Don't know? Then you might have met a genius!
Jaco proclaimed himself the "greatest bass player in the world", then set out
to prove his point.
Jaco played chords, melodies and effects simultaneously...no bass player had
ever done this...and certainly not with the speed and accuracy Jaco possessed.
His hands were often a blur as he played his solos and riffs.
On stage, he was looked like a rock star, instead of
a jazz player. He shimmied like James Brown, tossed his bass like Pete Townsend,
whipped his bass with a strap ala Jimi Hendrix...and managed to revolutionize
bass playing.
Jaco's big break came when he joined Weather Report, a jazz fusion ensemble.
He later performed with jazz artists Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and Pat Metheny.
Jaco wasn't limited to jazz though, the played on Joni Mitchell's "Hejira"
and toured with her.
Jaco left Weather Report in 1982 to form his own band Word of Mouth. His
decline began soon after.
The man that took the bass to another level was reduced to homelessness, sleeping on park benches and on train tracks by night - begging for money by day.
Jaco Pastorius was beaten by a club bouncer on September 12, 1987.
He slipped into a coma and died 9 days later on September 21, 1987 at age 35.
His life is chronicled in two books.
Click here to read more about Jaco.
