Jaco
When I was in high school, my music range was pretty limited. The music I was exposed to was basically classic rock, some hair band metal, and Hank, Jr. When I was fortunate enough to escape the confines of a town of 300 people, my vision of possibilities broadened into a world view. There was music that I couldn't dream of in my wildest imagination. A few examples are Psychic TV, Peter Tosh, Ministry, and Miles Davis. My suite mate in the dorm grew pot in our shower. One plant. No big deal. When his door was open, I could hear The Smiths and Tom Waits. When I went to the music building, I could hear John Coltrane and Shostakovich. I couldn't get enough new (to me) music. When I was still in high school, I was in a band with a couple of guys, Mike and Mark. Mark was friends with a guy named Andreas who was the best bass player I have ever seen in person. They knew of a guy who was the best bass player in the world. One day, Mark Ray handed me a cassette of Jaco Pastorius and I was floored. His bass guitar playing transcended everything that I had ever heard before. Most of the bass music I had heard was CCCCCCCCDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGG. But Jaco...Jaco was different. He played harmonics, which are a kind of overtone made by barely touching the string as you pluck it. He played free-form jazz and fusion. He was lightning fast and 100% accurate. I tried to follow other things that Jaco was doing, but it was just as the internet was coming into being so I didn't have access to a lot of information. When I was finally able to discover all the projects Jaco was a part of, I also discovered that he had died almost four years before I fell in love with his work. I found out that he had been killed, but again, I didn't have access to all the information. This beautifully done film has compiled Jaco's life from all the pieces I had seen over the years.
This documentary highlights the ups and downs of Jaco's life. Produced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, this film tells about Jaco's rise in the bars of Florida, to the stardom he felt around the world. He was a jazz musician, but he was treated like a rock star. As Jaco moved through the music world, he began to show signs of wear. Eventually, he would fall victim to mental illness that went largely unnoticed and untreated. I won't give away too much of the story, but I will tell you it was enriching to see it. I am a bass player and Jaco is like a saint to me. One guy said of him, "He was our Hendrix." Yes. He was.
When I was in high school, my music range was pretty limited. The music I was exposed to was basically classic rock, some hair band metal, and Hank, Jr. When I was fortunate enough to escape the confines of a town of 300 people, my vision of possibilities broadened into a world view. There was music that I couldn't dream of in my wildest imagination. A few examples are Psychic TV, Peter Tosh, Ministry, and Miles Davis. My suite mate in the dorm grew pot in our shower. One plant. No big deal. When his door was open, I could hear The Smiths and Tom Waits. When I went to the music building, I could hear John Coltrane and Shostakovich. I couldn't get enough new (to me) music. When I was still in high school, I was in a band with a couple of guys, Mike and Mark. Mark was friends with a guy named Andreas who was the best bass player I have ever seen in person. They knew of a guy who was the best bass player in the world. One day, Mark Ray handed me a cassette of Jaco Pastorius and I was floored. His bass guitar playing transcended everything that I had ever heard before. Most of the bass music I had heard was CCCCCCCCDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGG. But Jaco...Jaco was different. He played harmonics, which are a kind of overtone made by barely touching the string as you pluck it. He played free-form jazz and fusion. He was lightning fast and 100% accurate. I tried to follow other things that Jaco was doing, but it was just as the internet was coming into being so I didn't have access to a lot of information. When I was finally able to discover all the projects Jaco was a part of, I also discovered that he had died almost four years before I fell in love with his work. I found out that he had been killed, but again, I didn't have access to all the information. This beautifully done film has compiled Jaco's life from all the pieces I had seen over the years.
This documentary highlights the ups and downs of Jaco's life. Produced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, this film tells about Jaco's rise in the bars of Florida, to the stardom he felt around the world. He was a jazz musician, but he was treated like a rock star. As Jaco moved through the music world, he began to show signs of wear. Eventually, he would fall victim to mental illness that went largely unnoticed and untreated. I won't give away too much of the story, but I will tell you it was enriching to see it. I am a bass player and Jaco is like a saint to me. One guy said of him, "He was our Hendrix." Yes. He was.
