilities of all these men I must confess… their styles are way over my head. To my ear their music lacks a descernable rhythm and flow.

  22. I was working at Betnun Music in LA when a regular customer brought me a promo copy of Jaco’s debut album. When I got home and put it on my brain pretty much exploded. I later got to see him live with Weather Report and I can say I recognized quite a few noted LA bass players in the theater. There are many virtuoso bass players around now and they are all still compared to Jaco. Jaco opened the gates to uncharted directions for the electric bass.

  23. I met Jaco in Nov-Dec of 1985, I was in New York to visit a girlfriend. She and I broke up and I ended up at Seventh Avenue South hours before Jaco and Word of Mouth were going to play. We hooked up and went to drink at another bar in the Village. 6 Budweisers, Six Shots of Vodka. BEFORE the Show. He asked me if I could help him change his strings. I went back the next night and it was his birthday. We traded berets, my brown one for his black one. I still have it! What a beautiful CAT!

  24. History that will go on for decades if not centuries to come, a true master of his discipline.

  25. Back in 2000, when a coworker slid me the birthday concert cd to me to listen to. The man’s influence especially with harmonics is still being imitated by practically every bass player on earth. Whether or not he’s the greatest of all time is another discussion (for the record I have him in my top 5 for any music format)

  26. Bright Size Life has never dimmed, my first glimpse. Brilliant and beautiful! Then the 1st solo album. Bobby Columby unleashed a force of nature, plain and simple.

  27. My first defining Jaco moment came in 1977 when I was a sophomore in high school. A fellow bassist who I played with in the youth orchestra turned me on to Heavy Weather and had me listen to Havona. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I was big on Stanley Clarke at the time and thought he was the man but after listening to Heavy Weather and then Jaco’s solo album, my life changed forever and Stanley took a back seat!

  28. Mark

    Watching the instructional video he did with Jerry Jemmott.

    • i have it book marked. i watch it frequently. several things struck me, when i watched it. some visceral, some opinionated.. but the theory and exercises are challenging and helpful

  29. First heard Jacob @ the First Montreal Jazz festival with Weather Report back in the early 80’s When the band left the stage for Jaco’s solo it changed my life
    . What an inspiration!

  30. i first noticed Jaco in Blood Sweat & tears. i was struck by the melodic Bass lines that i had never heard before. it captivated me. “how could some one make 4 strings sound so amazingly FULL? as i grew up i was a guitar player, but my mind just kept coming back to those bass lines. eventually, i succumbed to my curiosity… and picked up a bass.
    in my WILDEST dreams i could play like Jaco, but i like those dreams

  31. Saw Jaco live with Joni In Philly in nineteen eighty something. The bass line at the end of the cut “Black Crow” had a feel so good you could see the crow flying away. By the time he hit the harmonic at the end of the tune, the crow was gone.If you listened close enough he had a unique ability to turn sound into vision. Rest in Peace Master!

  32. Con

    Jaco speaks, when he plays bass

  33. Keith

    My defining moment was when I dropped the needle on ‘Palladium’ from my just purchased “Heavy Weather” lp. The drive and feel of rock music combined with the sophistication of jazz and the foot-stomping groove of Motown (James Jamerson) changed my life (for the better) forever!!!

  34. I knew of Jaco’s legendary status when I met him around 1986, My brother played in band here in South Florida and the bass player in that band and Jaco were friends. That bass player somehow became an agent of sorts for Jaco and they were trying to get a club venue together to feature Jaco (or maybe just use his name as a draw…who knows). At that time I managed a surf shop next to a potential site for their endeavor, and they came by the shop and I got the introduction to a very cool cat. About a week later Jaco came in by himself and asked if could borrow five bucks for bus fare which I gladly handed over. A few months later I saw him get booted off a stage at a local beach bar. His solo playing didn’t sit right with anyone there. And then a few months later he was dead.

    What I take from this now is that genius and fame are as frail and susceptible as anything else in life. And that maybe everyone in his circle (or anyone’s circle) could have done more to be supportive.

    As I listened to his many recording since then, I wonder if it could have been different. Such amazing talent gone. Poof….

  35. jaco was a true musician because he made you feel something, you get an emotional response. That’s the difference, other guys can really play but are technicians, Jaco’s music reached out from his spirit to yours, that’s why he’s so revered and rightly so! Who loves ya baby? :-)

  36. Kar

    Sorry if I’m like 2 1/2 years late in commenting,but here goes…

    I decided to become a bass player because of Jaco. I’m more into guitar and tinkered a bit with the piano. But after I heard Jaco,that was it! His brash attitude even rubbed off on me cuz im also double-jointed so i could pull off some complicated bass lines. At one point,I even considered myself to be the best bass player on our side of the metro(i live in a suburb of Metro Manila). I was technically a Jaco clone!

    I turned on a lot of people that I know of to Jaco,and around 2 of ’em took it and ran away with it. 1 of the 2 also switched from being a prolific guitarist to a prolific bassist,and tge other one of the 2 was my 4th year high school music teacher. He said during class that he played the bass currently,so I decided to lend him a couple of tapes,some weather report album(i believe it was Heavy Weather),and the others were his live NY gigs w/Hiram Bullock and Kenwood Dennard. He didn’t return my tapes,at all! He too was blown away.

    My Jaco moment came when I was in 3rd yr high school,around 1999. One of my music mentors had this Weather Report 8:30 CD. And I remember hearing their live rendition of Teen Town just like it was yesterday. My jaw just dropped all the way to the basement! Face melted off,mind blown! Call it whatever you want. That one track literally changed how I viewed music. I even came to a point where I didn’t listen to music with lyrics anymore because I thought it kinda’ limited the musical freedom for the rest of the instruments. That’s how much of an impact Jaco’s music had in my life. And for him,I’m thankful. A true legendary genius! God bless his soul.

    • Jennifer Vincent

      Never too late….thanks for sharing!! I love what you said about the freedom of instrumental music.

  37. My JACO Moment : I was playing in a Bar in Southern ILLinois , it was around 2:30 AM getting ready for the next Set,A Bouncer was on both sides of the PA Speakers I lean over to one and said, a what upa, Mate, he said its getting a lot of people so we will make sure no one does anything stupid,.I just nod and turned back went into my spot zone, had my Bass tuned and was ready to Rock out Been a Good Night Jammon we all were in a Good Music Zone and was one of those nights we were Red Hot Kicking Ass, The Bar Was Full and Packed With A Cool Mixed Group of people and Standing Room only left, we were about to start our set and a Dude got up on on mic started Talking to the People, eh normally we don’t let that happen but sometimes its ok’ and seamed to be “The Moment” after Getting the Crowd Rocked Up Really Cool Dude’ the dude looked over at the Guitar Player and said’ as he was Speaking to the Crowd they were getting into it”… and said Dude on Guitar’ Can you FUNK Out this Crowd , Todd Smiled and just Nodes,Back to him..he looks at the Drummer…Drummer had a Funny kinda of Look on his Face as the Dude said to him U FUNK Drummeee,.. Kel says “Of Course “… He turns and Points me out! and says… “And JACO Over Here” …sure you can… ” I Felt Like a Million Zillion” my head Rushed as my Body Did,..THAT WAS My Moment “I Could Feel Some How JACO Around Close Like REAL CLOSE” “Next thing I Know ‘We Started Up a Funk Song just out of…. “Inspiration”… it went over like been playing it 20yrs… the Crowd filled the Dance Floor’ as People Stood and watch us Play and jammed along .. The Night Was Full of Soul’ …”JACO Was My Hero’ as influence me so much ‘the way he played his style Smooth ” and Funk Jazz Licks list goes on and on “I had study him for some time, Never Thought’ This would happen “But It did’ “and I don’t tell the Story to much’ as you Keep These Things to Yourself “You Know What I Mean” But this seam to be the Place as ” Today ” 9/21/15 RIP “JACO” “I Will Never Forget”

  38. Jaco changed “how a bass is played”. Nobody else sounded like him. You could immediately tell that it was Jaco playing just by hearing it. He was a once in a lifetime type person. I got to see Jaco play at the Lone Star Cafe in NYC in 1985. It was just him and a drummer. I was only playing for about a year then but what I saw blew my mind! I could’t believe the things he was doing. Afterwards I shook his hand and got his autograph. I’ll never forget that night! two years later, I remember I was in the car with my dad and he told me Jaco died. “What???” I was very bummed! I think I’ll go listen to some Jaco now. We as bassists were blessed to have him.

  39. My father brought home “Heavy Weather”..I was probably nine..I had never heard of them before..as I recall,the back of the record had everyone’s name next to their portraits..except,it was their LAST names only! LOL..so at nine years old,the only guy I knew on there was Wayne Shorter..I didn’t know Alex Acuna yet..I didn’t know Manolo Badrena..I truly had never even heard of Joe Zawinul-didn’t know about his history with the Adderly’s..or Miles.I knew that tune “Mercy,Mercy,Mercy”..but hadn’t learned the connection..and had NEVER heard of this “Pastorius” character..I LOVED “Palladium” and “Havona”..I didn’t “get” “Teen Town” at that age..but that all changed when I got a little older..

    “Portrait Of Tracy” was the moment that blew the doors open for me though…that was a moment in time that I still remember..I was pretty proud of myself when I finally learned how to play it lster on..To make a bass sound like that..so MUSICAL.

    When Jaco died,I was a teenager,I was going to this church youth group on Wednesdays with a close guitar player(doubled on bass just like me-we were both huge Jaco fans) I asked the youth pastor (a musician himself who was quite familiar with Jaco as well..) to pray for him and his family….and the whole youth group prayed for Jaco that night…as I look back..that’s a trip to remember back to that..Jaco was so cool that the square 15 years old kids at the local youth group 1,200 miles away were praying for him that week when he passed.
    I heard that bouncer did a pretty short sentence..and is now just living out there in this world…
    I wonder what goes through his mind when he looks himself in the mirror?
    God bless John Francis Anthony Pastorius III..and Tracy..and Ingrid..and his kids!
    there was a clip of Felix playing The Bass Of Doom on facebook back in January..it was a lot of fun to watch that..

  40. With all due respect to the author, September 21, 1987 was 28 years ago….