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Florida-raised flamboyant white electric bassist Jaco Pastorius (1951), who had debuted on Pastorius Metheny Ditmas Bley (june 1974) with Paul Bley and Pat Metheny, became a sensation with Jaco Pastorius (october 1975), one of the most innovative albums ever led by a bass player, also featuring keyboardist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists David Sanborn, Wayne Shorter and Michael Brecker, flutist Hubert Laws, Peter Gordon on French horn, drummer Lenny White, percussionist Don Alias. Pieces such as Opus Pocus and Cha Cha matched bold arrangements and an eclectic array of musical styles (from soul to neoclassical) with an insanely obsessive instrumental technique. His solos in the higher registers and the fat, colored tones that frequently turned into his distinctive "growl", the dense, eerie chords and harmonics, wed rhythmic and textural playing in one instrument.
The album not only popularized the fretless electric bass, but turned the bass
into one of the most expressive instruments of the fusion era.
Shortly thereafter, Pastorius joined Weather Report.
During that time, Pastorius also played on Joni Mitchell's albums (1976-80).
After Weather Report split in 1981, Pastorius formed his big band, Word of Mouth, featuring dozens of musicians (including
Hancock, Shorter, Laws, Shorter, Brecker, Alias, reed player Tom Scott, harmonica player Toots Thielemans trumpeter Chuck Findley, tuba player Howard Johnson, drummers Jack DeJohnette and Peter Erskine).
Word of Mouth (august 1980) focused more on his skills as a composer than on his
virtuoso playing, particularly in the lengthy Liberty City and John and Mary. Another orchestra (five trumpets, five reeds, four trombones, two French horns, harmonica, drums, percussion and steel drum) performed the wildly inferior live Invitation (december 1981), mostly devoted to covers.
Word of Mouth disbanded in 1984.
For a couple of years, Pastorius wasted his talent in pop-jazz albums.
His last album, Holiday For Pans, recorded between 1980 and 1982, was not released.
Afflicted by addiction to both drugs and alcohol, Pastorius died in 1987 in
a fight.
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