Jaco Pastorius help

Been really getting into Jaco lately. I have the core CD's he's played on, but am looking to delve deeper.

I heard some youtube clips from the "Live in NYC" series. It is 7 volumes---all available used from Amazon third party sellers. I know the sound quality is not exactly top notch, but the performances I've heard are incredible! Anyone recommend any of these?

 

I have Volume Two and like it a lot. It's a trio recording with Hiram Bullock on guitar and Kenwood Dennard on drums, and they all get a chance to shine.

It features some great covers, including I Shot the Sheriff, Dear Prudence, Ode to Billie Joe, and Cissy Strut, as well as a monstrous 11-minute version of Teen Town.

 

I have volume 2: Trios due to an odd story. I was walking down the street and someone was playing a version of "Cissy Strut" in their apartment loud enough to be heard on street level. All I knew was that it sounded pretty funky and gritty, and was what sounded like guitar, bass & drums, and wasn't The Meters. Later in the week, I was browsing in a record/CD store, saw this and noted had "CS" on it & purchased it on the hope it was what I heard. I was not disappointed! While not top notch sound, the recording was still pretty good for what it is. In the balance, I would buy this again.

 

Jaco 'makes' Joni Mitchell's 'Hejira' album.

As luck would have it, I just bought Trio Of Doom (Havana 79?) a couple nights back with McLaughlin & Tony Williams. Supposedly notorious as Jaco was actin' like Hendrix or somethin', but it's a pretty fun and wacky listen.

 

The Live in New York City volumes are listed as bootlegs on the Jaco Pastorius discography page.

 

Try the 'Port of Entry' track on Weather Report's Night Passage album. There is a section well into the track where Jaco goes completely nuts. Well worth a listen.

 

I have volume 5 of the Live In New York City series somewhere on a minidisc. Great music, but the sound quality is very poor, even by bootleg standards. I don't listen to it a lot.

 

In my experience you have to be careful with some of those NYC recordings...IMO, it wasn't Jaco's best period. He recycles a lot of his famous licks and just wasn't "on" a lot of the time. I've heard one or two from this series where I felt he played really well, but unfortunately I can't recall which ones they were now. To me, he doesn't sound like himself on a lot of them (as in: less inspired), but YMMV.

 

if you don't have it already, check out Al Di Meola's Land of the Midnight Sun. Jaco plays on "Suite Golden Dawn". Awesome stuff!

 

What exactly do you consider core? All his official solo albums? Weather Report? Joni Mitchell? Other?

I would say you definitely need Pat Metheny's Bright Size Life.

His work with Joni Mitchell (Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, and Shadows And Light) is essential. Here's a taste:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GLJCZ5L2sQ

Do you like Mott The Hoople? For a completely different side of Jaco, check out Ian Hunter's All-American Alien Boy. A few samples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJeBctbw7kc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U03AkYiL9l8

Three All-American... tracks also appear on Hunter's Once Bitten Twice Shy 2 CD collection, along with two UNRELEASED tracks featuring Jaco from the All-American... sessions. So, if you like Mott/Hunter, worth considering, but don't just buy for the sake of Jaco!

He did lots of guest work, often for just 1-2 tracks per album. Some of them are covered on the Punk Jazz anthology set, so if any take your fancy, you can jump off from there. Some things like his work with Herbie Hancock, Al DiMeola, etc. are not covered, but I would say only seek these things out if you like the main artist.

I have all seven. They are bootlegs, recorded by some guy with a Walkman. Sound quality is OK (I've heard much worse), but there is lots of audience talking, waitresses taking drink orders, clinking of glasses, etc. Big World has stopped issuing them under pressure from the Pastorius family. I think they can all be found online, so I would save my money and simply download them (why make the bootleggers rich like I did!?!).

They fall into three groups:

Group One - Vols. 1, 3 and 6 featuring large-ish group (Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Alex Foster, Butch Thomas, Delmar Brown, Michael Gerber, Jerry Gonzalez)

Group Two - Vols. 2, 4 and 7 featuring trios (Hiram Bullock with one of Victor Lewis, Steve Ferrone, Kenwood Dennard)

Group Three - Vol. 5 featuring Mike Stern's band with Jaco guesting!

So, if you want to sample all three styles, pick any one from the first two groups and Vol. 5. As others have pointed out, there is a lot of repetition, and the bootleggers were smart to put one, or more, tracks on each volume not available anywhere else. Oh, and they are not recordings from single concerts, as they fade out between numbers, and all three drummers appear on Vol. 4. If a particular track listing looks more interesting, start with that Volume. As has been noted, Jaco was past his best by this time, and re-used the same licks and covers over and over, but these discs are still fascinating to listen to (I just listened to all 7 again, hence the delay in posting!). Vols. 3 and 4 are more interesting to me because of the presence of numbers like Promise Land (even if I have a better boot version with Delmar doing it with Sting's band), Mercy Mercy Mercy, and Changes/Purple Haze medley.

There are many other boots out there too, however, avoid Jazz Door's Jaco Pastorius Live: it's simply a clone of Invitation. Holiday For Pans is interesting, but Jaco is not on the boot CDs. The best thing on it is called City Of Angels, and you can find that (with Jaco) here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdjIn8htno

Jimco in Japan issued two boots called Live In Italy and Honestly which are worth seeking out (download them!). The first is a trio set with Birelli Lagrene and Thomas Borocz, and while it too overlaps a lot with the songs from Live In New York, it does contain a version of Black Market, plus some Deep Purple! Honestly is all bass solos, and is something more for dipping into than listening to all in one sitting.

Expect to hear traces of Mr. Gone (album), The Beatles, Bach, Hendrix, Deep Purple, The Sound Of Music, etc. throughout these live albums!

Happy listening!

 

Black Elk---I have most of the official releases Jaco appears on. I've recently gotten into the lesser known sideman appearances, which sparked this thread. Funny you mention "Bright Size Life" It is my favorite jazz album of all time!!

See the thread I jjust started "Jazz albums as good as Kind of Blue"

 

+1

 

The album that Jaco did with trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff and drummer Alphonse Mouzon is little-known but pretty amazing. Here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-_CYOng4k

 

One of my faves. Mangelsdorff is pretty amazing too!

 

The 1979 tour with Joni is essential for Jaco fans. Get the Shadows And Light cd for his playing on the Joni songs from her pre-Hejira albums. You have to hear him on "In France They Kiss In Main Street", "Free Man In Paris", "Raised On Robbery" (DVD only, I think), "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines" (because it's a lot looser and he jams with Don Alias and Metheny at the end) and "Edith And The Kingpin".

Get the DVD for "Jaco's Solo".

 

Just getting into Jaco myself and I listened to 'The word is out' on SACD yesterday. Stunning album with a big band full of top musicians, including Peter Erskine on drums.

 

I love Shadows and Light. You get both Metheny and Jaco.

Also don't forget his first solo record, Jaco Pastorius. It is one of the most diverse jazz records out there. One song is a bass solo. Another is big band. You'll also find modern jazz tunes. It's all over the place and works because of that.

I saw Jaco play with Weather Report in Boulder, CO. It was an amazing evening.

 

I found and Ira Sullivan record that Jaco played on.

 

Shadows and Light needs a rerelease. Bass players around the world woke up when they heard Donne Lee from that first solo record. I also like the big band releases-some great players in those bands.

 

Thank you. I've gone ahead and ordered his s/t and looking forward to it.

 

This! His playing on Hejira is incredible, as is the playing on "Trio of Doom". The "Live in NYC" are a series of bootlegs, where a dude literally followed Jaco's gigs around town with a tape recorder. A lot of Jaco supporters feel like the guy took advantage of Jaco, because he could have really used some of the proceeds that these recordings generated at the time. I own almost all of them, and look at them as a snapshot of Jaco's playing during that time frame, despite the dubious nature of their existence.

 

I prefer your bass playing to Jaco's, but Trilogue isn't bad and if you get it in the two CD set with the Shannon Jackson session it's well worth it.

 

Alan, firstly thanks for the compliment, you are too kind! Secondly, I have Trilogue on vinyl and didn't know about the 2CD set you're speaking of...didn't know Shannon Jackson played with Mangelsdorff. Is this the session?... http://www.discogs.com/Albert-Mange...ckson-Albert-Live-In-Montreux/release/3188484

 

http://www.amazon.com/THREE-ORIGINA...r_1_31?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1356807182&sr=1-31

Yes, the price has gone up since I got mine but there it is.

 

Interesting...that comp does contain the session I linked to above, but Amazon has the wrong track listing for some reason...here is the correct one:
http://www.discogs.com/Albert-Mange...logue-Albert-Live-In-Montreux/release/2988083

Pricey for sure! Probably better off to get the original LP then.