Artist:Jaco Pastorius
Song:John And Mary
Album:Word Of Mouth
Bassist Jaco Pastorius burst onto the jazz fusion scene in the mid-70s but his personal demons killed him by 1987. He was born John Francis Pastorius III Dec. 1, 1951 in Norristown, PA and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Jaco nickname is from baseball umpire Jocko Conlan. His dad was an amateur drummer so Jaco started on the drums but a wrist injury turned him to the bass. He played in local clubs as a teen and befriended guitarist Pat Metheny in 1974. Pastotius & Matheny recorded together first with pianist Paul Bley and then with drummer Bob Moses on the 1974 ECM album Bright Size Life. Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer Bobby Columby was hired by Columbia Records to find new jazz talent and Pastorius signed and Jaco was released in 1975. The album was a big hit. It was around this time that he struck up a friendship with Weather Report pianist Joe Zawinul and he was invited to join the band. Zawinul said he made the mistake of introducing Pastorius to alcohol. Pastorius remained with Weather Report until 1981 as his drinking had gotten out of control. Pastorius signed with Warner Bros. and formed his big band Word Of Mouth. This was the band's first album. Musicians are Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker & Tom Scott on reeds, Chuck Findley on trumpet, Toots Thielemans on harmonica, Howard Johnson on tuba, Jack DeJohnette & Peter Erskine on drums and Don Alias on percussion. The group had potential but Pastorius drinking & drug use made him impossible to work with. He was pulled off the stage at the Playboy Jazz Festival in the Hollywood Bowl in 1984 for drunkenness and then dropped by Warner Bros. This got worse until he was beaten by a nightclub bouncer in Wilton Manor, FL and died of his injuries on Sept. 21, 1987 at age 35. Jaco Pastorius was a great talent but his self destructive behaviour silenced him far too soon. Here's Jaco Pastorius and Word Of Mouth performing Liberty City in 1983.
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