Jazz Artist of the Week
Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius is considered by many to be the greatest bassist of all time. Over the course of his relatively brief yet incredibly prolific career, he developed an influential approach to bass playing that combined complex harmony with virtuosic technique. His signature style employed Latin-influenced funk grooves, lyrical solos on fretless bass, bass chords, and innovative use of harmonics and looping. Sadly, Jaco’s genius was not long for this world, as he died tragically at a young age.
In addition to working with artists like Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny, as well as solo projects like Word of Mouth, Pastorius is perhaps best known for his work with Weather Report n the late 70’s and early 80’s. However, his partnership with Weather Report nearly didn’t take, due in part to Pastorius’ bravado about his bass-playing prowess. Before the sessions for his now-classic eponymous debut album (Jaco Pastorius, 1976), the bassist attended a Weather Report concert in Miami. According to keyboardist and bandleader Joe Zawinul, Jaco walked up to him after the concert and talked about the performance, saying that it was all right but that he had expected more from them. He then went on to introduce himself–as the “greatest bass player in the world.” He was right!
In addition to working with artists like Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny, as well as solo projects like Word of Mouth, Pastorius is perhaps best known for his work with Weather Report n the late 70’s and early 80’s. However, his partnership with Weather Report nearly didn’t take, due in part to Pastorius’ bravado about his bass-playing prowess. Before the sessions for his now-classic eponymous debut album (Jaco Pastorius, 1976), the bassist attended a Weather Report concert in Miami. According to keyboardist and bandleader Joe Zawinul, Jaco walked up to him after the concert and talked about the performance, saying that it was all right but that he had expected more from them. He then went on to introduce himself–as the “greatest bass player in the world.” He was right!
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