The surprisingly cohesive soundtrack to the 2015
Jaco Pastorius
documentary
Jaco
features tracks the legendary jazz bassist recorded during his short career in the '70s and '80s. The first major documentary film about
Pastorius
, who was born in 1951 and died tragically in 1987 at age 35,
was produced by bassist
Robert Trujillo
(
Suicidal Tendencies
,
Metallica
) and
' oldest son,
Johnny Pastorius
.
details
' rise from unknown Florida musician to internationally recognized and innovative jazz superstar. In concordance, we get cuts
recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the influential fusion outfit
Weather Report
. Fittingly,
Trujillo
and
cull tracks off the bassist's two major solo studio albums, 1976's
and 1981's
Word of Mouth
, including "Come on, Come Over," "Continuum," and "Crisis." Elsewhere, we get a handful of major
sides, including the synth-heavy "River People" and the funky
feature "Teen Town." Along the way, we also get several tracks
recorded for other artists, including a live version of "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" with
Joni Mitchell
and "All American Alien Boy" off
Ian Hunter
's 1978 studio album. Bringing
' influence full circle,
also includes several brand-new recordings, including a cover of "Come on, Come Over" by his own band
Mass Mental
, as well as a cover of "Continuum" by Mexican guitar duo
Rodrigo y Gabriela
. While there is certainly room for longer, more exhaustive
anthologies,
succeeds in providing a listenable -- and one feels lovingly heartfelt -- overview of the bassist's career. ~ Matt Collar