Personalities | Jaco Pastorius | Seventies | Jazz & Blues

(Electric bass, piano, 1951–87)

The brash Pennsylvania native burst on to the music scene in 1974 with a debut recording, Jaco, which redefined the way in which the electric bass could be played. A veteran of R&B and pop bands in Fort Lauderdale by the age of 24, Pastorius collaborated with his good friend, guitarist Pat Metheny, before being hired to join the band Weather Report. In 1980 he formed his own group, Word of Mouth. Increasingly troubled by mental illness, Pastorius died homeless after being beaten by a bouncer outside a Florida nightclub.

Styles & Forms | Seventies | Jazz & Blues
Personalities | Son Seals | Seventies | Jazz & Blues

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues, founding editor Howard Mandel

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