1. “Donna Lee” Jaco Pastorius [Epic, 1976]: The opening track on his astounding debut album. It’s still an eye-widening experience to hear his fretless ’62 Fender Jazz “Bass Of Doom” slither sensuously in and out of the Charlie Parker classic, accompanied only by Don Alias on percussion.
2. “Portrait of Tracy” Jaco Pastorius: Named for his first wife, “Portrait” is the study in bass harmonics. The angular changes and implied upper-structure chords also reveal Jaco’s advanced knowledge of harmony.
3. “Come On, Come Over” Jaco Pastorius: “Come On,” with its funky horn arrangement and vocals by Sam & Dave, exposes Jaco’s foundation in R&B. It’s also a prime example of his now-classic interpretation of the steady 16th-note grooves originated by Tower Of Power legend Francis “Rocco” Prestia.
4. “Continuum” Jaco Pastorius: With its gorgeous melody played on fretless, this tune established the trademark sound that would soon be imitated by a legion of bassists. It was later reprised, with big-band augmentation, on Jaco’s third solo album, Invitation.
5. “Barbary Coast” Weather Report, Black Market [Columbia, 1976]: Jaco’s first track and composition for Weather Report, “Barbary Coast” is memorable for its slippery opening bass melody and slower, funkier version of his 16th-note groove—and for the immediate impact he had on the group.
6. “Round Trip/Broadway Blues” Pat Metheny, Bright Size Life [ECM, 1976]: On an album that featured two jazz phenoms—Jaco, 24, and Metheny, 21—no track was hotter than this straight-ahead Ornette Coleman medley featuring deft interplay, fine solo turns, and dazzling unison melodies.
7. “Coyote” Joni Mitchell, Hejira [Asylum, 1976]: The first of Jaco’s four-album collaboration with Joni, Hejira established the pair’s typical format, with Jaco roaming freely through the sparse accompaniment. On “Coyote,” the up-front bass is an equal voice to Mitchell’s, adding soaring contrapuntal melodies while nailing down the groove and punctuating the phrases with ringing harmonic figures (which expand the tonic C chord into a Cmaj9 or G/C).
8. “Birdland” Weather Report, Heavy Weather [Columbia, 1977]; also on the live double album 8:30 [Columbia, 1979]: Certainly, playing bass in Weather Report was Jaco’s most visible role. Heavy Weather captured this edition of Joe Zawinul and company at their peak and may be Jaco’s best all-around album. Zawinul’s “Birdland,” the band’s “greatest hit,” kicks off with Jaco’s immortal false-harmonic melody, performed in two different octaves, and hits full stride during a joyous chorus where the bassist lays down a soulful stomp and sings along, falsetto, with the synth melody. The live version is slightly faster and worth investigating for the swing-shuffle feel after Jaco’s opening melody.
9. “A Remark You Made” Heavy Weather: This haunting ballad masterpiece revolves around the alternating interpretations, by Jaco and Wayne Shorter (on tenor sax), of Zawinul’s unforgettable theme. Listen also to the ideas each plays in support of the other.
10. “Teentown” Heavy Weather; also on 8:30: Perhaps Jaco’s best-known composition and a certified bass anthem. Memorable not only for his smooth, serpentine melody line but also for his crisp drumming. Hang on, the live version (with Peter Erskine on drums) is even faster!
11. “Havona” Heavy Weather: Jaco’s finest recorded solo and one of his best compositions. The solo quotes everything from Stravinsky’s
Rite of Spring to a Dial soap jingle; although it was reportedly constructed phrase by phrase in the studio, the magnificent end results justify the means. Equally breathtaking is the stuttering groove, which displays Jaco’s Latin/Caribbean roots and wide knowledge of claves.
12. “Overture/Cotton Avenue” Joni Mitchell, Don Juan’s Reckless
Daughter [Asylum, 1977]: While this double album has plenty of fine moments, “Cotton Avenue” is where the merging of all the ingredients most successfully yields a song. Listen for the crack of thunder in the “Overture” section: Jaco smacking his E string, which was tuned down to C. Throughout this entire album, Jaco experiments with overdubbed bass parts and double-tracked unison lines, mixed slightly out of phase for a subtle flange/chorus effect.
13. “Las Olas” Flora Purim, Everyday, Everynight [Warner Bros., 1978]: On an album overlooked by many, the Brazilian-flavored “Las Olas” captures the full force of Jaco’s harmonic mastery and inspires an incredible piano solo by Herbie Hancock. Michel Colombier’s moving ballad, “The Hope,” with Jaco’s singing bass doubling Purim’s vocal melody, also leaves a lasting impression.
14. “Punk Jazz” Weather Report, Mr. Gone [Columbia, 1978]: An arresting piece from the ambitious and initially ill-received follow-up to Heavy Weather. From the opening crack of Tony Williams’s snare, Jaco appears to be setting up the sequel to “Teentown,” unleashing some frightening free-blowing in typical “Florida Flash” form—but there’s a sudden mood swing, and the slower, richly orchestrated two-feel section is reminiscent of Duke Ellington.
15. “Dreamland” Michel Colombier [Chrysalis, 1979]: Nowhere is Jaco’s gift for melody more evident than in his collaborations with French composer Colombier. “Dreamland,” a contender for Jaco’s best recorded melody, boasts the sensitive support of guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Steve Gadd—and the London Philharmonic strings!
16. “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” Joni Mitchell, Mingus [Asylum, 1979]: Joni’s expanded version of the classic Mingus ballad comes alive with the subtle underpinning of Herbie Hancock’s Fender Rhodes, Wayne Shorter’s soprano sax, and Peter Erskine’s swirling brushes. But it’s Jaco who adds the proper dose of pathos and poise by unleashing an array of new and vintage licks. Study this one closely.
17. “Dry Cleaner from Des Moines” Mingus; also on the live double album Shadows and Light [Asylum, 1980]: One of Jaco’s greatest vinyl moments, from his opening diminished climb, to his stinging horn arrangement, to his unique interpretation of the two-feel rhythm. The uptempo live version concludes on a breathtaking note (literally!): Jaco tosses out increasingly abstract chord substitutions and rhythmic twists, and tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker weaves equally ridiculous lines around them. They push each other higher, chorus by chorus, until Brecker’s furious squeals race Jaco’s diminished climb to the finish line.
18. “Sweet Sucker Dance” Mingus: Very much in the “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” ballad vein, but Jaco’s two-feel groove gives it a lift. Mingus’s melody guides the bassist into new terrain, where he drapes delicious counter-melodies around Mitchell’s vocals.
19. “4AM” Herbie Hancock, Mr. Hands [Columbia, 1981]: Another little-known track that nevertheless stands as one of Jaco’s most killer recorded grooves (once again based on his 16th-note feel). Check out the gorgeous ending lick.
20. “3 Views of a Secret” Word of Mouth [Warner Bros., 1982]: Jaco’s second solo album, Word of Mouth documents the ripening of his composing, arranging, and producing skills. What may be his finest recorded composition, the jazz-waltz “3 Views,” first appeared with sparse accompaniment on Weather Report’s Night Passage [Columbia, 1980]. Here, given lush orchestration and striking dynamics, the tune belongs to harmonica genius Toots Thielemans, who continually re-invents the melody, backed by Jaco and the incredible stickwork of Jack DeJohnette.
21. “Liberty City” Word of Mouth: Count Basie, Jaco-style. “Liberty City” is one of Jaco’s most awesome compositions and the jewel in his arranging crown. Tradition meets vision as swinging horn sections are augmented by Herbie Hancock, Toots Thielemans, and steel drummer Othello Molineaux in “lead” roles—while Jaco covers the bass and guitar chairs with a vintage two-feel capped by cleverly inverted doublestops.
22. “John and Mary” Word of Mouth: On the more “alternative” B-side of Word of Mouth, “Crisis,” with its startling, free-blowing ensemble and scary bass ostinato, is memorable, but it’s the epic “John and Mary,” with its symphonic theme/development/recap/coda structure that hints at the the sadly unfulfilled musical potential of the late, great Jaco Pastorius.
23. “Soul Intro/The Chicken” Invitation (recorded live in Japan) [Warner Bros., 1983]: Adapted from composer Alfred James Ellis, this 16-bar R&B instrumental, which boasts a percolating, constantly developing, 16th-note bass line and a tidy horn arrangement, became a Pastorius standard. A more complete documentation of this concert is captured on two double-album Japanese imports entitled Twins I and Twins II.
24. “Amerika” Invitation: Jaco recorded several short pieces that illustrated the incredible amount of music he could generate when playing alone. “Slang,” on 8:30, is notable primarily as an example of his frequent use of a delay effect in concert to loop a phrase and then play on top of it. His cover of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” on Word of Mouth, while supported by Toots Thielemans and flutist Hubert Laws, stands on its own as a remarkable solo bass chord-melody piece. But the live “Amerika” is perhaps his finest unaccompanied solo: Jaco explores and embellishes the traditional melody of “America the Beautiful” with single notes, implied chords, chordal harmonics, false harmonics, and stirring reharmonizations. A gem.
25. “Mood Swings” Mike Stern, Upside Downside [Atlantic, 1986]: Many of Jaco’s later guest-sideman appearances ended up sounding like a compendium of his greatest licks. Here, it’s like the old days, as he lays down a funk groove complete with high-end chords and subtle phrase variations that melt around drummer Steve Jordan’s solid backbeat. There’s one truly magical moment, when Jaco—who’s walking an uptempo minor blues behind tenor saxophonist Bob Berg’s solo—spontaneously match’s Berg’s eighth-note lick at the second-chorus turnaround. Even as his life disintegrated, Jaco’s musical instincts were infallible.