Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius

Aug

15

Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius

≡ Category: 1970s, Essential, Fusion, Jazz Funk, Latin Jazz, Reviews, World Fusion |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

Jaco Pastorius’ eponymously named date stands as one of the most audacious and assured debuts in jazz history, serving notice that a prodigiously talented bassist, composer and arranger was ready to take his place at the top of the jazz music world.

From the opening notes of Donna Lee, you know you’re in the presence of something special. Jaco filed down the frets on his bass because he wasn’t getting the sound he wanted, and practiced relentlessly to get to where he could play Donna Lee fluently. Some people might say that he doesn’t play it with the sense of swing it deserves, and they have a point. It’s not a traditional reading by any means. But backed by percussion genius Don Alias, Jaco Pastorius’ Donna Lee is a whole new thing, and it’s beautiful.

Jaco had his heroes Sam and Dave sing on Come On, Come Over, an R&B gloss on the sorts of tunes Jaco’s hero Jerry Jemmott played on as the house bass player at Atlantic records. Come On, Come Over isn’t a great tune (Jaco’s talent wasn’t in writing R&B tunes), but the bass lines are propulsive, interesting and make you want to dance.

On the ballad Continuum, Jaco shows that the bass could be as lyrical a melody instrument as a flute or a saxophone. The arrangement is a killer — gorgeous tune, too.

Then Jaco does the miraculous. He improves on Herbie Hancock’s arrangement of his composition Speak Like a Child. Jaco conflates the tune with an uptempo cha-cha he wrote called Kuru, and orchestrates the whole thing with strings. The effect is stunning, combining the original gentle exploration of the original with an explosive of irrepressible energy. He gets help from Herbie himself on piano, Don Alias on percussion, Bobby Economou on drums, and Michael Gibbs, who conducts the strings. Jaco’s bass playing on this track is extraordinary, especially the 16th note ostinatos bubbling under the cha cha. Herbie Hancock, inspired by the glorious reading of his tune, turns in one of his very best recorded solos.

Portrait of Tracy is another miracle, as Jaco pulls off an impossibly tender solo ballad, complete with chords and overtones.

The innovations just keep coming with Opus Pocus, which features Wayne Shorter on soprano sax and Othello Molineaux on steel drums. The opening melody is infectious and original and hinges on a diminished scale. It opens up into a memorable groove. Inspired by the fertile material, Shorter contributes one of the best solos of his career. As Shorter continues to blow us away, the tune shifts into a boogie for the B section. A very cool tune.

I could go on, but you get the idea. The album is one surprise after another, from start to finish, all (except for Come On, Come Over) beautifully conceived and performed, and utterly original. The musicianship is unparalleled. I mean, the list of the musicians who played on this thing is like a who’s who of the cream of the jazz music world: Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Narada Michael Walden, Don Alias, Herbie Hancock, Hubert Laws, Lenny White. It’s crazy.

Put it this way. If you don’t own this CD, there is a great, big gaping hole in your music library.