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. Robert L. Doerschuk
Tracklist :
1. Jaco Speaks 0:07
2. Havona 5:19
Arranged By – Larry Warrilow
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
3. Teen Town 4:10
Arranged By – Larry Warrilow
Bass – Victor Wooten
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
4. Jaco Speaks 0:04
5. Punk Jazz 5:03
Bass – Richard Bona
Tenor Saxophone – Mike Scaglione
Written-By, Arranged By – Jaco Pastorius
6. Jaco Speaks 0:05
7. Barbary Coast 5:55
Arranged By – Larry Warrilow
Bass – Gerald Veasley
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
8. Killing Me Softly 4:22
Arranged By – Jaco Pastorius
Bass – Jeff Carswell
Written-By – Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel
9. Jaco Speaks 0:05
10. (Used to Be A) Cha Cha 6:54
Arranged By – Dan Bonsanti
Bass – Victor Bailey
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
11. Wiggle Waggle 5:46
Arranged By – Stan Webb
Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – Herbie Hancock
12. Jaco Speaks 0:10
13. Continuum 3:23
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Written-By, Arranged By – Jaco Pastorius
14. Jaco Speaks 0:04
15. Elegant People 6:29
Arranged By – Jaco Pastorius
Bass – Gerald Veasley
Drums [Hand Drums] – Bobby Thomas Jr.
Written-By – Wayne Shorter
16. Opus Pocus 5:16
Arranged By – Larry Warrilow
Bass – David Pastorius
Marimba – Gary Mayone
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
17. Peter & Jaco Speak 0:47
18. Domingo 6:44
Bass – Victor Bailey
Written-By, Arranged By – Jaco Pastorius
19. Forgotten Love 4:01
Arranged By – Larry Warrilow
Bass – Christian McBride
Flute – Mike Scaglione
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius
20. Jaco Speaks 7:18
21. Punk Jazz Revisited
Arranged By – Marcus Miller
Bass, Bass Clarinet, Drums, Clavinet, Soprano Saxophone, Scratches – Marcus Miller
Soprano Saxophone – Roger Byman
Trumpet – Michael "Patches" Stewart
Written-By – Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller
Line-up / Musicians
Victor Bailey, Jaco Pastorius, Jimmy Haslip, Gerald Veasley, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Victor Wooten, Richard Bona, Jeff Carswell, Dave Pastorius - Bass
Randy Bernsen - Guitar, Koto
Peter Graves - Conductor
Joe Zawinul - Keyboards
Michael Brignola - Flute, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax, Woodwinds
Ed Calle - Clarinet, Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax, Woodwinds
Kenneth Faulk - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Brass
Michael Levine - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards
Billy Ross - Flute, Piccolo, Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Woodwinds
Dana Teboe - Trombone, Brass
John Kricker - Bass Trombone, Brass
Mike Scaglione - Flute, Tenor Sax
Jason Carder, Jeff Kievit - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Mark Griffith - Drums
Gary Keller - Clarinet, Flute, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax
Gary Mayone - Marimba
Michael "Patches" Stewart - Trumpet
Bobby Thomas, Jr. - Hand Drums
Roger Byman - Soprano Sax
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