Jaco Pastorius
| Jaco Pastorius | |
|---|---|
Pastorius in concert, 1986
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Francis Anthony Pastorius III |
| Born |
December 1, 1951 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 1987 (aged 35) Wilton Manors, Florida |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, big band, folk-jazz, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1964–1987 |
| Labels | Epic, Warner Bros., Columbia, ECM, CBS, Elektra |
| Associated acts | Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Weather Report, Word of Mouth, Trio of Doom, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders |
| Website | jacopastorius |
John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (/ˈdʒɑːkoʊ pæsˈtɔːriəs/, December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz musician, composer, big band leader and electric bass player. He is best known for his work with Weather Report from 1976 to 1981, as well as work with artists including Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, and his own solo projects.
As a musician, he developed an influential approach to bass playing that combined the use of complex harmony with virtuosic technique. His signature approach employed Latin-influenced funk, lyrical solos on fretless bass, bass chords, and innovative use of harmonics. He was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988, one of only seven bassists so honored (and the only electric bassist).
Pastorius was born December 1, 1951, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Jack Pastorius, a big band singer and drummer, and Stephanie Katherine Haapala Pastorius and was the first of their three children. His grandmother was a Finn named Kaisa Eriika Isojärvi. He was of Finnish, Sami, German, Swedish, and Irish ancestry.
In 1960, his family moved to Oakland Park, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. Pastorius went to St. Clement's Catholic School in Wilton Manors, and he was an altar boy at the adjoining church. He went to Northeast High School in Oakland Park. He was talented in football, basketball, and baseball, and he picked up music at an early age. He often watched baseball with his father. His nickname was influenced by his love of sports and by umpire Jocko Conlan. He changed the spelling from "Jocko" to "Jaco" after French pianist Alex Darqui misspelled it on a note. He preferred the misspelling. His seemingly endless energy led his younger brother, Gregory, to call him Mowgli after the wild boy in The Jungle Book.
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