The College of Musical Knowledge

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1. John wrote:

   Jaco Pastorius.

   Though his professional career only lasted a little over ten years, Jaco Pastorius is widely considered one of the greatest bass players ever. After first gaining attention on Pat Methany’s debut, Bright Sized Life, Pastorius released a ground breaking self-titled solo record in 1976. Featuring the cream of modern jazz musicians (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Randy and Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Don Alias, and Lenny White, among others) this album is credited with freeing the bass guitar from its typical role as a simple back up instrument. From there, he became a member of the fusion group Weather Report, and was instrumental (ha ha!) in helping Joni Mitchell take her music in a jazz/fusion based direction. His playing was also featured on releases by Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, and Biréli Lagrène. Though he was beaten to death outside a Florida nightclub in 1986, his influence is still acknowledged by bassists of all genres.

   Having learned how to play on an upright bass, Pastorius became frustrated with the frets on his electric bass, which he referred to as “speed bumps.” At the time, fretless electric basses were not available, so he used a butter knife to pry the frets off his 1962 Fender Jazz Bass (serial number 64437). After he filled the empty grooves with wood putty, he then applied marine epoxy to the neck and sanded it down smooth. Dubbing it “The Bass of Doom,” Pastorius would use it as the main instrument throughout his career.

   With an unpredictable temperament (he was bi-polar and liked to drink), Pastorius was sometimes careless in the treatment of his instruments. He lost one of his basses after leaving it on a New York City basketball court, and another he threw into Japan’s Hiroshima Bay. He was also known to toss the Bass of Doom off-stage at the end of a show. Usually his bass technician would catch it, but sometimes Jaco would throw it to the wrong side of the stage and it would crash to the ground, snapping the neck. Given this behavior, it probably surprised no one who knew him when the Bass of Doom was lost in 1986, after allegedly being left on a bench in Central Park.

   Through the ensuing years, the fate of the Bass of Doom had become a great mystery, with its legend growing to mythical proportions after it disappeared. Many hoped that it would turn up one day, as had eventually happened with the lost basketball court bass. Ultimately, in March 2008, Bass Player Magazine ran a story about the rediscovery of the bass. Though short on specific details of how it was found or where it had been over the years, the magazine gathered several prominent bassists (Victor Bailey, Victor Wooten, and Will Lee) to examine and play the instrument in order to verify its authenticity. After the session was over, they were all in agreement that “The Bass of Doom” had finally been found.

   “Donna Lee” by Jaco Pastorius, 1976

   “Teen Town” by Weather Report, 1977

   “Talk to Me” by Joni Mitchell, 1977

   

   “The Bass of Doom”, after being abused by Jaco, thrown in the street, and run over by a cab, New York City, 1986.
   Image copyright by sfitzstephens.

   Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 11:47 pm | Permalink

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