Jazz Archives

Back before he turned everyone's idea of bass playing inside out, Jaco Pastorius spent five years on the bandstand with the Peter Graves Orchestra at Bachelors III, a swanky spot in his hometown of Ft. Lauderdale. Nearly three decades after the future star's departure in 1975, and 16 years after his brutal murder, Graves got the guys back together, christened them in their former colleague's name, and invited the most prominent bass guitarists of the early 21st century down to join them in a project dedicated to Pastorius' legacy. Throughout these polished performances, the bass parts testify to how profoundly Pastorius altered that instrument's role. Bottom line (so to speak): he gave them the option of playing from a soloist mentality and blowing all over the beat, as fast and free as any saxophonist, as long as he or she had chops and didn't subvert the groove. The guest bassists on this collection absorbed this lesson long ago. Each can scatter quick licks, some of them even faster than Pastorius himself. So why does a vague disenchantment haunt these performances?

Perhaps it's because these players, great as they are, are still emulating more than discovering. Some imitate even the nuances of the Pastorius tone and phrasing, as does Richard Bona on "Punk Jazz" -- which, of course, may be a form of tribute in this context. On an opposite extreme, the light-speed, staccato hailstorm unleashed by Victor Wooten on "Teen Town" is fundamentally unmusical, focusing on the player more than the material being played -- which is, come to think of it, the real revelation here. Pastorius' tunes reflect a compositional maturity that wasn't always evident in the more improvisational context of Weather Report, and his arrangements -- notably an idiosyncratic treatment of "Killing Me Softly" and the marimba-flavored exotica of "Opus Pocus" - suggest that had he had more time, he would have written history with his pen as much as his performance. One complaint: the samples of Pastorius' voice, chopped into microbits that carry no meaningful content and seem intended to function as objects of postmodern reflection, if not reverence. All these interruptions accomplish is to remind you that some artists speak most eloquently without words.

:::Review by Robert L. Doerschuk:::

Jaco Pastorius Big Band - Word Of Mouth Revisited (2003)

1. Jaco Speaks (0:07)
2. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Havona (5:20)
Arranged By - Larry Warrilow
Bass - Jimmy Haslip
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
3. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Teen Town (4:11)
Arranged By - Larry Warrilow
Bass - Victor Wooten
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
4. Jaco Speaks (0:04)
5. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Punk Jazz (5:04)
Bass - Richard Bona
Saxophone [Tenor] - Mike Scaglione
Written-By, Arranged By - Jaco Pastorius
6. Jaco Speaks (0:05)
7. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Barbary Coast (5:54)
Arranged By - Larry Warrilow
Bass - Gerald Veasley
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
8. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Killing Me Softly (4:23)
Arranged By - Jaco Pastorius
Bass - Jeff Carswell
Written-By - Charles Fox , Norman Gimbel
9. Jaco Speaks (0:05)
10. Jaco Pastorius Big Band (Used To Be A) Cha Cha (6:54)
Arranged By - Dan Bonsanti
Bass - Victor Bailey
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
11. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Wiggle Waggle (5:47)
Arranged By - Stan Webb
Bass - Jaco Pastorius
Written-By - Herbie Hancock
12. Jaco Speaks (0:11)
13. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Continuum (3:22)
Bass - Jimmy Haslip
Written-By, Arranged By - Jaco Pastorius
14. Jaco Speaks (0:04)
15. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Elegant People (6:30)
Arranged By - Jaco Pastorius
Bass - Gerald Veasley
Percussion [Hand Drums] - Bobby Thomas Jr.
Written-By - Wayne Shorter
16. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Opus Pocus (5:15)
Arranged By - Larry Warrilow
Bass - David Pastorius
Marimba - Gary Mayone
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
17. Peter & Jaco Speaks (0:47)
18. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Domingo (6:45)
Bass - Victor Bailey
Written-By, Arranged By - Jaco Pastorius
19. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Forgotten Love (4:02)
Arranged By - Larry Warrilow
Bass - Christian McBride
Flute - Mike Scaglione
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius
20. Jaco Speaks (0:04)
21. Marcus Miller Punk Jazz Revisited (6:35)
Bass, Clarinet [Bass], Drums, Clavinet, Saxophone [Soprano], Scratches - Marcus Miller
Saxophone [Soprano] - Roger Byman
Trumpet - Michael "Patches" Stewart
Written-By - Jaco Pastorius , Marcus Miller

Credits
Conductor - Peter Graves
Drums - Mark Griffith (2)
Guitar, Koto [Synth] - Randy Bernsen
Piano, Keyboards - Michael Levine
Saxophone [Alto, Soprano], Flute, Flute [Piccolo] - Billy Ross
Saxophone [Baritone], Clarinet [Bass], Flute - Mike Brignola
Saxophone [Tenor, Alto], Clarinet, Flute - Gary Keller
Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano], Clarinet - Ed Calle
Trombone - Dana Teboe
Trombone [Bass] - Craig Gosnell (tracks: 5, 10, 18) , John Kricker
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Jason Carder , Jeff Kievit , Ken Faulk