Jazziz, April 2003

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IN THE BEGINNING:

Having known Jaco when they were both kids, Bob Bobbing has produced an intimate portrait of the legendary bassist.

The late bassist Jaco Pastorius began his career when he was a high school kid living near the ocean in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Portrait of Jaco, a forthcoming double-CD takes listeners back to that time and place. The set will be independently released by Pastorius' friend Bob Bobbing, on his South Florida-based Holiday Park Records.

Portrait of Jaco traces Pastorius as a teenager, in 1968, through the stardom he achieved by 1978 (with Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, and Herbie Hancock) as well as his solo career.

The release may well bring Pastorius - already one of the most mythical figures in jazz/fusion history- further into the limelight nearly 16 years after he died at the hands of a bouncer at a Fort Lauderdale after-hours club.

Soon after befriending Jaco in 1968, Bobbing began recording the bassist at every opportunity. Making stereo reel-to-reel tapes of almost everything he did - from after-school jam sessions, to gigs with bands on the Fort Lauderdale Strip - Bobbing compiled an extensive archive of material. Complimenting much of the music, are interviews such as Jaco's father and brother recalling his earliest rehearsals, his first wife telling of their teenage meeting at the beach, and the earliest recollections of those who played with Jaco. From the relatively unknown musicians who knew the lanky white kid who played at the all-black Downbeat Club to players such as Pat Metheny, Ira Sullivan, Joni Mitchell, and Joe Zawinul, who told Jaco to "get the fuck out of here," after Jaco confidently claimed to be the "world's best bass player."

The result is a fascinating documentary that entertainingly follows Jaco's musical development. "This was a very positive period for Jaco," Bobbing says. "These were his Garden of Eden Days in Florida when he was healthy, happy, making music and enjoying life, and you can hear that positive attitude in his playing."