"Jaco" was born John Francis Pastorius III, the first of three sons born to John Francis Pastorius II and Stephanie Katherine Haapala Pastorius. He had Finnish, German, Swedish, and Irish ancestry.

“My name is Jaco Pastorius and I’m the greatest bass player in the world.” This was the way Jaco introduced himself to Joe Zawinul, Weather Report founder and übermensch. Zawinul was abrupt and ...

There’s an old joke about an anthropologist who discovers a tribe in the jungle who play drums non-stop, day and night, for weeks on end. Then suddenly, one day, the drumming stops. Panic ensues. When ...

Last Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the death of legendary electric bass player and composer, Jaco Pastorius. Pastorius, who played with Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Herbie ...

A transcript of the first meeting between Joe Zawinul, keyboardist/leader of the jazz fusion group Weather Report, and a young player. Young Man: My name is John Francis Pastorius III, and I’m the ...

As sideman, bandleader or composer, Jaco Pastorius is one of those rare players who can legitimately be said to have revolutionized their instrument. With his lyrical, melodic fretless work, growling ...

If only every jazz artist had an advocate like label owner/project producer Bob Bobbing. Bass wunderkind Jaco Pastorius seemingly leapt into the jazz scene in 1976 with the quadruple punch of his ...

Many days this past summer, Jaco Pastorius stalked the grounds of Ft. Lauderdale`s Holiday Park like a desperate hunter. Basketball under one arm, a copy of his old group Weather Report`s ”8:30” album ...