Jaco Pastorius is the debut solo album by Jaco Pastorius, released in 1976 by Epic Records. The album was produced by Bobby Colomby, drummer and founder of Blood, Sweat & Tears. John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (/ˈdʒɑːkoʊ pæˈstɔːriəs/; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, Pastorius recorded albums as a solo artist, band leader, and as a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. He also collaborated with numerous artists, including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell. His bass style was influenced by funk and employed the use of fretless bass, lyrical solos, bass chords and innovative use of harmonics. As of 2017, he was the only one of seven bassists inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame to have been known for their work on the electric bass, and he has been lauded as among the best bassists of all time.
Jaco Pastorius is the debut solo album of "one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time". Most of the songs are great jazz rock tracks with of course fantastic bass guitar licks. "Come On, Come Over" is the odd one out as a funky tracks with vocals.
You've heard Jaco before on Weather Report's jazz fusion heavy-hitter Heavy Weather and Joni Mitchell masterpiece Hejira, but you ought to hear Jaco on his own terms. Strikingly brilliant and sonically rich in so many ways, Jaco Pastorius reenvisions the electric bass as more than just a supporting rhythm instrument. I am often left in awe at each piece of this album, allowing other instrumentation to move in and out of the frame while the bass cycles from spotlight to support and then back to spotlight. Sometimes Jaco shares the spotlight with other incredible musicians, and other times it's just him. This is one of those albums that truly pushes the boundaries of jazz music in a way that fucks me up. Beautiful from top to bottom. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Too good not to add? Despite being so great on his own, his best-known work primarily resides in his supporting roles. To that end, I think Jaco's self-titled is better suited as a lesser-known gem to discover for those with the gusto to dive deeper. Either way, you've already heard how great he is! Just might not have known it the first time around.
Amazing bassist. Good stuff.
this is amazing 5
Didn't this guy kill his wife? Anyways this frog-looking feller is an absolute genius, this is pure heat from start to finish. Snapping my fingers and slapping my thigh to this currently. Bass sounds very good.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Come on come over, Used to be a cha-cha
This was some nice 70s jazz with good variety to keep it interesting. The usual sax, steel drum song Opus Pocus… a lot to like here.
The bass GOAT. What a shame what could have been had he (and a security guard) not made a series of very poor choices one evening that led to his very early death. Robbed us of some amazing music that we'll never hear.
This is so cool. The skill and momentum and energy
Jazz I would put up on the background
The ultimate toll exacted on so many young stars of Rock and Roll is legendary, but man - jazz gives it a run for its money. Sad tale on this guy. The music.. virtuoso to be sure, but a lot of it is a side of Jazz I find difficult. To me it just feels like frenetic noodling improv. Listening was kind of exhausting.
Enjoyable
This guy looks really annoying. I'm gonna guess this will be artsy jazz? Or maybe early electronica? Oh yeah straight away, hit right in the face with the jazz bat. Surely this isn't going to be the whole thing... bongos and bass guitar? Ok thankfully it wasn't the whole thing. It got pretty funky in places, but it was still mostly jazz bass. I dunno, I didn't like it but it doesn't deserve low marks. 3/5.
Boring Spanish bass jazz
I just can't do jazz. I find it such hard work.
Wtf. This album should be an example to all artists of how not to start an album. The 1st track was instantly aggravating and soured the rest of the album.