Jaco Pastorius CD

2 Previously Unreleased Bonus Trks:Liner Notes By P.Metheny

Personnel includes: Jaco Pastorius (bass); Sam Moore, Dave Prater (vocals); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Howard Johnson (baritone saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet); Peter Graves (bass trombone); Peter Gordon (French horn); Hubert Laws (piccolo); Max Pollikoff, Arnold Black (violin); Julian Barber, Al Brown (viola); Kermit Moore, Beverly Lauridsen (cello); Herbie Hancock (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Alex Darqui (Fender Rhodes piano); Homer Mensch (acoustic bass); Narada Michael Walden, Lenny White, Bobby Economou (drums); Othello Molineaux, Leroy Williams (steel drums); Don Alias (bongos, congas, bells, okonko y iya, afuche, percussion).
Recorded at Camp Colomby Studios, New City, New York and Columbia Recording Studios C&B, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
It's impossible to hear Jaco Pastorious' debut album today as it sounded when it was first released in 1976. The opening track -- his transcription for fretless electric bass of the bebop standard "Donna Lee" -- was a manifesto of virtuosity; the next track, the funk-soul celebration "Come On, Come Over" was a poke in the eye to jazz snobs and a love letter to the R&B greats of the previous decade (two of whom, Sam & Dave, sing on that track); "Continuum" was a spacey, chorus-drenched look forward to the years he was about to spend playing with Weather Report. The program continues like that for three-quarters of an hour, each track heading off in a different direction -- each one a masterpiece that would have been a proud achievement for any musician. What made Jaco so exceptional was that he was responsible for all of them, and this was his debut album. Beyond his phenomenal bass technique and his surprisingly mature compositional chops (he was 24 when this album was released), there was the breathtaking audacity of his arrangements: "Okonkole Y Trompa" is scored for electric bass, French horn, and percussion, and "Speak Like a Child," which Pastorious composed in collaboration with pianist Herbie Hancock, features a string arrangement by Pastorious that merits serious attention in its own right. For a man with this sort of kaleidoscopic creativity to remain sane was perhaps too much to ask; his gradual descent into madness and eventual tragic death are now a familiar story, one which makes the bright promise of this glorious debut album all the more bittersweet. (This remastered reissue adds two tracks to the original program: alternate takes of "(Used to Be a) Cha Cha" and "6/4 Jam"). ~ Rick Anderson
With one album, this self-titled first release, bass phenomenon Jaco Pastorius was catapulted into the position of the greatest electric bass player that ever lived. Officially discovered by Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer Bobby Colomby, Jaco's revolutionary use of the bass as a solo instrument made him one of the most compelling instrumentalists of the electric era. Indeed, this record marked a turning point in the history of music--from the period before Jaco Pastorius and the period since.
It is the first track, Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee," that did it all. Accompanied only by conga drums, Jaco proceeds to ferociously tear through the intricate melody and then produce several choruses of stunning solos like no one had ever heard. From machine gun-like staccato lines to deep space harmonics, his command of the instrument is frightening. Pastorius is joined by R&B heroes Sam & Dave for a rousing reading of the funky "Come On, Come Over." Also included on this treasure are cherished works like the expressive "Continuum," the poetic solo "Portrait of Tracy," and the fiery "(Used to be a) Cha-Cha." In all, more than a stunning debut, this is a testament to Pastorius' legendary greatness.

Q (10/00, p.146) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...An exciting, crisp and amazingly contemporary-sounding CD..."
Alternative Press (11/00, p.118) - "...Genre-spanning and challenging..."