The Man, The Legend, Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius is considered to be one of the best, most progressive bass player of his time, and possibly of all time. He started his music career following his father as a drummer. He broke his wrist at a young age, and consequently was unable to play drums at all. His wrist was damaged enough to receive a surgery, which fixed his wrist but limited his physical abilities. During this time, he was involved in a local band; the bass player of the band quit, leaving them with an incomplete crew. Jaco decided to step up and be the bass player for the band, buying a 15 dollar electric bass from a shop. He continued on this path, with his first breakthrough in music working with Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders. Later on, Jaco began working with the band Weather Report, a jazz fusion band, where he really blew up and got a name for himself. Pastorius is also known for having bi-polar disorder-- the periods of time where he was innovative were typically times where he was in his other psyche. Jaco was brought into the band solely by his legendary technical skills and abilities. He played a 1960 Fender Jazz Bass, A.K.A the Bass of Doom because of its deep, pounding tone and fret-less neck design. Jaco's bass is currently being legally held by Robert Trujillo and owned by Jaco's Family. They received it from a collector in a legal battle, who received it from a pawn shop, who allegedly bought it from a man who stole it from Jaco at the time of his death. Jaco mainly played jazz and jazz fusion, evident in the Weather Report and his own musical endeavors. Pastorius is known for being funky, using 16^th notes and ghost notes to create his bass lines. He also popularized the electric bass, and more specifically, the fret-less bass. Jaco thought that frets were “speedbumps” and slowed him down. Jaco unfortunately died of a brain hemorrhage and brain death, at the hands of Luc Havan, a club bouncer. Havan was sentenced to 22 months and 5 years probation for manslaughter, but was then released on parole after 4 months on account of good behavior and recognition of no previous offenses. Jaco left a legacy behind-- one of funky, groovy bass lines, and innovative musical structures. He and will always be remembered as one of the greatest.