Customer Reviews

The Birthday Concert

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On first listening, I had some hard time swallowing this album. I was already familiar with the blasting, amzingly energetic opening track, 'Soul Intro-The Chicken', in fact it was my 'wake-up- song for quite a long time (Truly fills you up with energy, you should try it...), So I wasn't surprised by it. The hardest to eat was "Invitation". The theme tune is cool, but it gets very abstaract as it goes on, and it was hard for me to dig. The rest was good.
However, on a second and third listening, you start hearing things you didn't hear at first. Jaco's cool bass lines, cool horn phrases, nice and inspiring improvisions. Now, it is one of my favorite CDs, and I recommend it to every Jaco fan and every Jazz Musician.

This is a terrific, fun album. It's the way I wish I could have seen Jaco. A small club with a great band, featuring a terrific horn section and a drummer that is totally in sinc with Jaco's playing. This album was recorded live at Mr. Pips in Ft Lauderdale, which was a familiar place to all of us who grew up in Ft Lauderdale. Peter Yianolos did a superb job of capturing the sound of the band. Cut's on this album like The Chicken and Liberty City reflect Jaco's R&B roots more than the more jazz oriented material he came to be known for with Weather Report, although there is some of that type of material included as well. This album is a terrific way to introduce the young bassist to Jaco as well as a good way to for the seasoned Jaco fan to remember where Jaco came from musically.

This is one of my favorite CDs. I never tire of it. Ive loaned it to many friends who love jazz but have never heard of Jaco, without exception they are always amazed by the unique sound. This CD is worth every penny.

Jaco's live album "Invitation", recorded live in Japan (originally a double album, I believe, with a different title in the US), is an excellent large-venue recording. "The Birthday Concert", however, is special because it was obviously recorded in a much smaller hall, resulting in a much more intimate listening experience.

Co-produced by drummer Peter Erskine, the CD consits of music culled from 2 live performances by the Word of Mouth big band at a party thrown by Jaco for his own 30th birthday. While the opus rendition of "Invitation" and the experimental "Reza" are more than a bit difficult to listen to in entirity (MUCH better versions of both songs can be found on the live CD "Invitiation"), the remaining selections, including the uplifting "Liberty City", the funky "Soul Intro: The Chicken", and the college pep-bandish "Domingo", make this CD well worth a spot in anyone's collection.

Although it was a nice idea to leave Jaco's brief comments between songs in the final production, Mr. Erskine should not have included Jaco's lengthy introduction of the band members; this information is best left to the liner notes in the CD jacket. Another minus is the inclusion of "Happy Birthday", arranged and played by the band as a surprise for Jaco; this tune loses its charm after the second or third listen.

Listen carefully to hear Jaco vocalizing and giving directions to the band throughout the recording. Guests: Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Don Alias, Peter Erskine, others.

"The Birthday Concert" is a disc that holds a great deal of appeal for both bassists and jazz-lovers in general. Jaco is, by most accounts, on top of his game on this recording. For bass enthusiasts, it is instructive to listen to this excellently produced recording of Jaco's live playing, as opposed to a more refined studio recording. In particular, listen to the interplay between Jaco and the soloists on several numbers, especially "The Chicken." There are elements here that can only be gleaned from a live recording such as this. Any aspiring bassist should listen carefully to these spontaneous musical connections. One of the strongest aspects of this recording is the first class horn section. It includes some of the finest jazz musicians around, e.g. Michael Brecker, Robert Mintzer, David Bargeron, Peter Graves, and others. The flawless execution of the horn lines by this group is truly exciting to hear. Drummer Peter Erksine has a perfect lock with Jaco the entire time, which automatically takes one back to their glory days in Weather Report. The album includes a wide range of styles, from the funky soul of "The Chicken" to the more experimental "Reza." That last title in particular is worth noting simply because of the percussion skills of Don Alias, and the talented Othello Molineaux on pans. But regardless of the style, the energy level is extremely high throughout the entire disc. An added bonus is the charming arrangement of "Happy Birthday" for the brass. We haven't heard anything like this since Stan Kenton's innovative big band arrangements of the 50's and 60's. Overall, this album provides a sampler of Jaco's favorite tunes, with his chops in good shape, and backed up by a killer horn section. It is refreshing and different from most of Jaco's recordings, including "Word of Mouth," because of the energy exuded by all of the players. Any serious jazz cat should check this recording out.

The live set celebrating the 30th birthday of Jaco Pastorius features band members from each part of his career.

The gig is what one would expect from a band performing before an appreciative audience, and that is what it makes it so special. The solos are great and Jaco's range as a bassist is captured in the nearly 70 minutes of music.

My only criticisim is each song is separated as if recorded in a studio. A live set - especially on CD - should do its best not to edit the way the music was presented to - and the response from - the audience. But that falls on the record company.

The hot rendition of Jaco's classic, Liberty City, is worth the price of the CD. The music is as fresh today as it was back in 1981.

It truly was a good evening!

just 'discovered' jaco recently - for all bassists, funk/jazz lovers, people with ears, this is a must-buy, along with his self-titled album two of the best records i've listened to in a long time!

1st: jaco is not in his prime on this recording to my ears at least..

BUT, his orchestra of the best players out there help this disc still excel beyond a "good album", and to a "great album".. and it's LIVE.. so you just gotta have it!

"liberty city" was my fav.

Monster grooves. What a night. Everyone was on, Jaco was into it... and the studio remix -- although many years after the event, was a quality effort. I have a few favorite live albums all of which -- radiate a "go for it" feeling... This one may even top the list.

Jaco and his cohorts for this event were... in a (couple of) words SHAAAA--MOKIN' BABY!!!!!

This album is increadible. Jaco does have a major up front roll in the band, his amazing grooves keep the songs on track, they never get boring. The soloing is amazing as well as the stellar composition by one of the greatest musicians ever. I strongly recomend this CD.