Jaco Pastorius

I remember Santana talking about 'the voice'. When a musician has reached such a high level, such a perfect union with their instrument, that it begins to sing, as if it were a real, distinguishable voice. Jaco's bass guitar sung. It had a voice. You could hear it, and you would know that it was Jaco. His bass guitar sung.

The greatest electric bass player who ever lived had it naturally. Some of the songs on his self-titled debut appear as effortless jams, case in point the albums opener, 'Donna Lee', which is just him backed by some congas. Simple and perfect. You get the impression that he always sounded this good when he played, the only difference here is that someone hit the record button. Upon hearing a rare and amazing performance of his, as part of Herbie Hancock's group in Chicago in '77, it is so astoundingly obvious that this man just had it. It was just in his blood. And the way he plays flows so easily like just blood through your body. Sometimes it eases, sometimes it rushes.

On tracks like 'Kuru/Speak Like a Child', a duet with the afforementioned Herbie Hancock, we see some of Jaco's frenetic earthquake bass playing. He keeps that fast funky bassline so damn tight, so right. You wonder how he manages to be so disciplined, playing that same line again and again, knowing how capable this man is of just letting loose and solo-ing like a monster. Your expectations have been raised so high after just the first few tracks, but in truth you should throw your expectations out of the window. This album is a showcase, a showcase of all he can do. All he can feel. Because everything on this album is done with feeling. Anyone can make an album that is 'really eclectic' in terms of the styles or genres of music that it covers- believe me, anyone can do that. But most pretentious or overly ambitious musicians who go for this usually only take the outer-shell of a different style, mood or genre, and they will play exactly the same way as they always do anyway, they won't be affected by the mood. Some people though, like Jaco, who so obviously loved many different kinds of music, can put their enthusiasm into everything they do. Or another way of looking at it is that Jaco never did something he wasn't enthusiastic about.

So each song is to be taken on its own merits.

'Continuum' is one of the most beautiful journeys any musician has made. Full stop. It's such a perfect piece, with such a perfect title, and It truly brings out the mysterious beauty of the bass as a solo instrument. You hear it's versality (because of Jaco), and yet that sound, that bass, pure darkness, pure depth, and yet always, always with Jaco, leading us somewhere, to "some source of light" as Joni Mitchell said in her Shadows & Light concert, which also featured Jaco.

'Portrait of Tracey' is, like continuum, more of a solo showcase for Jaco as a player himself (a fair portion of the other tracks have Jaco and a full band playing, as I say, various styles of music). But it's these bass solo's, these stripped-down moments where I really feel Jaco's heart strongest. The sensitivity of his playing is highlighted with each pick, and with each pregnant silence. He ends that silence so perfectly, coming back in to play the songs beautiful pattern once again. Then silence. And he knows, Jaco feels it, and I think it was Bob Marley who said "Who feels it, knows it" Jaco knew what he was doing, my goodness he knew.

Next, try to listen to 'Opus Pocus'. The main bassline, hear it? Now turn the bass up loud, and listen to that whilst your outside somewhere, walking or driving. And see if it moves your face. Because I can't listen to those two notes which he bends in such a oozing, funking, earth-shaking way, without wincing, without gritting my teeth, without reacting facially in SOME way. It's just too damn powerful for my body to not move in some way!

And earlier tonight I was thinking of how best to describe, and praise, 'Okonkoley Trompa'. This is the sentence I soon came up with: "Okonkoley Trompa is the perfect combination of mathematics and life." Jaco's bass plays mathematics, and Peter Gordon's horn plays life. Complexity meets acceptance. Struggle meets acquiessence.

If you are in the right frame of mind then 'Forgotten Love' may well be one of the most emotional things you've ever heard. It is good. It is a perfect ending.

I leave the album here, preferring not to play the bonus tracks that these CD's so often come bundled with. The album ends perfectly, and for Jaco, well his life was short, and as such, this album wasn't as much of a beginning as an announcement. Here he is, there he was, there and here he will always be. It's one of the strongest albums that has ever been made. (It's considered Jazz music by the way, if you were wondering, but who the hell actually cares???)

Let the abstract sound take you away deep into the recesses of your soul. 'Portrait of Tracey' and 'Continuum' are two songs that did just that to me as a 16-year old. The songs made me want to look inside my heart, to whisper out to it, and see if anything called back.

Jaco Pastorius; immortal.

Y.Misdaq aka Yoshi Feb 08 2006