Jaco Pastorius | |
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 Pastorius performing in May 1980 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Francis Anthony Pastorius III |
| Born | December 1, 1951 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 1987 (aged 35) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1966–1987 |
| Labels | |
| Website | jacopastorius |
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (/ˈdʒɑːkoʊ pæˈstɔːriəs/; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987)[1] was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time,[2] Pastorius recorded albums as a solo artist, band leader, and as a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. He also collaborated with numerous artists, including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell.[3][4]
His bass style was influenced by funk and employed the use of fretless bass, lyrical solos, bass chords and innovative use of harmonics. As of 2017, he was the only one of seven bassists inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame to have been known for their work on the electric bass,[5] and he has been lauded as among the best bassists of all time.[6][7]
Pastorius suffered from drug addiction and mental health issues and, despite his widespread acclaim, over the latter part of his life he had problems holding down jobs due to his unreliability. In frequent financial difficulties, he was often homeless in the mid-1980s. He died in 1987 as a result of injuries sustained in a beating outside a South Florida after-hours nightclub.[3][8]
Since his death in 1987, his work has continued to be widely influential. He was elected to the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1988 and was the subject of the 2014 documentary film Jaco.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1918. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ , https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-bassists-of-all-time-1003022/
- ^ a b "John 'Jaco' Pastorius". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, CA. September 23, 1987. p. 60. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harrison, Angus (March 6, 2015). "Jaco Pastorius Is the Most Important Musician You Might Have Never Heard Of". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ "DownBeat Archives". downbeat.com. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ "Readers Poll: Top 10 Bassists of All Time". Rolling Stone. March 31, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, David. "The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius". Indianapublicmedia.org. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ "L.A. Times Archives". L.A. Times. September 26, 1987. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
