BassTalk

Jimmy Haslip

Jimmy Haslip grew up in a rich musical environment. As a youth, he listened to Latin and salsa music around the house, including such Latin music icons as Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Machito, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri, to name a few. In addition to learing various Latin dances from his parents, Jimmy learned how to play a lot of basic Latin rhythms on the different percussion instruments that they had around the house. He learned to play authentically on the claves, maracas, cowbell, bongos and the guido, which gave him that keen sense of time and rhythm that surfaces in his bass playing today.

His older brother Gabriel also played Jimmy some jazz and classical music, so he had exposure to John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck on one hand, and the music of Debussy, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler on the other. Jimmy says, "This was an eye opening time for me and even though most of this music was over my head, it definitely ignited my musical curiosity. I also was listening to a lot of Pop music, like the Beatles, the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and lots of great Pop music on the radio. I can remember that it was a very exciting time for music!"

Jimmy began studying music in elementary school, playing the trumpet and other assorted brass instruments (including the bugle, baritone horn and tuba) from age seven to fourteen. Jimmy picked up a bass at the age of fifteen and taught himself how to play it. "Actually the very first time I saw an electric bass, was at a junior high Valentine's day dance. There was a live band playing and the bass player had an reddish/orange Hagstrom bass and a small Standel bass amp. It was then that I knew I wanted to play the electric bass! What a feeling! I'll never forget it as long as I live. It was my very first real spark of creative passion!"

While being mostly self taught on the bass, Jimmy studied with a private bass/tuba player from New York named Ron Smith. He was also very fortunate to have studied with one of jazz music’s greatest talents. "…I did manage to study with Jaco Pastorius for a few weeks in the mid seventies, when he had just joined Weather Report. That was a giant leap for me as a serious musician and it filled me with a much higher level of inspiration. I think he was a major inspiration to all bass players at that time!"

To sum it up, Jimmy offers this inspirational piece of advice that is applicable to any musician, whether new or experienced: "I've basically learned so much from just about every musician I've performed with in the past and I will continue to learn from my experiences in the future. The learning process is never ending. The key is to always strive and search for knowledge. In learning new things everyday, there will be inspiration. That inspiration will thirst for knowledge and so the endless cycle goes. They will feed each other infinitely and theoretically the ‘creative well’ will never run dry."

Influences

So, what musical influences does Jimmy claim? "Well definitely for me the Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, inspired the melodic concept and James Brown inspired the groove. There was Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria who inspired rhythm. Béla Bartók, Mozart, Prokofiev, Samuel Barber, Chick Corea, early Genesis, Gentle Giant, Olivier Messiaen, Dmitri Shostakovich,Krzysztof Penderecki, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Villalobos, Brahms, Wayne Shorter, Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, Alban Berg, Mingus, Miles,Nicolas Slominski, Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, The Motown Sound and Aaron Copeland, just to name a few that inspired writing, arranging and composition.

"Van Gogh, Dali, Henri Rousseau, Georgia O'keeffe, Leonardo DaVinci, Galileo, Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Plato, Walt Whitman, Marc Chagall, Henry Moore, Edward Hopper, Rembrandt, Picasso, Botero, Matisse, Escher, Canaletti, Gaudi, Gauguin, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Speilberg, Frank Capra,Orson Welles, Lina Wertmuller, Ingmar Bergman, François Truffaut to name a few who inspired my imagination."

And last but not least, perhaps the most influential person in Jimmy’s career: "Jimi Hendrix was the sole inspiration for me playing music as a profession. Seeing him perform live was awsome and it lit a fire within me, which eventually gave me the drive to pursue music as a career."

Recent Activity

Here are some of Jimmy's recent accomplishments during the past year:

Sandro Albert: a young Brazilian guitarist’s recording featuring Milton Nasciamento, Peter Erskine, Kenny Garrett, Bob Sheppard, Edsel Gomez, Renato Neto, Luis Conte, Antonio Sanchez, and myself.

"I’ve executive produced a wonderful project for the Make A Wish Foundation which features pre-recorded material by; the Yellowjackets, Bruce Hornsby, Richard Page, Chuck Loeb, Kevyn Letteau, Gino Vannelli, a cut from “ARC”, Sergio Salvatore, Brenda Russell and more."

New Productions also include:

Native Vibe “Spirits” on DOMO Records.

Michael Franks “Barefoot On the Beach” on Windham Hill Records.

A Marilyn Scott recording with Russell Ferrante “Avenues of Love” for the Warners label.

A track on the latest Gino Vannelli recording “Slow Love” on Verve Records.

A duet with Marilyn Scott and Bobby Caldwell appearing on Bobby’s “Timeline” release . . . Syndrome Records.

Jimmy also plays on the following projects released over the past year: Everette Harp “Better Times”, Dwight Sils “Easy”, Warren Sneed “Brothers”, Glenn Jones “It’s Time”, Gary Wright “Best of the Dreamweaver”, Marc Antione “Madrid”, Ricky Lawson and friends “First Things 1st” , "Heart and Soul - New Songs from Ally McBeal" featuring Vonda Shepard, John Molo’s "Modereko" Gerald Albright/Will Downing “Pleasures of the Night”, and Tribute to Lowell George “Rock n’ Roll Doctor”.

Some More Upcoming projects and releases:

A new Marilyn Scott recording due out next year.
A new Brenda Russell recording.
A new Kevyn Letteau release for Universal Records.
A new Gary Wright recording.
A new band recording called Inri with drummer Shawn Glyde.

Artists Jimmy Has Performed With

Jimmy’s credits are a virtual who’s who of the popular and jazz music industry. This is the "short list" of some of the talents he has recorded and/or toured with over the past 25 years:

Gino Vannelli, David Sanborn, Rod Stewart, Michael Sembello, Joe Cocker, Vince Mendoza, Chaka Khan, Eric Marienthal, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Gary Wright, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Brenda Russell, Dave Mason, Tom Scott, Jerry Garcia, Bo Didley, Marilyn Scott, Dori Caymmi, Betty Wright, Ivan Lins, Kenny Loggins, Flora Purim & Airto, Rickie Lee Jones, El DeBarge, Chi Coltrane, The Chiffons, The 5 Satins, Larry Carlton, Chubby Checker, Booker T. Jones, Cheech Marin, Mick Fleetwood & the Zoo, Kiss, Christopher Williams, Michael Penn, John Klemmer, John Finley, Tommy Bolin, Carmine Appice, Charlie Watts, Michael Narada Walden, Milton Nasciamento, Christopher Williams, Roy Ayers, Mark Stein, Kiss, Lee Ritenour, Laura Brannigan, Jackie Lomax, Bobby Caldwell, John Ford Coley, Randy Crawford, Harvey Mandel, Diane Reeves, James Ingram, Ricardo Silveira, Bill Gable, Michael Franks, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Jerry Garcia, Al Stewart, Jimmy Barnes, Branford Marsalis, Blackjack w/ Michael Bolton, Dave Koz, Kenny G, Steve Reid, Bob Mintzer, Bob Mamet, Bob Sheppard, Greg Karukas, Bruce Beckvar, Larry John McNally, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Vinnie Colaiuta, Max Carl, Sovory, Dusty Springfield, Andy Snitzer, Bill Gable, Aureo Baquiero, Kevyn Letteau, John Beasley, Don Grusin, Carl Anderson, James House, Jeff Richman, Nana Vasconcuelos, Boney James, Justo Almario, Kevin Mahogany, Hilary Jones, David Diggs, Michael Ruff, Diana Ross, Bobby Lyle, Vonda Shepard, Ambrosia, Pat Metheny, Eva Cassidy, Modereko, Marc Antione, Sergio Salvatore, Robben Ford, Dave Samuel's, Andy Narell, Bill Champlin, Michael English, Huey Lewis, Toots Thielmanns, Selena, Harvey Mason, Paulinho Da Costa, Alex Acuña, Herb Alpert, Tim Hagans, Michael Davis, David Meece, Lisa Fischer, Mike Pinera, Paulinho Da Costa, Tower of Power Horns, Richard Page, Steve Khan/Trio Electric, Peter Erskine, Dennis Chambers, Andy Laverne, Terry Bozzio, Kiki Ebsen, Joe Sample, David Benoit, Ron Wood, Ndugu Leon Chancelor, Richard Elliot, Warren Sneed, Neil Larson, The Rippingtons, Jeff Beal, Jon Anderson, Nigel Olsen, Joshua Redman, Native Vibe, Michael McDonald, Phil Perry, Everette Harp, Kevyn Lettau, Kenny Garrett, Sandro Albert, Otmaro Ruiz, Gerald Albright, Bruce Willis, Chuck Loeb, Jonathan Butler, Luis Conte, Dwight Sils, Alphonse Mouzon, Glenn Jones, Mitchell Froom, Michiel Bortslap, Terri Lynn Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Andy Summers, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, Take 6, Anita Baker, Kurt Elling, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Bruce Hornsby, Randy Newman, Brian Auger and George Harrison.

Now Spinning

Here is what Jimmy has been listening to lately: Gonzalo Rubalcaba “Antigua”, Deep Rumba “The Night Becomes A Rumba”, Salif Keita “Amen”, Weather Report; “Live in Tokyo”, Michael Brecker “Tales from the Hudson”, Jaco Pastorius “Word of Mouth”, Bob Mintzer “Quality Time”, Bobby Shew “Salsa Caliente”, and Miles Davis “Miles Smiles”.

Other influential recordings in his musical library include: "Anything by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Jimi Hendrix and Mozart to start with. I have the entire Frank Zappa catalogue, the entire Earth, Wind and Fire catalogue, all of Little Feat’s recordings, almost everything that John Coltrane recorded, Segovia solo guitar recordings, a lot of Mahler, Pablo Casals and Mistislav Rostopovich's cello works, anything by Joni Mitchell, Alban Berg's "The Lulu Suite", Penderecki's cello concerto #2, any classical piece that has ever been recorded is worth listening to in my opinion! Les McCann/Eddie Harris "Swiss Movement", Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago "I" and "II", The Police "Synchronicity", Eric Dolphy" Out to Lunch", all of Ornette Coleman's catalogue, The Band" Music from Big Pink", Stanley Clarke "School Days", Herbie Hancock "Thrust" and "Empyrean Isles", Wayne Shorter "Speak No Evil", Mongo Santamaria "El Gato", everything by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Robert Johnson, Jeff Beck "Blow by Blow" and "Wired", Areosmith "Pandora's Box", King Crimson box set, James Brown box set, Crosby, Stills & Nash box set, Eric Clapton "Derek and the Dominos", Peter Gabriel "So" and "Us", anything by the Beatles, I have every recording by Tower of Power, Salif Keita"Soro", Donald Fagan "Nightfly", Blue Nile "Hats", Jaco Pastorius "Word of Mouth", Don Henley" End of Innocence", Janet Jackson "Rhythm Nation", Stevie Wonder "Songs in the Key of Life", Alan Holdsworth "Sand", Ralph Towner "Blue Sun", Steve Khan "Casa Loco", Chaka Khan "I FeelFor You" and "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me", Vince Mendoza "Instructions Inside", Michael Franks "Blue Pacific", "Dragonfly Summer" and " abandoned Garden", Cesaria Evora, Sting "Ten Summoners Tales", Neil Young "Harvest", Stevie Winwood "Back in the High Life", Steely Dan "Aja" and "Gaucho", Cream "Disreali Gears", Gino Vannelli "Brother to Brother" and "Inconsolable Man", Emmylou Harris "Wrecking Ball", Weather Report "Heavy Weather" and "Night Passage", Chick Corea "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs", Bobby McFerrin "Bang Zoom", Sly and the Family Stone "Fresh"and anything else by them, the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", James Taylor "Fire and Rain", Yes "Fragile", anything by Bruce Hornsby, The Zeppelin box set and anything by the Keith Jarrett trio with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock just to name a few."

Equipment

"I play and endorse MTD basses, which are hand made instruments by a Luthier named Mike Tobias. He also had a company several years ago named Tobias Guitars and I still play these original hand made instruments.

"I mainly like to play fretless bass and the main work horse for gigs is a Basic amber colored 6-string fretless that Mike made for me around 7 years ago. I use different basses in the studio. For recording: A Yamaha TRB 5-string fretted bass, a BB 1200s 8-string fretted bass, a Jim Tyler 5-string fretted bass, Tobias 5 & 6-string fretless', a Tobias 6-string fretted, a Moon 4-string fretted bass and on the new Yellowjackets CD "Blue Hats", I'm playing an MTD 7-string fretless bass as well.

"I mainly use and endorse D'Addario Strings (Special Medium Light Prisms). The gauges are C-27, G-47, D-67, A-87, E-107 and B-127 forr the 6-string basses. Adding the high F-string to make the 7-string, I use a 20 gauge string, compatible to the 6-string set.

"For amplification I use and endorse SWR Engineering power amps and speaker cabinets. With the Yellowjackets, my usual set is two SM-400 power amps and two Goliath Junior with two 10 inch speakers in each cabinet. I get a wide stereo split image from an old analog Ibanez C-3 chorus pedal (which is no longer available unless you find one in a pawn shop or a hip music shop that deals in used equipment).

"In the studio I usually just go into a direct box (preferably a Cabletek Direct Box or some kind of tube box, for achieving the ultimate warm/acoustic-like bass sound). Occasionally I will use an amp in the studio (mostly by request). So I will usually use an SWR Engineering Red Head Combo amp or a Baby Blue Combo amp. These amps have an extremely clean sound and a very strong, powerful punch for their size. A great recording amp for studio work!"

As for other instruments: "I do dabble on the guitar and piano/synthesizers, in order to write music, but I'm not very adept on these instruments. I can play some very simple blues riffs on the harmonica."

Home Life and Other Interests

Outside of his career, Jimmy spends time with his wife Nancy and his three children—a 17-year-old son named Jason, a 14-year-old son named Noah, and an adorable two-year-old daughter named Gabriela.

As for non-musical interests: "I'm a big sports fan. You can pretty much get me interested in just about any sport. I love American Football and Basketball and since I grew up in New York, I really keep an eye on the Knicks, the Giants (they're having a tough time of it),the Jets (... Oh boy), the World Champion Yankees, the Mets, the Rangers and the Islanders.

"I love film and I like to study film scores. I have over one hundred black and white films on video and I've studied my favorite film composers from the 40's, Max Steiner extensively. I love going to museums, art galleries, and really enjoy travel and exploring new places. I especially enjoy the family trips.

"My favorite reads about Astronomy and Space Exploration and anything to do with the Mediphysical aspects of life. I also like reading and study World History.

"My biggest rave is Ethnomusicology which I've been doing a study on for the last 9 years. It seems to me that this is an inexhaustible subject that will continue to produce and unveil new music for my creative library."

Quick interview with Jimmy Haslip

You have so many inspiring musical choices in your personal collection. What are some of your favorite styles and what is it about them that keeps you coming back?

I like music from all around the world and all different genre’s of music. I have an inexhaustible amount of music in my home! I’ve become an ethnomusicologist because of my extensive travels around the world. Music I continue to listen to and study like; Gonzalo Rubalcava; Antigua, Salif Keita; Amen, John Coltrane; Sunship , Ballads, Miles Davis; Live Evil, Miles Smiles, Filles de Kilimanjaro, Doudou Ndiaye Rose; Djabote, Jimi Hendrix; Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland, Penderecki; Cello Concerto #2, Mistislav Rostropovitch, Weather Report; Heavy Weather, I Sing the Body Electric, Night Passage, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters; Thrust, Crossings, Tower of Power; Back to Oakland, Nguyen Le; Maghreb & Friends, Marcus Miller; The Sun Don’t Lie, Joni Mitchell; Blue, Mingus, Michael Brecker; Tales From the Hudson, Adrianna Varela: Cuando El Rio Suena, Led Zeppelin; Led Zeppelin, House of the Holy, Jaco Pastorius; Word of Mouth, Allman Brothers; Live at the Filmore, Alban Berg; The Lulu suite, Peter Gabriel; Us, etc. The list goes on and on. It’s actually hard to stop because there is so much incredible music available! Sometimes I am overwhelmed with keeping up with all the new music and also continuing to stay in touch with a lot of the music I already have! But it is also very inspiring to have such resource at our finger tips! It certainly keeps the creative flow happening from my vantage point!

You were fortunate enough to absorb many wonderful rhythms through a musical family childhood. Do you have any suggestions for bass players looking to gain a deeper sense and feeling for absolutely solid rhythms?
I would most definitely suggest listening to a lot of polyrhythmic music. Latin music for instance; the Cuban Salsa, the Puerto Rican Bomba, the Venezuelan Joropo, the Spanish Flamenco, the Dominican Merenge, the Chilean Cueca, the Puerto Rican Plena, the Mambo, the Argentinian Tango, the Peruvian Festejo, the Brazilian Samba, Zouk music from Guadaloupe, Reggae music from Jamaica, the Venezuelan Gaita, the Cuban Rhumba, the Colombian Bambuco, etc. Also studying and listening to all styles of music, from Pop music to R&B, Rock and Jazz, learning how the bass fits in rhythmically and harmonically within these styles and understanding how the music is approached by so many different and wonderful musicians will always help you to define the role of your instrument within music.

With such a hectic schedule do you still find time to practice?

I try to practice at least four hours a day, especially when I’m traveling. Lately my passion has been the study of melody. I believe that in order to become a better soloist, you have to have a strong sense of melody and a great way to improve your vocabulary, is to study written melodies. With songs like; "When I Fall in Love", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "Body and Soul", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Nefertiti", "Fall", "Autumn in New York" and "Three Views of a Secret." All melodies are a key to harmonic knowledge and the more of these melodies you study the more equipped you’ll be to create solos in an improvisational environment. I’m actually working on a three book series for Warner Publishing right now that will focus on melody for bass, a study for melodic improvisation! I want to become a better soloist and this theory has been opening new doors for me. Practicing is important to me and my progression. Hard work like this will enable me to continually improve.

Jaco

At 16, Jaco was the drummer for "Las Olas Brass," in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When Rich Franks, who was considered a phenomenal drummer, moved into town, the band asked Jaco to step down. While Jaco attended one of the rehearsals to check out the new drummer, the bass player is said to have left in in some degree of discord, so Jaco, who had been playing around with the bass just for fun, picked up the bass and said he would like to try to take on the role of bass player with the group. The others liked the idea. He was given approximately a week to learn the material.

Jaco was attending North East High School,Oakland Park, Florida at the time. He liked to skip lunch or class as often as he could to visit Bob Whitlock, who was employed at Hale's Piano nearby. In between taking care of customers Mr. Whitlock would practice his guitar, which is when Jaco would relentlessly question him about the left hand, arpeggios, and fingering. It didn't take long for Whitlock to recognize Jaco's talent, and at some point Bob began recommending Jaco for gigs.

The rest is history
If there was one thing that characterized Jaco's music and life, is was intensity. Intensity, combined with pioneering techniques on the electric bass, such as being the first to play the electric bass without frets, his manic finger speed, and his talent for composing, earned Pastorius the self proclaimed title "the greatest bass player in the world." Unfortunately, his rise to the top was met with an even sharper drop to the bottom, into the dark world of drugs, alcohol, and depression.

When Jaco met his tragic death in 1987 at the age of 35, he had reinvented the role of the electric bass in modern music. Playing melodies, chords, harmonics, and percussive effects simultaneously, Jaco single-handedly fused jazz, classical, R&B, rock, reggae, pop, and punk. His unparalleled innovations on the bass rank beside those of Hendrix on guitar, Armstrong on trumpet, and Parker on saxophone. In jazz schools and music conservatories all over the world, his name is spoken by students in the same reverential tones as Mozart. As one aspiring bassist put it, "Jaco opened the door and we walked through."

The tragic ending
In 1982, Jaco left Weather Report. For fans, this was the opportunity to hear Jaco, the big band arranger, leading an orchestra that included french horns and steel drums. In Weather Report, Zawinul could act as father and keep Jaco in line. On his own, Jaco plunged into an incredibly self-destructive cycle. Friends and associates first began getting seriously concerned about Jaco during the tumultuous tour of Japan in '82 with the Word of Mouth band. As Peter Erskine recalls, "That's when he really got out of hand. It was a pretty great band, actually. Some of the best players in New York were in that band, but Jaco was completely sabotaging the group left and right. Somehow it managed to sound good on the record and Jaco wound up sounding great himself, but a lot of us were pretty unnerved at the shows. That's when he really got heavily into painting his face with magic markers, stripping and running around naked. It was pretty awful. And it was scary. The look in his eyes...everything just seemed wrong."

Naked on a motorcycle
Jaco was arrested at one point during the 1982 tour for riding around Tokyo naked on a motorcycle. In 1983, while on a tour with the septet version of the Word of Mouth band, Jaco plunged 25 feet from a balcony in Rimini, Italy, resulting in a broken left wrist and three cracked ribs.

At the 1982 Playboy Jazz Festival, he was physically removed from the stage for causing such a commotion on-stage by trashing around and knocking over equipment. The entire summer of 1986 was a nightmare that culminated, through the urging and plotting of his brothers, in Jaco entering the psychiatric ward at Bellevue Hospital in New York. He remained there for six weeks.

Out of control
By the summer of 1987, he was out of control. Diagnosed as a manic depressive, he was plagued by wild mood swings and bouts of bizarre, unpredictable behavior. Alcohol only aggravated the condition. Numerous stories were told about Jaco crashing gigs, upsetting patrons, starting fights, and being escorted out of clubs by police. He was often found in the streets of New York City drunk, homeless and panhandling. According to Othello Molineaux, the virtuoso steel pan drum player who worked frequently with Jaco, "Just seeing him, you got the feeling that he wanted to go. He sort of said as much to me at times. That spirit in him, that thing that made us smile...that was Jaco.

That's what protected him all those years, even the last summer in New York when he was panhandling in the streets and sleeping in Washington Square. That's what got him from day to day. But in the last few months you could feel that that was gone. That life-force is what made us have hope for Jaco, that he could turn it around and make a comeback. But it wasn't there anymore."

No coda
The end came quickly in the early hours of September 12, 1987. After being removed from a Santana concert for trying to force himself on stage, Jaco appeared at the Midnight Bottle Club, a sleazy after-hours joint in Wilton Manor, a bland suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He had been barred from the members-only club, but this night he was determined to get in. When Jaco was refused entry, he apparently tried to kick down the front door. Luc Havan, the club's manager, went outside to see what all the commotion was about. Several vicious karate chops to the head later, the onetime greatest bass player in the world lay face down in a pool of blood, his skull fractured, one eye ruptured, and nearly every bone in his face shattered. Jaco lingered in a coma at the Broward General Medical Center. Word was that he would be paralyzed on one side of his body if he was able to pull out of it. Then, the status of his condition changed from critical to serious. Quite unexpectedly, on the evening of September 19, a blood vessel burst in Jaco's brain. By Sunday there was zero brain activity, yet he lingered on. On Monday they removed Jaco from the respirator. At 9:25p.m., Jaco Pastorius died. He was 35.

Chronology

December 1, 1951: John Francis III born in Norristown, PA, to Jack and Stephanie Pastorius.

September 1959: Family moves to Fort Lauderdale, FL.

September 1963: Begins playing drums with the Sonics, a local Combo.

Summer 1966: Joins Las Olas Brass as a drummer.

Summer 1967: Switches to bass guitar.

January 1972: Joins Wayne Cochran & the C. C. Riders

Spring 1973: Begins teaching part-time at the University of Miami. Students include Mark Egan, Frank Gravas, and Hiram Bullock.

Summer 1974: Records a blues album, Party Down, with Little Beaver, and a jazz album with pianist Paul Bley, guitarist Pat Metheny and drummer Bruce Ditimas.

1975: Records Jaco Pastorius, plays Pat Metheny's Bright Size Life and two cuts of Weather Report's Black Market.

1976: Joins Weather Report, plays and co-produces on Heavy Weather. Also appears on Joni Mitchell's Hejira.

1980: Records Word of Mouth in Fort Lauderdale.

1982: Leaves Weather Report and tours with his Word of Mouth big band.

1983: Warner Bros. releases Invitation, a selection of live tracks from '82 concerts in Japan. Tours with a sextet that includes guitarist Mike Stern.

1984 :Forms trio with guitarist Hiram Bullock and drummer Kenwwod Dennard.

September 1985: Arrested in Philadelphia for trying to break into his father's house. Voluntarily enters rehabilitation center.

March 1986: Tours with guitarist Bireli Lagrene. Live album, Stuttgart Aria, is released on a German label, Jazzpoint.

July 1986: Commited to psychiatric ward at New York's Bellevue Hospital, where he is diagnosed as manic depressive and placed on medication.

October 1986: Leaves Bellevue and flies to San Francisco, where he stays with drummer Brian Melvin and records several tracks.

December 1986: Returns to Florida. Begins an excercise program and plays with guitarist Randy Bernsen.

February 1987: Starts to self-destruct, drinking heavily and sleeping in parks. Crashes gigs and demands to sit in.

Summer 1987: Bizarre behavior continues. Arrested for various charges, including drunk and disorderly, driving without a license, and shoplifting. After hearing of the deaths of two childhood friends, goes into deep depression and stops taking his medication.

September 11, 1987: Jumps onstage during a Santana concert in Fort Lauderdale and is ushered off by stagehands that don't recognize him.

September 12, 1987: Early in the morning, he tries to crash an after-hours club and is beaten senseless. Rushed to Broward County Medical Center, where he lies in a coma.

September 21, 1987: Pronounced dead at 10:00pm

Discography

1971
Georgie Leonard .... a single (45 rpm) recorded at Criteria Studios in 1971 .... Jaco "allegedly" plays on:
Ernie the Nark

1974
Little Beaver - Party Down .... Cat .... LP .... Jaco is listed on the original LP as: Nelson (Jocko) Padron
Little Beaver - Party Down .... COL 5432 (1993 CD release) .... different cover design .... one track:
I Can Dig It Baby
with: Willie Hale, Robert Ferguson, Latimore, Timmy Thomas, Glen "Zeke" Holmes, Willie Clarke, Robert Ferguson

Pastorius, Metheny, Ditmas, Bley - Jaco .... Improvising Artists .... original LP
Pastorius, Metheny, Ditmas, Bley .... Improvising Artists 123846-2 .... different cover design
Vashkar, Poconos, Donkey, Vampira, Overtoned, Jaco, Batterie, Kong Korn, Blood
with: Pat Metheny, Bruce Ditmas, Paul Bley

1975
Ira Sullivan .... A&M/Horizon .... LP .... Jaco plays acoustic bass guitar on one track:
Portrait of Sal La Rosa
with: Ira Sullivan, Joe Diorio, Steve Bagby, Don Alias
This album in its entirety is "LP only" but the one Jaco track is available on "Rare Collection" (1999 release)

Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life .... ECM 1073 (1976 release)
Bright Size Life, Sirabhorn, Missouri Uncompromised, Midwestern Nights Dream, Unquity Road, Omaha Celebration, Round Trip/Broadway Blues
with: Pat Metheny, Bob Moses

Pat Metheny - Works II (compilation) .... ECM (1988 release).... Jaco plays on two re-released tracks from Bright Size Life:
Sirabhorn, Unquity Road

1976
Jaco Pastorius .... Epic EK 33949
Donna Lee, Come On Come Over, Continuum, Kuru/Speak Like A Child, Portrait Of Tracy, Opus Pocus, Okonkole y Trompa, (Used to be a) Cha-Cha, Forgotten Love
with: Don Alias, Randy Brecker, Ron Tooley, Peter Graves, David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Howard Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Narada Michael Walden, Sam & Dave, Alex Darqui, Lenny White, Bobby Economou, Michael Gibbs, David Nadien, Harry Lookofsky, Paul Gershman, Joe Malin, Harry Cykman, Harold Kohon, Selward Clarke, Manny Vardi, Julian Barber, Charles McCracken, Kermit Moore, Beverly Lauridsen, Wayne Shorter, Othello Molineaux, Leroy Williams, Peter Gordon, Hubert Laws

Jaco Pastorius .... Epic/Legacy EK 64977 .... 2000 remastered, with two added bonus tracks:
(Used to be a) Cha-Cha (alternate take), 6/4 Jam

Al Di Meola - Land of the Midnight Sun .... Columbia CK34074 ....
Jaco plays on one track: Suite-Golden Dawn
with: Al DiMeola, Alphonse Mouzon, Mingo Lewis, Barry Miles

Al Di Meola Anthology .... there's a 2 CD set featuring many Di Meola tracks including this one track recorded with Jaco (album title? catalog number?)

Ian Hunter - All-American Alien Boy .... Columbia CK 34142 .... CD import for the U.S. market ....Jaco plays on all tracks but one, and plays bass and lead guitar on the last track
Letter To Brittania From The Union Jack, All American Alien Boy, Irene Wilde, Rape, You Nearly Did Me In, Apathy 83, God (Take 1)
with: Ian Hunter, Chris Stainton, Aynsley Dunbar, Cornell Dupree, Ann Gail and Erin, Gerry Weems, Dave Bargeron, Lewis Soloff, Arnie Lawrence, David Sanborn, Ann E. Sutton, Freddie Mercury, Roger Meadows Taylor, Brian May, Erin Dickens, Gail Kantor, Don Alias, Dominic Cortese, Bob Segareni

Ian Hunter - Once Bitten Twice Shy: The Best of Ian Hunter .... Columbia/Legacy .... a 2000 digitally remastered two-CD anthology .... previous tracks plus new unheard tracks .... Jaco plays on five tracks:
Letter To Brittana From the Union Jack, You Nearly Did Me In (same takes as the "All American Alien Boy" album), All American Alien Boy (alternate take, the British single version, no bass solo), God (alternate take), Common Disease (an outtake from 1976, previously unreleased)

Joni Mitchell - Hejira .... Asylum 1087-2
Joni Mitchell - Hejira .... remastered 1997, marked "HDCD" .... Jaco plays on four tracks:
Coyote, Hejira, Black Crow, Refuge In The Roads
with: Joni Mitchell, Bobbeye Hall, Abe Most, Larry Carlton, John Guerin, Chuck Findley, Tom Scott
Joni Mitchell - Misses (compilation) .... Reprise (1996 release).... Jaco plays on one re-released track:
Hejira

Weather Report - Black Market .... Columbia CK 34099 .... available on CD, but not as a Columbia/Legacy re-master (?) .... Jaco plays on two tracks:
Cannonball, Barbary Coast
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Chester Thompson, Alejandro Neciosup Acuna, Narada Michael Walden

Weather Report - Roxy 5 30 '76 .... bootleg .... JazzMasters JM-010 (Japan)
Elegant People, Scarlet Woman, Barbary Coast, Bass Solo, Cannonball, Black Market, 5 Short Stories, Birdland/Rhumba Mama/Bass Solo, Badia/Gibraltar
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena

Weather Report - Italian Weather .... bootleg .... live 7/76, Italy
Lusitanos, Barbary Coast, Bass Intro, Cannonball, Black Market, Directions, Badia, Gibraltar, Birdland
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena

Albert Mangelsdorff - Trilogue-Live! .... Pausa (1977 original vinyl LP release), MPS POCJ-2162 (1995 Japan) .... this album is also found in its entirety as part of:
Albert Mangelsdorff - three originals .... MPS 519 213-2 (1993 Germany/Japan) .... a three-album Mangelsdorff retrospective on two CDs
Trilogue, Zores Mores, Foreign Fun, Accidental Meeting, Ant Steps On An Elephant's Toe
with: Albert Mangelsdorff, Alphonse Mouzon

Jazz Club: Bass (Various Artists) .... Verve (1989 CD release) .... Jaco plays on one re-released track taken from: Albert Mangelsdorff - Trilogue-Live!
Foreign Fun
with: Albert Mangelsdorff, Alphonse Mouzon

1977
Airto - I'm Fine, How Are You? .... Warner Bros. .... Jaco plays on one bass and percussion track:
Nativity
with: Airto Moreira
the Jaco track is available on "Rare Collection" (1999 release)

Joni Mitchell - Don Juan's Reckless Daughter .... Asylum 701-2
Joni Mitchell - Don Juan's Reckless Daughter .... remastered 1997, marked "HDCD"
Overture-Cotton Avenue, Talk To Me, Jericho, Paprika Plains, The Tenth World, Dreamland, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Off Night Backstreet
with: Joni Mitchell, John Guerin, Don Alias, Wayne Shorter, Michael Gibbs, Manolo Badrena, Alejandro Acuna, Chaka Khan, Airto, J.D. Souther, Glenn Frey

Weather Report - Heavy Weather .... Columbia CK34418 (first issue CD)
Weather Report - Heavy Weather .... Columbia Legacy CK47481 .... 1992 re-master
Weather Report - Heavy Weather .... Columbia Legacy Gold CD CK64427 ....1992 re-master
Weather Report - Heavy Weather .... Columbia Legacy CK65108 .... 1997 re-master
Birdland, A Remark You Made, Teen Town, Harlequin, Palladium, The Juggler, Havona
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena

This Is Jazz 21 - Sampler .... 1996 Columbia/Legacy .... one re-released track from Heavy Weather:
A Remark You Made
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna

This Is Jazz 10 - Weather Report .... 1996 Columbia/Legacy .... four re-released tracks from Heavy Weather, Mr. Gone:
Birdland, A Remark You Made, Young And Fine, Teen Town
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine

1978

Cockrell & Santos - New Beginnings .... A&M .... LP .... Bud Cockrell is the bassist .... Jaco is one of three rhythm guitarists on one track:
I Tried It All
with: Bud Cockrell, David Garibaldi, Angelo Rossi, Michael Shelton, Ron Stockert, Ernie Watts

Flora Purim - Everyday Everynight .... Warner Bros. VDJ-28062 .... digital remaster CD released in Japan in 1989 .... Jaco plays on four tracks, including his composition: "Las Olas"
The Hope, Five-Four, Las Olas, Blues Ballad
with: Flora Purim, Harvey Mason, Dennis Belfield, Lee Ritinour, David Foster, Michel Colombier, Airto Moreira, David Sanborn, Jay Graydon, Michael Boddicker, Herbie Hancock
one Jaco track "The Hope" is available on "Rare Collection" (1999 release)

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight .... Columbia or CBS/Sony SRCS 7168 (Japan) .... Jaco plays on one track:
Good Question
with: Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Bill Summers, Raul Rekow, Patrick Gleeson

Tom Scott - Intimate Strangers .... Columbia (LP) .... CD released in Japan, distributed by Sony Music Entertainment(Japan) SRCS 9539 .... Jaco plays on one brief interlude:
Lost Inside The Love Of You (Reprise)
with: Tom Scott

Weather Report - Mr. Gone .... Columbia
Weather Report - Mr. Gone .... re-mastered in 1991 - ARC/Columbia/Legacy CK 46869
The Pursuit Of The Woman With The Feathered Hat, River People, Young And Fine, The Elders, Mr. Gone, Punk Jazz, Pinocchio, And Then
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Manolo Badrena, Peter Erskine, Jon Lucien, Steve Gadd, Tony Williams, Deniece Williams, Maurice White

Weather Report - Live Weather .... bootleg .... Show Company SC-9447-1/2 (Japan) .... live double CD, some tracks without Jaco, sounds like Alphonso Johnson
Scarlet Woman, Teen Town, A Remark You Made, Black Market, Gibraltar (misspelled: Gibraltal), Birdland
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine

Weather Report - Mythique Weather .... bootleg (Japan) .... double CD, 9/29/78 live recording in Germany
Black Market, Scarlet Woman, Young and Fine/ The Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat, A Remark You Made, River People, Thanks for the Memory/Dolores, Slang, Mr. Gone, In a Silent Way, Waterfall, Teen Town, I Got it Bad/ Birdland, Fred and Jack, Elegant People, Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz Medley
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine

1979

Havana Jam .... Columbia .... LP .... 1997 CD release in Japan
Weather Report: Black Market .... Trio of Doom: Dark Prince
with: Weather Report: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine .... Trio Of Doom: John McLaughlin, Tony Williams

Havana Jam 2 .... Columbia .... LP .... 1997 CD release in Japan
Weather Report: Teen Town .... Trio of Doom: Para Oriente, Continuum
with: Weather Report: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine .... Trio Of Doom: John McLaughlin, Tony Williams

Joni Mitchell - Mingus .... Asylum 505-2
Joni Mitchell - Mingus .... remastered 1997, marked "HDCD"
God Must Be A Boogie Man, A Chair In The Sky, Sweet Sucker Dance, The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
with: Joni Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine, Don Alias, Emil Richards

Manolo Badrena - Manolo .... A&M .... 2000 CD re-issue .... Jaco plays on one track:
The One Thing
with: Manolo Badrena
The Jaco track is available on "Rare Collection" (1999 release)

Michel Colombier .... Chrysalis .... Jaco plays on eight of 11 tracks:
Sunday, Dreamland, Overture, Bird Song, Layas, Do It, Spring, The Dancing Bull
with: Michel Colombier, Herbie Hancock, Lee Ritenour, Peter Erskine, Larry Carlton, Michael Boddicker, Airto Moreira, Steve Gadd, Ray Parker Jr., Jerry Knight, Tom Scott
Until 1999, this had been LP only.... 1999 CD release distributed by "Anthology's" in France .... 3052162.

Michel Polnareff - Coucou Me Revoilou (France, 1989 release) .... Epic epc465831-2 .... Jaco plays on one track:
Une Simple Melodie
with: Michel Polnareff, others not listed on liner notes
the track "Une Simple Melodie" is also available on a double CD entitled "Polnareff la Compilation" .... Sony Music Entertainment(France) 469261 2.

Weather Report - 8:30 .... Columbia CD 88455 (double CD)
Weather Report - 8:30 .... the U.S. re-mastered CD release (1994 Columbia/Legacy) is missing the song "Scarlet Woman" which appears on the original double LP
Black Market, Scarlet Woman, Teen Town, A Remark You Made, Slang (Bass Solo), Birdland, Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz Medley, 8:30, Brown Street, The Orphan, Sightseeing
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine

Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light .... Asylum 704-2 (1980 release) The original U.S. CD release is missing three tracks which appear on the original double LP
Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light .... a Japan two-CD release (Electra WPCP-3960-1) contains the entire original double LP version
Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light .... remastered 1997 .... the full version on two CDs, marked "HDCD"
In France They Kiss On Main Street, Edith And The Kingpin, Coyote, Free Man in Paris, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines, Black Crow, Hejira, Dreamland, God Must Be A Boogie Man
with: Joni Mitchell, Don Alias, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Michael Brecker

1980

Herbie Hancock - Mr. Hands .... Columbia 471240-2 re-mastered for CD in 1992
Herbie Hancock - Mr. Hands .... remastered for a Sony Mastersound release in Japan .... Jaco plays on one track:
4 A.M.
with: Herbie Hancock, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers

Weather Report - Night Passage .... Columbia CK 36793
Night Passage, Dream Clock, Port Of Entry, Forlorn, Rockin' In Rhythm, Fast City, Three View Of A Secret, Madagascar
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Robert Thomas Jr.

Weather Report/Jaco Pastorius - Paris Live 1980 Vol. 1 .... bootleg .... Gemini Musukproduktions ( 51063 Cologne, Germany )
River People, Fast City, Three Views of A Secret, Port of Entry, Black Market
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Robert Thomas Jr.

Weather Report - The Collection 1977-80 .... Castle Communications (England) .... out of print .... re-release of 13 Weather Report tracks from: Heavy Weather, Mr. Gone, 8:30, Night Passage
Birdland, Teen Town, The Juggler, The Pursuit Of The Woman With The Feathered Hat, The Elders, Punk Jazz, And Then, Black Market (Live), A Remark You Made (Live), Night Passage, Rockin' In Rhythm, Fast City, Madagascar
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena, Peter Erskine, Robert Thomas Jr.

Weather Report - Live Passage .... bootleg .... Jazz Masters JM-013-14 (Japan) .... out of print .... live in Boston 1/25/80 .... two CDs
8:30/Sightseeing, Madagascar, Three Views of a Secret, Port of Entry, Dream Clock, Fast City, Bass Solo, Brown Street (mistitled: The Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat), Forlorn, Rockin' In Rhythm, Birdland
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Robert Thomas Jr.

1981

Jaco Pastorius - Word of Mouth .... Warner Bros. 3535-2
Crisis, Three Views Of A Secret, Liberty City, Chromatic Fantasy, Blackbird, Word Of Mouth, John And Mary
with: Don Alias, Jack DeJohnette, Peter Clark Erskine, Herbert Jeffrey Hancock, Paul Hornmuller, Othello Molineaux, Robert Thomas Jr., Leroy Williams, David Bargeron, Roger Bobo, John Clark, David Duke, Bobby Findley, Chuck Findley, Peter Gordon, Tommy Johnson, William Lane, Charles Loper, Waren Luening, Lew McCreary, Jim Pugh, William Reichenbach, Jeff Reynolds, David Taylor, Brad Warnaar, Snooky Young, Michael Brecker, David Breidenthal, Robert Cowart, Howard Johnson, Hubert Laws, Lorin Levee, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter, Toots Thielemans, James Walker, David Weiss, George Young, Jim Gilstrap, John Lehman, Edie Lehmann, Myrna Matthews, Marti McCall, Petsye Powell, Alfie Silas, Zedric Turnbough, others

Jaco Pastorius - The Birthday Concert .... Warner Bros. 9 45290-2 (1995 release) .... also: sample tracks from The Birthday Concert are found on a CD included with some paperback copies of Milkowski's "Jaco" book
Soul Intro/The Chicken, Continuum, Invitation, Three Views Of A Secret, Liberty City, Punk Jazz, Reza, Domingo, Amerika
with: Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Don Alias, Peter Erskine, Brian O'Flaherty, Ken Faulk, Brett Murphey, Melton Mustafa, Dan Bonsanti, Gary Lindsay, Neal Bonsanti, Randy Emerick, Peter Graves, Russ Freeland, Mike Katz, Dave Bargeron, Peter Gordon, Jerry Peel or Steve Roitstein, Othello Molineaux, Paul Hornmuller, Bobby Thomas Jr., Oscar Salas, Larry Warrilow

1982

Jaco Pastorius - Holiday for Pans .... bootleg.... Sound Hills SSCD-8001(1993 Japan)
Mysterious Mountain, Elegant People, Good Morning Annya, She's Leaving Home, Holiday For Pans, Giant Steps, City Of Angels, Birth Of Island
with: Wayne Shorter, Don Alias, Othello Molineaux, Leroy Williams, Mike Gerber, Toots Thielemans, Bobby Economou, Kenwood Denard, Ted Lewand, Peter Graves, Craig Thayler, Michael Gibbs Orchestra, some un-named bassist adding counterfeit bass parts

Jaco Pastorius - Full Complete Session from Holiday For Pans (1980-82) .... bootleg.... Sound Hills SSCD-8098-8100 .... 1999 release in Japan .... includes alternate takes and incomplete tracks .... boxed set of 3 CDs, 3 postcards, and a t-shirt
Village of the Angels, City (Village) Of The Angels, She's Leaving Home, She's Leaving Home, Birth Of Island, Birth Of Island, Birth Of Island, Giant Steps, Mysterious Mountain, Good Morning Anya, Mysterious Mountain, Good Morning Anya, Elegant People, Holiday For Strings, Holiday For Pans

Jazz At The Opera House .... produced by Conrad Silvert .... Sony SRCS 7068-9 (Japan) .... Jaco is not mentioned in the credits of the original LP version, but plays on one track:
Footprints
with: Tony Williams, Charlie Haden, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Hutcherson

Bob Mintzer - Source .... Agharta
Bob Mintzer - Source .... Canyon D32Y0048 (1985 Japan) .... Jaco plays on two tracks:
I Don't Know, Spiral
with: Bob Mintzer, Carla Poole, Manolo Badrena, Frank Malabe, Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff, Alan Ruben, Alan Raph, Tom Malone, Peter Erskine, Don Grolnick, Tom Barney, Bill Washer

Weather Report - Weather Report .... Columbia CK 37616
Volcano For Hire, Current Affairs, N.Y.C., Dara Factor One, When It Was Now, Speechless, Dara Factor Two
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Robert Thomas Jr.

This Is Jazz 40 - Weather Report - The Jaco Years .... Columbia 65451 .... 1998 release .... re-released tracks from: Black Market, Heavy Weather, Mr. Gone, 8:30, Night Passage, Weather Report ('82)
Punk Jazz, River People, A Remark You Made, Havona, Three Views Of A Secret, Teen Town, Speechless, Port Of Entry, Barbary Coast, Slang
with: Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter Tony Williams, Alex Acuna, Peter Erskine

Jaco Pastorius - Twins I & II .... Warner Bros. P-11317 and P-11318 (vinyl, Japan) .... two separate LPs
Jaco Pastorius - Twins I & II .... Warner Bros. Japan WPCR 10609 (1999 release) .... two CDs
Twins I: Invitation, Soul Intro/The Chicken, Continuum, Liberty City, Three Views of a Secret, Sophisticated Lady
Twins II: Amerika, Okonkole' y Trompa, Reza/Giant Steps/Reza, Elegant People, Twins, Pac-Man Blues ('Fannie Mae'), Eleven
with: Don Alias, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Bobby Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Toots Thielemans, Elmer Brown, Forrest Buchtel, Jon Faddis, Ron Tooley, Wayne Andre, David Bargeron, Peter Graves, Bill Reichenbach, Mario Cruz, Randy Emerick, Alex Foster, Paul McCandliss, Peter Gordon, Brad Warnaar

Jaco Pastorius - Invitation .... Warner Bros. 23876 (U.S. compilation of Twins I & II ), on CD as a Japanese Import WB, WPCP 4932
Invitation, Amerika, Soul Intro/The Chicken, Continuum, Liberty City, Sophisticated Lady, Reza/Giant Steps/Reza, Fannie Mae/Eleven
with: Don Alias, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Bobby Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Toots Thielemans, Elmer Brown, Forrest Buchtel, Jon Faddis, Ron Tooley, Wayne Andre, David Bargeron, Peter Graves, Bill Reichenbach, Mario Cruz, Randy Emerick, Alex Foster, Paul McCandliss, Peter Gordon, Brad Warnaar

Jaco Pastorius Live with the Word Of Mouth Big Band .... bootleg .... Jazzdoor 1296 .... this is a bootleg copy of Invitation

Jaco Pastorius - Le demi-dieu de la basse.... WarnerMusic France (1997 release) .... re-release of 12 tracks from: Word of Mouth, Invitation, The Birthday Concert
Soul Intro/The Chicken, 3 Views of a Secret, Continuum, Liberty City, Blackbird, Invitation, Word of Mouth, Domingo, Sophisticated Lady, Fannie Mae, Crisis, Punk Jazz

1984

Jaco Pastorius - Blackbird .... bootleg .... Timeless ALCR-123 (1991 Japan) .... out of print
Broadway Blues, Slang, Purple Haze, Fannie Mae, Blackbird, Donna Lee, Continuum, Naima
with: Rashied Ali

Essence featuring Jaco Pastorius - Last Flight .... bootleg .... DIW 831 (1989 Japan)
Universe Is My Home part 1, Universe Is My Home part 2, Galeon
with: Carlos Cervantes, Michael Gerber, Delmar Brown, Yaco G. Grau

Randy Bernsen - Music for Planets, People & Washing Machines .... AMC (LP with a different cover design), and Zebra ZEBD-5756 .... Jaco plays on two tracks:
Olde Hats, Windsong
with: Randy Bernsen, Peter Erskine, Othello, Ali, Paul Horn-Muller, Taras Kovayl, Gary Mayone, Robert Thomas Jr., Herbie Hancock, Urzula Dudziak, Michael Urbaniak, Melton Shakir Mustafa

1985

Brian Melvin's Night Food .... Timeless CDSJP 214 (Japan)
Ain't Nothing But A Party, Don't Forget The Bass, Night Food, Zen Turtles, For Max, Poly Wanna Rhythm, Primalass, The Warrior, Continuum
with: Brian Melvin, Rick Smith, Jon Davis, Paul Mousavizadeh, Jeff Osammon, Aushim Chaudhuri

Deadline - Down by Law .... Celluloid CELD6111 .... Jaco plays on part of one track only:
Makossa Rock
with: Manu Dibango, Bernie Worrel, Olu Dara, Steve Turre, Paul Butterfield, Aiyb Dieng, Phillip Wilson, Bill Lawell

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 1: Punk Jazz .... Big World 1001 (1990 release)
Donna Lee, Dania, Teen Town, The Chicken, Invitation, N.Y.C. Groove #1, Punk Jazz, Liberty City
with: Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Alex Foster, Butch Thomas, Delmar Brown, Michael Gerber, Jerry Gonzalez

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 2: Trio .... Big World 1002 (1991 release)
Wipe Out, Straight Life, I Shot The Sheriff, Teen Town, Dear Prudence, Ode To Billie Joe, Continuum, Son Of Creeper, Cissy Strut, Three Views Of A Secret
with: Kenwood Dennard, Hiram Bullock

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 3: Promise Land .... Big World 1003 (1991 release)
Bass & Percussion Intro, Continuum, N.Y.C. Groove #2, Teen Town, Alfie, Why I Sing The Blues, Promise Land, If You Could See Me Now, Naima
with: Kenwood Dennard, Hiram Bullock, Alex Foster, Butch Thomas, Delmar Brown, Jerry Gonzalez, Michael Gerber

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 4: Trio 2 .... Big World 1004 (1992 release)
Fannie Mae, Dolphin Dance, Teen Town, Mercy Mercy Mercy, Freedom Jazz Dance, Late Night Talk With You, Equinox, The Medley: Changes, Purple Haze, Simple Song
with: Hiram Bullock, Victor Lewis, Steve Ferrone, Kenwood Dennard

Jaco Pastorius in New York .... bootleg .... Jazz Door Records (1993 release, double CD) .... tracks identical to selections found on Live In New York vol 1-4
Dania, I Shot The Sheriff, Punk Jazz, Promise Land, Teen Town, Dear Prudence, Why I Sing The Blues, N.Y.C. Blues #2, Son Of Creeper, Invitation, Three Views Of A Secret, Naima, Continuum
with: Kenwood Dennard, Hiram Bullock, Alex Foster, Butch Thomas, Delmar Brown, Jerry Gonzalez, Michael Gerber

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 5: Raca .... Big World 1005 (1997 release)
Blackbird, Continuum, Mood Swings, After You, Sly Shuffle, Raca, Teen Town, Three Women, Good Morning Anya
with: Mike Stern, Steve Slagle, Adam Nussbaum

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 6: Punk Jazz 2 .... Big World 1006 (1999 release)
Amerika, Beaver Patrol, If You Could See Me Now, Dania, Dolphin Dance, Fannie Mae, Teen Town
with: Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Alex Foster, Butch Thomas, Jerry Gonzalez, Delmar Brown, Michael Gerber

Pastorius - Live in New York City, Vol. 7: History .... Big World 1007 (1999 release)
Bass Solo/Amerika, Continuum, Straight Life, Teen Town, Dolphin Dance, Agaya, History, Three Views of a Secret
with: Hiram Bullock, Victor Lewis

Francisco Mondragon Rio featuring Jaco Pastorius - Natural .... bootleg .... Pulque (vinyl) and DIW 321 (1988 Japan) .... Jaco plays on three of four tracks
Phlegeton, The Foreigner, Leap Frog
with: Francisco Mondragon Rio, Yaco G. Grau, Hugh Peterson

Jimmy Cliff - Cliff Hanger .... Columbia CK 40002 .... Jaco plays on one track:
Brown Eyes
with: Jimmy Cliff, others

Jimmy Page and Friends - Historic Performances .... bootleg .... Asian Trading KP391462 (1994 release) .... 10/30/85 jam at the Lone Star Cafe, N.Y. .... Jaco is heard on one track, jamming with Jimmy and other unlisted musicians

1986

Brian Melvin - Jazz Street .... Timeless CDSJP 258 (1989 release)
No Slack, Jazz Street, Miles Mode, Wedding Waltz, Out Of The Night, Drums Of Yadzarah
with: Brian Melvin, Rick Smith, Jon Davis, Paul Mousavi, Bill Keaney

Brian Melvin's Nightfood - Nightfood .... Global Pacific ZK 40733 (1988 release) .... Jaco plays on five tracks:
Fever, Dania, Mercy Mercy Mercy, Bahama Mama, Mile's Mode
with: Brian Melvin, Bob Weir, Meri Saunders, Andy Narell, Jon Davis, Rick Smith, Tim Hyland, Craig Kilby, Jan Fanucci, Rosie Gaines, Lori Taylor, Paul Mousavi, Bill Keaney

Brian Melvin Trio - Standards Zone .... Global Pacific R2 79335 (1990 release)
Brian Melvin Trio - Standards Zone .... Venus TKCZ-79003 (1993 Japan) same recording, but with a different cover design
Morning Star, Days Of Wine And Roses, Wedding Waltz, Moon And Sand, So What, Fire Water, If You Could See Me Now, Out Of The Night, Tokyo Blues, Village Blues
with: Brian Melvin, Jon Davis

Jaco Pastorius - Broadway Blues .... bootleg .... Jazzpoint (1998 release) .... two CDs, one containing three different versions of the song Teresa .... March 1986 recording
Broadway Blues, Teen Town, Reza, The Days of Wine and Roses, Donna Lee, Jaco Reggae, Bluma, Medley, Teresa
with: Bireli Lagrene, Peter Lubke

Jaco Pastorius - Honestly solo live .... bootleg .... Jazzpoint jp 1032 (1990 Japan) .... solo bass
Part 1-10

Jaco Pastorius - Live in Italy .... bootleg .... Jazzpoint jp 1031 (1991 Japan)
Teen Town, I Shot The Sheriff, Continuum, Fannie Mae, Black Market, Satin Doll
with: Bireli Lagrene, Thomas Borocz

Jaco Pastorius - PDB .... bootleg .... DIW 827 (1989 Japan) .... very poor fidelity, poor mix .... producer: Hiram Bullock
Invitation, Three Views Of A Secret, Son Of Creeper, Ode To Billy Joe, Continuum, Dolphin Dance
with: Kenwood Dennard, Hiram Bullock

Lagrene, Bireli & Jaco Pastorius - Stuttgart Aria .... Jazzpoint jp 1019 (Japan)
American Boy, Donna Lee, Stuttgart Aria I, Jaco Reggae, The Chicken, Teresa, Stuttgart Aria II, The Days Of Wine And Roses
with: Bireli Lagrene, Vladislaw Sendecki, Jan Jankeje, Peter Lubke, Serge Bringolf

Bireli Lagrene - Highlights (compilation) .... Jazzpoint (Japan) 1990 .... two re-released tracks from Stuttgart Aria
Jaco Reggae, Teresa

Mike Stern - Upside Downside .... Atlantic 7 81656-2 .... Jaco plays on one track:
Mood Swings
with: Mike Stern, Bob Berg, Steve Jordan
the Jaco track is available on "Rare Collection" (1999 release)

Randy Bernsen - Mo' Wasabi .... Zebra ZEBD-5857 .... Jaco plays on three tracks:
Swing Thing, Jac Attack/Dover Days, Califoric
with: Randy Bernsen, Peter Erskine, Toots Thielemans, Taras Kovayl, Ocean Sound Band (Horns), Herbie Hancock, Bobby Economou, Ray Lyon, Gary Mayone, Robert Thomas Jr.

Randy Bernsen - Paradise Citizens .... Zebra ZEBD 42132 .... Jaco is heard on one track (CD-only bonus track): "Paradise Citizens", - a musical collage of Jaco and Bernsen excerpts. (a guitar and horn arrangement of Jaco's "Continuum" is also included)
Paradise Citizens
with: Randy Bernsen, Alex D'Arqui, Mark Griffith, Steve Rucker

Jaco Pastorius - Best Works Collection .... bootleg .... Jimco (1992 Japan) ....
re-releases from Honestly, Stuttgart Aria, Live In Italy
Black Market, Honesty Part 2, Donna Lee, Stuggart Aria, Continuum, Jaco Reggae, Teresa, Honestly Part 9, Teen Town

Jaco Pastorius - Best Improvisation .... bootleg .... (1997 Japan) .... re-releases from Honestly, Stuttgart Aria, Live In Italy, Heavy'n Jazz
Teen Town, Black Market, Continuum, Donna Lee, Stuttgart Aria II, Teresa, Honestly part 5, Broadway Blues

Jaco Pastorius - Golden Roads .... bootleg .... Sound Hills (1997 Japan) .... 30 min. bass and keyboard improv.
Golden Roads
with: Benjamin Germain

Jaco Pastorius - A Good Stitch For Golden Roads .... bootleg .... Sound Hills (1997 Japan) .... 30 min. keyboard improv. .... no bass
Golden Roads

Jaco Pastorius - Curtain Call .... bootleg .... AHR-2001 (1996 release) .... live trio performance in a small club setting.
Speak Like A Child/Invitation, Donna Lee, Solo Medley: Blackbird/Okonkole y Trompa/Continuum/Portrait Of Tracy, John and Mary, Mercy Mercy Mercy, So What/Teen Town
with: Brian Melvin, Jon Davis

Jaco Pastorius - Heavy'n Jazz .... bootleg .... Jazzpoint jp 1036 (1992 Japan)
Broadway Blues, Bluma, Smoke On The Water, The Medley: Purple Haze/Third Stone From The Sun/Teen Town, Star Spangled Banner, Reza, Honestly, Invitation, Jaco Reggae
with: Bireli Lagrene, Serge Bringolf

Jaco Pastorius - Another Side of... .... bootleg .... Jazzpoint jp 1064 .... yet another re-release of available tracks

other Jazzpoint discs packaged and re-released as double-CDs:

Jaco Pastorius - Heavy'n Jazz & Stuttgart Aria .... bootleg
Jaco Pastorius - Broadway Blues & Teresa .... bootleg
Jaco Pastorius - Live in Italy & Honestly .... bootleg

Jaco Pastorius -Rare Collection ... Polydor POCJ-1693 1999 release.... various artists .... several single rare tracks
Michel Colombier 'Dreamland" .... Little Beaver "I Can Dig It Baby" .... Manolo Badrena "The One Thing" .... Bob Mintzer "Spiral" .... Airto Moreira "Nativity" .... Ira Sullivan "Portrait of Sal La Rosa" .... Al Manglesdorff "Ant Steps On An Elephant's Toe" .... Mike Stern "Mood Swings" .... Flora Purim "The Hope"

1993

Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix .... Reprise 9 45438-2 .... Pat Metheny used sampled Jaco on:
Third Stone From The Sun
with: Pat Metheny, Matthew Garrison, Jack DeJohnette

Other CDs in Japan listed on the Tower Records computer:
Jaco Pastorius Miles Mode
Jaco Pastorius Standards
Jaco Pastorius Best Works (possibly: 1986 Jaco Pastorius Best Works Collection)
Be aware that most of these newer CDs are simply re-releases, and not unheard recordings. They are often selected tracks from previous releases, compiled and given a new title for a CD release.

NOTE
Many of the mid-'80s Jaco performances were released in the '90s as "bootlegs" - meaning illegitimately, and without regard for Jaco's family or other musicians performing. Some are haphazard musical performances, and some are poorly recorded. Some offer fresh material, but some are simply re-hashed mid-'80s renditions of the same songs. Please read the discography section i n Milkowski's "Jaco" book for important thoughts on this.

This discography chronicles some of Jaco's recording and performance career. It is compiled with completeness and accuracy in mind, and to arrange everything into a chronological order, but NOT to encourage buying bootleg recordings, some of which may disappoint you.

Singles (for radio play)

1976 Joni Mitchell - Coyote/Blue Motel Room
1977 Weather Report - Birdland (3:45 version)/Teen Town
1977 Weather Report - Birdland (3:45 version)/Palladium
1977 Weather Report - Birdland (3:45 version)/The Juggler
1977 Joni Mitchell - Jericho/(B side ?)
1978 Weather Report - River People/Birdland (3:45 version)
1978 Weather Report - River People/The Pursuit Of The Woman With The Feathered Hat
1981 WarnerBros. Maxi-Single-LP (promotional copy) John And Mary/Liberty City
1982 Various Artists - Appetizers ... a promo-only jazz sampler (LP) featuring Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, Patti Austin, Lena Horne, Mike Manieri
1984 Deadline - Down By Law .... 12 inch single

Radio Specials

National Public Radio broadcast: We Remember Jaco! The Jaco Pastorius Word of Mouth Big Band from the 1982 performance at the Kool Jazz Festival, New York. Jaco talks briefly with journalist Conrad Silvert. Part of NPR's "JazzSet" series, hosted by Branford Marsalis .... Aired in 1996, 1997 .... This concert was originally recorded for broadcast as part of NPR's "Jazz Alive" series, hosted by Ben Sidran.

BBC Radio 3 broadcast: PUNK JAZZ - A Portrait of Jaco Pastorius A study of bass player Jaco Pastorius, featuring rare recordings and interviews with his family and friends. A series of four half-hour shows, aired in 1998

Tributes

1991 ... We Remember Pastorius .... Toshiba EMI TOCJ-5616 .... various artists
Teen Town, They Call Him Jaco, If 6 Was 9, John Francis, The Big Burn, Portrait of Tracy, Jaco & Joyce, Bromez Blues, Two Geniuses, Fannie Mae, A View from West Third St.

1992 ... I Remember Jaco - featuring Bob Mintzer .... Novus 63139-2
The Visionary, Three Views of a Secret, The Great Chase, What Might Have Been, Relentless, A Moment of Peace, A Method to the Madness, Truth
Bob Mintzer, Joey Calderazzo, Jeff Andrews, Peter Erskine, Frankie Malabe, Michael Formanek

1993 ... Basstorius - music inspired by the genius of Jaco Pastorius ... also known as "Bass Talk III" .... Hot Wire Records .... various artists
Laurence Cottle "Notorius" .... T De Winkel & Matteo Garrison "Nude Decending on a Staircase" .... Carlos Benavent "Madrid" .... Randy Bernsen Trio "Yoto" .... Dave LaRue "Juanita" .... Koono "Basstorius" .... Ben Hullenkremer & Kai Eckhardt "The Cat" .... Stefan Rademacher "Tribute" .... Alan Thomson & Dave Lewis "If Only" .... Mo Foster "The Man From The Everglades" .... Christoph Spendel "Mr. Bigband" .... Carlo Mombelli "The Marathon Runner"

1998 ... Who Loves You - A Tribute to Jaco Pastorius .... Victor (JVC) VICJ 60185 .... various artists
Third Stone from the Sun, A Remark You Made, Continuum, Jaco, Fall'n Star, Okonkole Y Trompa, Come On Come Over, Three Views of a Secret, Dania, Portrait of Tracy, Song for Jaco - Song for a Friend, A Wing and a Prayer
Don Alias, Victor Bailey, Jim Beard, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Steve Cardenas, Joey Calderazzo, Michael Davis, Kevin DeSimone, Mark Egan, Peter Erskine, Bill Evans, Steve Gadd, James Genus, Gil Goldstein, Chris Hunter, Jim Hynes, Bob James, Will Lee, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, John Patitucci, David Sanborn, Andy Snitzer, Mike Stern, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, George Whitty

1999 ... Rich Franks, Alex Darqui, John Patitucci - For Our Friend .... Port of Call Records
Unit Sketch, Stream, En Debutant, Blow Fish Blues, Antilliar, For Our Friend, Microcosm, Ephesus, Discussions 1, Discussions 2
Rich Franks, Alex Darqui, John Patitucci

2001(?) ... Jaco Songs .... VICJ60666 .... Tribute to Jaco, by Various Artists .... Compiled by Yoshio Matsushita - Japan
Portrait of Tracy, Come On Come Over, John & Mary, Las Olas, Okonkole Y Trompa, Three Views of a Secret, Dania, Teen Town, Continuum, Las-Olas (w/Flora Purim & Jaco/Herbie Hancock/Airto Moreira)
Marcus Miller, Tomohito Aoki, Anand & Dante, Michel Camilo Trio, The Manhattan Project (Wayne Shorter/Stanley Clarke/Lenny white), Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Hiram Bullock, Don Alias, Steve Gadd, Michael Colina, John Patitucci, Alex Acuna, others

Videography

*'74 Pastorius, Metheny, Ditmas, Bley - video effects
'76 Weather Report - live in Montreux (Montreux Jazz Festival) French TV broadcast
'76 Weather Report - live in Montreux - alternate broadcast with a bonus track
'76 Albert Mangelsdorff documentary - includes an excerpt from the Trilogue concert
'77 Weather Report appearance on "Midnight Special" U.S. TV broadcast
'78 Weather Report - Rockpalast Germany
'78 Weather Report - Reading, PN
'78 Weather Report - Washington, D.C.
'79 "Berliner Jazztage '79" - "Focus on Jazz" TV broadcast of Jaco's solo performance (Berlin)
'79 Weather Report - "Havana Jam" 5 min. montage from a documentary
'79 "Havana Jam" ... all-star finale jam with John McLaughlin and others ... 3 min. video clip
*'79 Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light (1980 release on Warner Home Video)
'80 Weather Report - Beogradski Jazz Festival
'82 Aurex Jazz Festival 1982 (Japan) - Word of Mouth Big Band ... Japanese TV broadcast
*'82 "Festival International de Jazz de Montreal" (six-piece band at Montreal Jazz Festival, Spectrel Video)
'83 Nice Jazz Festival, France
'84 "Live Under The Sky '84" Gil Evans Orchestra with Jaco ... Japanese TV broadcast
*'85 "Jeff Berlin" (instructional video) ... brief excerpt of Jaco and Jeff soloing on "Invitation"
'85 "So What?" - Jaco Pastorius Band ... Belgium TV broadcast
*'85 Jaco Pastorius - "Modern Electric Bass" (instructional video)
'86 Jaco and Bireli Legrene .... live in Italy
'86 Jaco and Bireli Legrene .... live in Salzburg
'96? BET "Jazz Central" broadcast ... Jaco tribute ... host Lee Mergner interviews Bill Milkowski, Marcus Miller, Peter Erskine

* commercially available

there are other audience-shot bootlegs, not listed here

Compositions

Jaco mentioned in an early interview that he did some compositions with altered tunings on the bass, and there were likely other compositions never recorded. Here's a list of known titles, along with other non-Jaco recordings where they can be heard:

6/4 Jam
71+ .... Wallace Roney "Misterios"
Amelia
Balloon Song .... Gil Goldstein "City of Dreams"
Barbary Coast
Birth Of Island
Blowfish Blues .... Steve Smith/Vital Information "Where We Come From".... "For Our Friend" tribute
City Of Angels .... Michel Camilo "On the Other Hand"
Come On, Come Over (Herzog/Pastorius) .... "Who Loves You" tribute
Continuum .... Randy Bernsen "Paradise Citizens" .... Michael Gerber "This Is Michael Gerber" .... Scott Henderson "Tore Down House" .... "Who Loves You" tribute .... Victor Bailey "Low Blow"
Crisis
Dania .... "The Manhattan Project" (Lenny White) .... "Who Loves You" tribute
Domingo
Forgotten Love
Good Morning Anya ... Carlos Benavent "Phoenix"
Havona .... Othello Molineaux "It's About Time" .... Christian McBride "Sci-Fi"
Honestly (Improv)
John And Mary .... Anand and Dante "Homegrown"
Kuru/Speak Like A Child (Pastorius/Hancock)
Las Olas .... Flora Purim "Everyday Everynight" .... Michel Camilo "Suntan" .... Michael Gerber "This Is Michael Gerber"
Liberty City
Microcosm .... "For Our Friend" tribute
Okonkole Y Trompa .... "Who Loves You" tribute
Opus Pocus
Portrait Of Tracy .... "We Remember Pastorius" tribute .... "Who Loves You" tribute
Punk Jazz
Reza
River People
Soul Intro (from Soul Intro/The Chicken)
Teen Town .... "We Remember Pastorius" tribute .... Marcus Miller "The Sun Don't Lie" .... Kenwood Dennard "Just Advance" .... "The Doky Brothers" .... John Fedchock "On the Edge" .... Finnish Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra ..... Suguru Miyaji "The Weather Eyes"
Teresa
Three Views of a Secret .... Bob Mintzer "I Remember Jaco" .... Anand and Dante "Homegrown" .... Gil Goldstein "City of Dreams" .... Bireli Legrene "Acoustic Moments" .... "Who Loves You" tribute .... George Mraz "Bottom Lines" ..... Suguru Miyaji "The Weather Eyes" ..... Michiel Borstlap "Body Acoustic"
Three Women ... Carlos Benavent "Phoenix"
Twins
(Used To Be A) Cha-Cha .... Michel Camilo "Suntan"
Word Of Mouth

Co-writer, group efforts
American Boy (Lagrene, Pastorius, Sendecki, Jankeje)
Dara Factor Two (Zawinul, Shorter, Pastorius, Erskine, Thomas)
Jac Attack/Dover Days (Bernsen, Pastorius, Mayonne, Lyon, Yianilos)
Stuttgart Aria I & II (Lagrene, Pastorius, Sendecki, Jankeje)

Jaco's horn arrangement originally heard on Joni Mitchell's "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines" ("Mingus" album) was later used in the Word of Mouth Big Band on the song "Fannie Mae"

Resources

The pastorius family website
www.jacop.net

Other Jaco related sites

Jaco: The Extraordinary And Tragic Life Of Jaco pastorius
by Bill Milkowski Miller Freeman, 264 pages, US$$22.95
(excerpt)
"While Jaco pastorius may be a little known name outside the rarified circles of the world of jazz fusion, his life story, as ably told by Milkowski, is an eerie, frightening tale of madness, drug abuse and the dissipation of an awesomely talented bassist, who reinvented the instrument's role in the realm of fusion in the early '70s with Weather Report. The tale of talent tossed away of the trash heap of drugs and hopelessness may be common currency in the jazz world, but pastorius found extremes unexplored by musicians of his caliber and international acclaim. Homeless, barefoot and lost, he walks through the final chapters of his biography gone and gaunt, institutionalized, despondent, a boat without a rudder. Ultimately, perhaps, a marginal figure in the history of music, pastorius and his misspent life are the stuff of legends."

UPDATE!

Rocco has been suffering from Hepatitis C causing excessive ammonia buildup and these complications have further caused him to develop diabetes and kidney problems. The doctors said he would not survive without a liver transplant. On 7/23/02, a donor liver became available and Rocco underwent a 6-hour transplant surgery!

See: www.francisroccoprestia.com for more info

Rocco Prestia is the innovator of 'Fingerstyle Funk'. His bass lines on tunes such as "What Is Hip?' are legendary among fans and music professionals alike.

He has produced a top notch instruction video, title "Fingerstyle Funk". It is an excellent resource for any aspiring bass player. The bonus for any Tower of Power fan, is it includes video footage of the entire band.

Bass Player Magazine made Rocco the subject of a major article in their December 1997 issue. His photo was on the magazine cover.

Rocco has released his own solo project, "Everybody on the Bus". It is currently in release around the world. The work was produced by Carmen Grillo and includes the following players (among others): 'Doc' Kupka, Jeff Tamelier, Chester Thompson, Bruce Conte and David Garibaldi.

"To many, Francis Rocco Prestia's driving 16th note bass lines have become a classic part of the bass world and Tower of Power albums a staple part of their listening libraries. His influence as a stylist and individual voice on the electric bass is almost unparalleled. No matter what the current trend in music, or whoever might be considered the newest "genius" on the instrument, Mr. Prestia has been consistently laying it down like no other for over 25 years. Amongst musicians in general and bassists in particular he is held in the highest esteem, and peers no less than Will Lee and Jaco Pastorius (to name but two) have been more than ready to recognize the musical debt owed to him.
Discussing music with Rocco is much more than just an explanation or analysis of tunes and bass technique - it's understanding and putting to words the evolution of a "sound" and the importance of "feel." If you've ever seen Tower of Power perform you have certainly heard a man who can play "in the pocket" like few have before. If you haven't heard the band yet, do yourself a big favor..."
- Bass Frontiers Magazine (excerpt from 1995 Vol2, No3)

"One of the most unmistakable sounds in all of bassdom is the driving, fleet-fingered funk laid down by Tower of Power great Francis Rocco Prestia III. Few, if any, have ever moved so much air while fitting so seamlessly into a groove and tastefully into an ensemble... In addition to being an invaluable education tool, Fingerstyle Funk is a fine biography of Rocco, exposing the real person behind the potent 16th-note grooves."
- Bass Player Magazine

Order Rocco's CD
Tower of Power

Jimmy Haslip

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Quick interview with Jimmy Haslip You have so many inspiring musical choices in your personal collection. What are some of your favorite styles and what is it about them that keeps you coming back?

Tributes

Videography

Compositions

Quick interview with Jimmy Haslip

You have so many inspiring musical choices in your personal collection. What are some of your favorite styles and what is it about them that keeps you coming back?