Jaco Pastorius Album Review
Review Of Bass Guitarist First Album
Jaco Pastorius opens with a stripped-down take on Charlie Parker's 'Donna Lee', showcasing Pastorius' frenetic bass playing and forays into the higher register, backed by the congas of Don Alias. The track acts as an introduction to the aspects of Pastorius' playing which set him apart from the bassists which had come before him.
'Come On, Come Over' reunites the soul duo Sam & Dave on a funky dance track. The horn section, featuring heavyweight players Michael Brecker and David Sanborn, blasts the track into life, with Pastorius throwing a funky bass line which would not have been out of place on the concurrent work of James Brown or any of the P-Funk groups. Aided by the clavinet work of Herbie Hancock, the track is full of energy and dynamicism, and establishes from the first two tracks that Jaco Pastorius is a record of diverging styles.
The first cut solely penned by Pastorius, 'Continuum' uses an atmospheric, high register bass line, which shifts tempo and dominates the track. The focus is so much on the bass, that the Fender Rhodes work of Hancock and Alex Darqui, plus the understated rhythm work of Lenny White on drums and Don Alias on bells simply provide a gentle accompaniment, and add only the occasional flourish to the track.
Speak Like A Child
The influence of Herbie Hancock is keenly felt in 'Kuru/Speak Like A Child', a mix of a new Pastorius composition and an exploration and expansion of Hancock's own 1968 'Speak Like A Child'.
Pastorius puts his own stamp on the track by arranging a fast, free-flowing, and vibrant string section for Hancock's tune, demonstrating his versatility outside of his usual jazz and funk domain. Hancock's acoustic piano and Pastorius' electric bass compliment each other well throughout, leading the track from a more relaxed stroll to a more explosive burst and back again with consummate control and ease.
'Portrait Of Tracy' slows the pace of the record down following the expressive dynamics of 'Kuru/Speak Like A Child', and allows Pastorius his finest chance to demonstrate the balladry he was capable of producing on the bass. The cut features nothing but Pastorius and his electric bass, yet through his use of harmonics he creates a touching love song which conjures up beautiful and romantic imagery without the aid of any vocals.
Opus Pocus
Pastorius changes genres again following 'Portrait Of Tracy', introducing a Caribbean element with the steel drums of Othello Molineux and Leroy Williams for 'Opus Pocus'. The track also features the soprano saxophone of Wayne Shorter, co-leader of the popular fusion group Weather Report, with whom Pastorius had just begun to play.
The steel drums are given licence to take the melodic lead on parts of the track, giving the piece a different sound to a great deal of American music at the time, which was some time away from embracing such sounds wholeheartedly.
'Okonkole Y Trompa', co-written between Pastorius and Don Alias, creates an unusual sound in itself, Alias using an okonkoko iya and afuche in addition to congas. Pastorius reigns in his bass playing for the first time on the album, following Alias on a tight groove over which Peter Gordon plays the under-utilised French horn.
The track constantly sounds like it is set to move up a gear, as per the rest of the album, but instead maintains its tempo and eventually peters out, in contrast to '(Used To Be A) Cha Cha', a more energetic if not disjointed jam featuring Hubert Laws on piccolo and flute. Unlike the tightly controlled melodies and tempos on the rest of Jaco Pastorius, '(Used To Be A) Cha Cha' seems to lose its centre on occasion.
Herbie Hancock
Pastorius does not appear on the final cut, 'Forgotten Love', a string-based ballad slightly incongruous to what has preceded it, but carried off effectively. Herbie Hancock demonstrates his classical skills with his piano work throughout the piece, and the string arrangement by Pastorius is romantic and melancholic, a final demonstration of his versatility.
Jaco Pastorius is a wide-ranging work, taking in funk, jazz, fusion, Caribbean, and classical music throughout the course of its nine tracks. The great constant of the record is Pastorius' bass playing, adapting to each sound but still retaining an individuality infrequently heard in a bassist.
Jaco Pastorius Album Cover
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