Ultimate Jaco Pastorius CD

At 10 tracks, ULTIMATE may seem a little thin, but the range and level of invention present in those tracks is enough to compensate for the short running time. While some key tracks seem to be missing (his scintillating version of "Birdland" with Weather Report, for example), the selections--"Donna Lee," "3 Views of a Secret" and "Liberty City," among them--show off all the technical dazzle of Pastorious's playing, as well as his formidable skills as an arranger and bandleader. PUNK JAZZ offers a more complete overview, but for a concise sampler of the artist, it's hard to go wrong with this set.

Legendary bassist Jaco Pastorious was involved in so many different projects, and had his fingers in so many musical pies, that it's difficult to get a comprehensive grasp on his oeuvre. For this reason, compilations offer a particularly useful introduction, and 2007's ULTIMATE JACO PASTORIOUS (along with 2003's PUNK JAZZ: THE JACO PASTORIOUS ANTHOLOGY) are good bets.

Personnel include: Jaco Pastorius (piano, synthesizer, electric bass); Joni Mitchell (vocals); Hubert Laws (flute); Randy Emerick (alto flute, clarinet, baritone saxophone); Alex Foster (piccolo, clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Mario Cruz (clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bob Mintzer (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Paul McCandless (oboe, English horn, tenor saxophone); Don Bonsanti, Gary Lindsay (woodwinds, saxophone); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone); Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Brian O'Flaherty, Elmer Brown, Forrest Buchtel, Kenneth Faulk, Jon Faddis, Melton Mustafa, Randy Brecker, Brett Murphey, Ron Tooley (trumpet); Jerry Peel, Peter Gordon, Steve Roitstein, Brad Warnaar (French horn); Peter Graves (trombone, bass trombone); Dave Bargeron (trombone, tuba); Russ Freeland, Mike Katz, Wayne Andre, Bill Reichenbach (trombone); Joe Zawinul (piano, keyboard); Herbie Hancock (piano); Chester Thompson (drums); Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine (drum); Don Alias (congas, percussion); Manolo Badrena (congas); Leroy Williams , Othello Molineaux (steel drum); Robert Thomas Jr, Alex Acuna, Emil Richards, Oscar Salas (percussion).