The Places Jaco Pastorius Was Called
Jaco Pastorius
Episode:Ko's Tempo Is Fine
In 1976, Jaco Pastorius released his solo debut album at 25. That same year, he appeared as a sideman on Pat Metheny's debut. The following year, he joined Weather Report and recorded Birdland. All three tracks cluster between 1976 and 1977. Within two years, he played bass as a solo leader, a sideman, and a band member. Whichever chair he sat in, the sound he produced changed the air in the room.
A bebop standard played on fretless bass. Accompaniment: Don Alias on congas only. 2 minutes 27 seconds. Approximately BPM 216. The fact that a bass could play melody at this speed was, at the time, an event. The bass normally "supports" — here it stands at the front. And it isn't just fast: there is a smoothness particular to fretless bass. The edges between notes dissolve.
The year after Donna Lee. plays bass here as a band member. He enters between 's synthesizer and piano and 's saxophone, anchoring the groove from below. The person who did everything alone on Donna Lee now yields space to the other members, inserting phrases at the key moments. Said to have been recorded in one take. The transformation in Weather Report's sound the instant Jaco's bass arrived was part of why this album sold so well.
The same year as Donna Lee. plays bass on the title track of 's debut album. Completely unlike Weather Report's heavy sound — Metheny's acoustic guitar and Jaco's bass interweave lightly. Jaco doesn't step forward here. Behind Metheny's melody, his bassline quietly traces the outline of the song. In the same year, the same person plays the ultra-high-speed solo on Donna Lee and this delicate accompaniment. The way he plays changes from the root depending on where he's been called.
