CD of the Day - "Tribute to Jaco Pastorius"

CD of the Day
"Gospel for J.F.P. III - Tribute to Jaco Pastorius" (MoonJune) 2007

Outstanding collection (put together by producers Neil Weiss and Leonardo Pavkovic) featuring jazz and fusion legends, band mates and colleagues of the legendary electric bass virtuoso and innovator Jaco Pastorius, among others: Alex Acuña, Carles Benavent, Charles Blenzig, Delmar Brown, Hiram Bullock, Kenwood Dennard, Hugo Fattoruso, Michael Gerber, Gil Goldstein, Danny Gottlieb, Billy Hart, Toninho Horta, Bireli Lagrene, Armando Marçal, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Jorge Pardo, Felix Pastorius (Jaco’s son), John Patitucci, Mike Stern and more.

Brazilian genius Toninho Horta plays & sings on the bossa nova "Las Olas," with pianist Michael Gerber's group. The meeting of the late Hiram Bullock (electric guitar) with Birelli Lagrene (acoustic guitar) and the vocal group Contrafarsa on the jazz waltz "Three Views of a Secret" is even more fascinating, though. Other highlights: steel drums master Othello Molinaux on "Havona" (with Bob Mintzer on tenor sax), drummer Kenwood Dennard on "Teen Town" (another Weather Report classic, with Delmar Brown on keyboards and Marcus Miller on electric bass) and the Trio Fattoruso (my friend Hugo Fattoruso plus his son Francisco and his brother Jorge Osvaldo) on the furious title track, "Gospel for J.F.P. III", co-written by Hugo & Neil Weiss.

From the liner notes by producer Neil Weiss: "As a musician, John Francis Pastorius III (Jaco) brought change. He boldly took his instrument, the electric bass, to uncharted waters, and an instrument that is commonly placed behind the music, to the front. As a musician, Jaco's talent was not confined to the bass, more than a musician, Jaco was music. The focus of this project, Gospel For J.F.P. III, is on Jaco, the composer, a man with an extraordinary ability to create music. The body of material that he himself composed is not enormous, further proof that less is more, as these compositions rightfully fall into the status of contemporary standards, and sure to pass the test of time. Involved here are many of the musicians that were part of his life, as well as others his music has touched. Needless to say, Jaco's own renditions of his wonderful compositions could never be surpassed, only interpreted, and serve as an inspiration to all those who love his music."