“Jaco’s groove is like a fingerprint – nobody can duplicate it”: Listen to Jaco Pastorius’ isolated bassline on Weather Report’s Barbary Coast By Chris Jisi published 19 March 24 Weather Report’s 1976 cut introduced the world to the full-tilt boogie of Jaco Pastorius
“There was bass before Jaco and after Jaco; his playing turned my whole life around”: How Norman Watt-Roy brought a bit of Jaco to Ian Dury’s Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick By Chris Jisi published 19 December 23 Just a few weeks after seeing Weather Report at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, Norman Watt-Roy found himself in the studio with Ian Dury and the Blockheads
“McCartney was fantastic. Mind you, I tried one of those Hofner basses and I thought it was crap”: Judas Priest’s heavy metal veteran Ian Hill picks his top 5 bass albums By Joel McIver published 5 December 23 From the Beatles to the Bluesbreakers, we asked Ian Hill to name five albums that helped him along the righteous path to metal glory with Judas Priest
“It was one of the few tunes that the band didn’t try to play live, but it’s definitive Jaco”: Discovering Jaco Pastorius and the making of Havona By Nick Wells last updated 7 July 23 Inside Jaco’s Weather Report audition and the recording of Heavy Weather's standout track
“The phone rings and it's Jaco Pastorius. He says, 'I’m in room 265, come up here and get your lesson!'” Marcus Miller on an encounter with the self-proclaimed ‘greatest bass player in the world’ By Nick Wells published 24 May 23 Marcus Miller on what he learnt from Jaco Pastorius and why replacing him in Weather Report was “a beat down waiting to happen!”
Jeff Berlin: “Look at Jaco Pastorius: clearly a genius, but misunderstood” By Nick Wells published 9 May 23 Jazz bassist Jeff Berlin debunks a myth surrounding Jaco’s early years
Tony Levin: “D’Angelo’s Voodoo made me want to go back to school as a bassist” By Joel McIver published 8 May 23 The King Crimson bassist names four albums that shaped his sound
Watch Will Lee and Richard Bona cover Liberty City by Jaco Pastorius in this exclusive clip from the Beneath The Bassline documentary By Nick Wells published 1 December 22 Video Jaco Pastorius would have been 71 this week. Watch our exclusive clip as Will Lee, Richard Bona, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Robert Trujillo, Nik West and Laurence Cottle remember the genius of Jaco
The late Victor Bailey on "kicking ass" with Madonna and embracing Jaco’s legacy in Weather Report By Nick Wells published 24 November 22 "If I’m playing the bassline to Like A Virgin I’m going to play the hell out of it! The same way as if I were playing Teen Town"
Watch Jaco Pastorius go from funk to fuzz in one of his most groundbreaking bass solos By Nick Wells published 21 September 22 The self-proclaimed (and undisputed) “greatest bass player in the world” went full tilt in this unmissable performance
Jaco Pastorius talks Weather Report, playing fast, and why the bass is "the number one instrument in the world" in his first Guitar World interview from 1983 By Peter Mengaziol published 21 September 21 In a freewheeling and candid chat, the late bass legend opens up to GW about improvising, his approach to the four-string and that legendary '62 Jazz Bass
Jimmy Haslip: “I know I don’t play the instrument correctly! I've just tried to find my own way of expressing myself“ By Bass Player Staff published 22 March 21 He got lessons from Jaco Pastorius and toured with Allan Holdsworth – now Haslip continues to push the frontiers of bass guitar with album reissues, sessions and a playing style like no other
Felix Pastorius: ”Even if Jaco wasn’t my father, I’d still be comparing myself to other bassists” By Mike Brooks, Joel McIver published 27 August 20 Felix Pastorius on the importance of an artist's individuality, managing fans' expectations and befriending your bass
Thundercat names his favorite basslines and explains why slap bass is so controversial By Richard Bienstock published 6 April 20 “If your feel sucks, you just suck,” says the multi-instrumentalist Dragonballer
Billy Sheehan names 5 of his favorite bass albums By Bass Player Staff published 19 March 20 Sheehan is one of the world’s most accomplished bassists - so we can all learn from the five albums that influenced him
Watch This Breathtaking Cover of Jaco Pastorious’ "The Chicken" By Guitar World Staff published 13 June 18
Rodrigo y Gabriela Premiere "Continuum" from 'Jaco' Soundtrack — Exclusive By Damian Fanelli published 18 November 15
Watch the Official Trailer for 'Jaco,' Robert Trujillo's New Jaco Pastorius Documentary — Video By Guitar World Staff published 13 November 15
Metallica Bassist Robert Trujillo Funding Jaco Pastorius Biopic By Damian Fanelli published 4 June 12