PASTORIUS,JACO - Jaco Pastorius Band: Tokyo 83

Once they heard him play, few people disagreed with Jaco Pastorius' assessment of himself as the 'greatest bass player in the world'. His meteoric rise in 1977 to the bass chair in Weather Report and his work with Joni Mitchell, established him as a major player on the jazz and rock scenes. Broadcast by NHK radio at Shinjyuku Koseinenkin, Tokyo on 22nd May 1983, this is a rare example of his eclectic Word of Mouth small group having fun with a variety of musical styles. Given his status Jaco could have filled his septet with A-listers, instead he assembled a cast of journeyman and pals from the old days, all of whom can most definitely play. Compared to the high precision fusion he'd been making with Weather Report Jaco's small band outings at this time were rough and ready affairs. Perhaps for Jaco that was partly the point. There is no doubt that at some level this music represents Jaco looking back and enjoying himself with friends. Mirroring his 1976 debut album the set lists for this tour included reggae, funk, latin percussion, soul and jazz all featured alongside Jaco's crowd pleasing solo spots. Broadcast by NHK radio at Shinjyuku Koseinenkin, Tokyo on 22nd May 1983, this is a rare example of his eclectic Word of Mouth small group having fun with a variety of musical styles. Jaco Pastorius electric bass; Alex Foster saxophone; Ron Tooley trumpet; Delmar Brown keyboards; Kenwood Dennard drums; Don Alias percussion; Special guests: Othello Molineaux steel drums; Kazumi Watanabe electric guitar.