Musicians - Jaco Pastorius

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	Musicians - Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius, born John Francis Anthony Pastorius III (December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was a jazz bassist and composer, notable for his virtuoso technique and fretless bass playing style. He is considered by many to be the greatest bassist to have lived.

His major influence on the modern electric bass is widely touted, as he was responsible for the popularization of fretless electric bass. He introduced a textural approach and harmonic sense to bass playing that became the signature "Jaco" sound. Jaco's technique and style have profoundly influenced bassists both in jazz and in other genres. Although he was widely acclaimed as a virtuoso and a genius, his well documented off stage antics would eventually cost him his life.

Early history

Pastorius was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on December 1, 1951, and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Jaco was an exceptionally gifted child, who excelled at most things he did. He went through elementary and middle school at St. Clement's Catholic School (he was an altar boy at the adjoining church) in nearby Wilton Manors, and went to high school at Northeast High in Oakland Park. He was a gifted athlete, and extremely arrogant, excelling at every sport he played. He particularly loved football, basketball, and baseball, and picked up music as well at a very early age. Jaco often got into trouble with other kids in the neighborhood for his arrogance, once causing him to be ambushed at football tryouts by an upset quarterback. The result was a broken left wrist, which severely affected his drumming ability. He played drums in a local brass band, Las Olas Brass, and was eventually let go by the bandleader for a more experienced and talented drummer. However, the Las Olas bass player David Neubauer was leaving, opening a bass position which Jaco offered to fill.

Nickname

Jaco's given name was John Francis Anthony Pastorius III. He loved baseball, and often watched baseball with his father, Jack Pastorius. During a game, Jack called his son, Jocko, after Major League Baseball player, and later umpire Jocko Conlan, a name that stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Love of music

Originally a drummer, following in the footsteps of his dad, journeyman stand-up drummer Jack Pastorius, Jaco switched to bass at age 15. In about 1960, he began playing in a nine-piece horn band at the time called Las Olas Brass, which covered popular material of the day by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and the Tijuana Brass.

Music career

He played music throughout his youth, utilizing his influences like Jerry Jemmott, James Jamerson, Paul Chambers, Harvey Brooks and honing his chops and developing his keen and smart songwriting prowess, in bands like Wayne Cochran and The C.C. Riders and stinting on various local R&B and jazz records during that time. In 1974, he began playing with his friend and later famous jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, they soon recorded first a record which Metheny titled "Jaco", afterwards with drummer Bob Moses, Metheny and Jaco recorded an album which is considered a benchmark in the history of fusion, "Bright Size Life". In 1975, Jaco met up with Blood, Sweat and Tears drummer Bobby Columby, who had been given the green light by CBS records to find "new talent" for their jazz division. During this time, Jaco had run into keyboardist Josef Zawinul at a club in New York, where his band, Weather Report was playing, Jaco had his bass with him, and when he saw Josef, he walked up to him and said, "Hi, my name is John Francis Pastorius III, and I'm the world's greatest bass player". Zawinul responded with a gruff albeit friendly epithet and walked away being struck by the young kid's moxie. (The Tragic and Extraordinary Life of Jaco Pastorius)

Pastorius's first album, produced by Columby and entitled Jaco Pastorius (1976), was a breakthrough album for the electric bass. Many consider this to be the finest bass album ever recorded, along with Stanley Clarke's School Days; when it exploded onto the jazz scene it was instantly recognized as a classic. The album also boasted a flurry of heavyweights in the jazz community, past and present at the time, who were essentially Jaco's stellar back up band, comprised of Herbie Hancock, David Sanborn, Lenny White and Michael Brecker among others. Shortly after the release of the album, Jaco made a flurry of guest appearances on records (Mott The Hoople's Ian Hunter's solo album and Al Dimeola' solo album as the standouts). Soon after that, Pastorius was invited to join fusion band Weather Report, where he played alongside Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter until 1981. It is with Weather Report that Pastorius made his indelible mark on jazz music, being featured on one of the most popular jazz albums of all time, Heavy Weather.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Jaco Pastorius ]

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Musicians - Jaco Pastorius

Early history

Nickname

Love of music

Music career

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