Jaco Pastorius Big Band in 5.1 SACD

[jacolives1]

E-card: http://www.headsup.com/ecards/3078

Inspired by the music and spirit of Jaco Pastorius, Word of Mouth Revisited
is possibly the most impressive lineup of bass virtuosity ever assembled to date.

“I remember the first time hearing Jaco…That was the day I turned into a different bass player.”
-- Victor Wooten

Heads Up International announces the August 26th worldwide Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) in surround sound and enhanced cd release of Word of Mouth Revisited (HUSA 9078), a brilliant tribute to Jaco’s legacy that features the fourteen -piece Jaco Pastorius Big Band, along with guest appearances by the most talented electric bass players on the contemporary jazz scene: Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, Jeff Carswell, Jimmy Haslip, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, David Pastorius, Gerald Veasley and Victor Wooten. The recording also boasts a previously unrecorded track with Jaco. The album was engineered by 2002 Grammy Award winning engineer Michael Bishop of Telarc International Corp and Juan Cristobal Losada.

The ascendance of bassist Jaco Pastorius in the 1970s was a singular phenomenon in the evolution of jazz, with an impact that continues to transcend genres and resonate among his army of disciples more than a decade after his untimely passing. From the mid '70s to the mid '80s – a relatively short span by most standards – Jaco single-handedly shattered the boundaries of the electric bass and redefined its potential across all idioms of music.

Christian McBride calls Jaco “the Charlie Parker of the electric bass…Nobody has ever innovated on that instrument like Jaco did.” And Marcus Miller is convinced that “every year, Jaco's memory gets stronger. It’s up to us to make sure folks don’t forget.”

The Jaco Pastorius Big Band is the life-long project of trombonist/conductor Peter Graves, who first hired Jaco in 1971 to join the rhythm section of what was then known as the Peter Graves Orchestra - the house band at the Bachelors III, a popular Ft. Lauderdale nightclub. The group backed a variety of top jazz and pop acts ranging from Mel Torme and Nancy Wilson to the Temptations and Patti Page.

Graves’ orchestra served as the laboratory in which Jaco first explored the depth and scope of his genius as a writer and arranger. The five-year gig with Graves was also a springboard for Jaco’s later pursuits that included a brilliant solo recording, six years with Weather Report, collaborative projects with various high-profile artists – Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny to name a few – and his own progressive jazz project, Word of Mouth (which featured Graves and various other members of Graves’ orchestra).

The thirteen tracks on Word of Mouth Revisited span most of Jaco’s prolific and diverse career, from his early compositions and arrangements with Graves’ orchestra (“Punk Jazz” and “Killing Me Softly”) to his more progressive forays with Weather Report (“Havona” and “Teen Town”) and Word of Mouth (“Continuum,” considered by Graves and many others to be Jaco’s signature song). “Wiggle Waggle,” one of Jaco’s favorite Herbie Hancock tunes, features Graves’ current lineup playing around a bass track originally recorded by Jaco at a live gig on Sanibel Island in the late 1970s. In many cases, additional arrangements are provided by Larry Warrilow, former guitarist with Graves’ orchestra and Jaco’s longtime friend and collaborator.

Word of Mouth Revisited is possibly the most impressive lineup of bass virtuosity ever assembled to date. Still, the recording is first and foremost about Jaco Pastorius.

“I think people need to get a taste of what Jaco did to really understand what the bass is supposed to be like and what jazz composition is supposed to be like,” says Veasley. “He was very daring in his approach to the instrument, and there will never be another one like him.”

The boasts 8 videos with interviews and much more. Jaco Pastorius Big Band Word Of Mouth Revisited is also being touted as one of the best SACD in 5.1 surround sound release made to date, and should be an example of how future engineers record in this medium.

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This SPAM needs to be deleted, I think.

[Chris D]

Just say no to tributes.

[Chazro]

Wazzup!

Just picked this up yesterday and while the line-up of bass players on this record is mighty indeed, overall, I find the it to be on the bland side. It has it's moments but truthfully, it's worth to me is strictly as a collectible. I recently picked up the Jaco anthology; Punk Jazz released by Rhino but if you have his solo recordings it's almost redundant. To me, the best "Jaco" material to come out recently is the live Weather Report double disc released this past year. There's one cut that's just a solo by Jaco, there's more music, drama, and sheer genius in that solo than in anything on the Big Band release.

Why is it that 'tribute' records usually suck? The kicker is that some tributes are truly star-studded events with no shortage of talent, tributes to Jimi and Miles come to mind. At least Jaco has had a couple of good ones but by the by and large, they usually don't come off very well. You'd think that the powers that be would hear the results before releasing the product and realize that the intent isn't being fulfilled. I guess after the monetary commitment has been made the record HAS to be released.

Still waiting for the 'definitive' Jimi, Miles, & Jaco tributes.