Customer Reviews

Word of Mouth Revisited

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jaco Pastorious was recognized more for his innovative Bass playing than his compositional skills. When you mention his name, most people talk about his masterful technique on fretless bass and his flamboyant stage presence. "Word of Mouth Revisited" sheds new light on his exceptional writing skills. Using musicians from the original "Word of Mouth" Big Band, Peter Graves shines the light on Jaco's compositional magic that provided the foundation for him to innovate on the Bass. Using a pool of Bass players that includes Jimmy Haslip, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Richard Bona, Victor Bailey, Jeff Carswell and David Pastorious - the Bass magic is not lost in the mix. This music succeeds on multiple levels. Graves was even bold enough to arrange some of Jaco's Weather Report tracks to explore their unique color and texture. The Big Band arrangemet of "Havona", "Barbary Coast" and "Elegant People" are my favorites.

Some Jaco purist will criticize these efforts, but like Mingus' Big Band - sometimes the beauty of your work shines even brighter when someone else crawls inside your tunes and mines the gold that you left behind. As a result of this recording, my respect for Jaco's writing abilities are now equal to my appreciation for his innovative Bass playing. For this music fan, Jaco was a gift with multiple talents. I think he would have enjoyed this recording of his work. Thanks Peter for making his compositions shine so brightly.

Well, maybe there will be multitude of reviews from bassplayers around the world, read 'em and enjoy!

I will offer the alternative words(I am primarily a guitarist and pianist, I have my own "heroes" too in my "idioma"..)

This CD, most importantly offers for me a few nice treasures, as
1) new material , or seldom recorded material from the Jaco songbook, and
2)A chance to listen to some bassmen who I do not usually have much chance to hear, specifically Marcus Miller and Jimmy Haslip.(I mention only two, but all the bassmagicians on this recording are quite enjoyable).

The basswork not ignored,
but the wonderful arrangements , replete with some beautiful chord voicings keep alive what was inevitable if Jaco had lived, further advancement of his unique melodic , solo ,and harmonic visions.

Usually, postumous releases wear thin quickly, but not the case on this recording.

Aside the "usual" compositions, a glorious reading of one of Jaco's first compositions "Domingo", and incredible arrangements of "Killing Me Softly.."(the song made famous by Roberta Flack) and Wayne Shorter's "Elegant People" are highlights.

Hard to pick and choose from the standard Jaco~Weather Report compositions, "Havona", "Punk Jazz",..an electric "(Used to be a)Cha-Cha"...."Nas quebradas" (burnin!)

I do not elaborate as much as usual, as excellent liner notes provide informations on alla the tracks " striaght from the mouth of the lion".

The orchestra soloists provide top flight improvisation, and any "elitista "squares" who hold a parochial view regarding "big band musics" will surely realize what a fresh aggregation this is, and their collective passion for "Jacomusics" gives the grupo its extra passion and drive, IMO!

I was not even gonna bother with this CD on first knowledge of it, but something "told" me of the treasures within! A wondrous addition to the Jaco legacy, 1000 stars!

PS, only one other note if I may, (and I do understand this is a Jacofesta tribute CD),but all "Jaco-maniacs" should be aware of another great innovator of the electric bass, Itibere Zwarg, longtime Hermeto Pascoal Grupo bandmate. Look for HIS cd on Amazon and all musicians and fans(bass enthusiasts in particular) will experience another individualistic innovator from Brasil. Tudo de bom!

I love Jaco's bass playing, and have listened to it mostly through Weather Report, that's why I bought this. All music here is great, they have even managed to back up Jaco's playing from beyond bass-heaven, but the sound engineering is pretty bad. There are a lot of odd noises here and there that really drag me out of the zone where I try to enjoy the hard work the musicians have put into the making of this (musically) great tribute to Jaco. I wish I the engineer will be casted on the Apprentice, so I can see him get FIRED!

O.K., for all of you Jaco-heads out there looking for more bootlegs or undiscovered J.P. recordings on this disc, you will be sorely disappointed. Jaco shows up on number 11 in a bass-track excised from a live performance of the band in the early 1970's. The rest of the tracks are covered in the lower end by some of best bassists in the business. That said, this recording is more proof why there is no-one living who can do what Jaco did with the same style, funk, and taste. While the performances are quite good, there's alot more finger-wiggling going on than actual bass-playing (save for the tracks played by Jimmy Haslip, Jeff Carswell, David Pastorius, and, surprisingly, Victor Wooten). Why I give the disc five stars is because it is an excellent set of performances by the artist(s) listed on the cover - the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, neé The Word of Mouth Band, neé The Atlantean Driftwood Band, neé The Peter Graves Orchestra. Many of the players have been with the band for years and they show why they are some of the best in the business on their respective instruments (I've had the pleasure of seeing the band live a few times). Particularly appreciated are the guitar tracks provided by the elusive Randy Bernsen, marimba by Gary Mayone, drums by Mark Griffith, and hand drums by Bobby Thomas, Jr. The horns and reeds are also some of the finest in the business. The real purpose of the record is the presentation of Jaco's compositions, arrangements, and ideas (expertly arranged and interpreted by his long-time associate, Larry Warrilow) by a first-rate and inspired band. It is a fitting tribute and further proof why Jaco was heads above all others. As Mr. Graves stated, if I may paraphrase, Jaco will long be remembered for his compositions more than for his bass. This is a fine recording and one every true Pastorius or jazz fan will appreciate. It has not been out of my CD-player since I got it. Notably, though, two of Jaco's finest compositions were not included, "Liberty City" and "Three Views of a Secret". Having previously read Mr. Graves' reasons for not including them in this collection, he is to be forgiven and not begrudgingly. I would love to hear more by this band, regardless of the material.

I was 12 when my dad brough home Weather Report's "Mr. Gone" and things haven't been the same since. A few years later, I pulled the frets out of my own bass and went for the Jaco tone as best I could. This album really brings back the adolescent rush I always get when I hear really over-the-top bass playing. The fretless bass sings like a trombone at times, and then clicks like bongos. Each of the players pull from Jaco's sense and sensibility with the instrument that takes it way ahead of the rhythym section. Jaco pulled out interesting intervals in his playing, and there is no shortage of inovation in the bass playing here. The big band keeps up the pace with shimmery sparky splashy bits, and lush beds of washy tone. Plenty of bass bone going on with the flutes on top. Here again you hear Jaco's inovative approach to the band as in instrument. You can do some great research into Jaco's life online and then hear his voice on this album. Put together, you can bring Jaco back to life. His daughter shares his bipolar illness and she has her own music out there too. This album liner notes are full of great stuff too. Buy the album, find a kid, and blow his mind. I bought this record for my dad who also plays bass, and we both cracked up listening to it... What a blast!

All star cast which really shines. The craftwork of Jaco spans a timeline from his early comps to the later works. The early Miami U. stuff reflects an early example of Jaco as a fledgling composer. Later works exemplify the talent of Jaco as the examples are more complex in layout, tempo and direction. Great work. Bravo to the many bassists who contributed to the effort. I was delighted.

This album gathers several of today's most prominent electric bassits for an "all-star bassist" reunion to honor Jaco's music. I find it to be really good overall. All bassits get to show their stuff, some tunes are creatively re-arranged, and the sound is good. I find, though, that, maybe due to the fact that every bassist (except Marcus Miller, who self-produced his track) went through the same preamp in the studio (I read this in a detailed article on Bass Player magazine), the bass sound on every track is almost the same. They all sound very similar to Jaco most of the time, both in the bass sound itself and in the phrasing of the solos. While I am aware that this IS Jaco's music after all they're playing, they could still be more individualistic within the framework of the compositions - I mean, if you're going to solo, solo like yourself, don't try to ape Jaco's sound and style. If I didn't know beforehand that 10 bassists were used on the recording, I might have thought that it was actually just 2 or 3 bassists. Also, some reviewers, especially H. Lamberg, talks about some terribly irritating noises. I checked again, even on the exact same spots that he indicates, and I did not hear anything. So, you'll have to listen and decide for yourself. If you ask me, the sound is pretty good.
The fact that these compositions can stand the addition of new ideas, new arrangements, and still sound undeniably like Jaco, is a testament to his immense talent as a composer. I commend these musicians and arrangers for a job well done. Jaco's spirit is alive in his music, and forever will be, as these people have lovingly demonstrated.

Color me a little dense...I didn't catch until I cracked open the packaging that this was a tribute album. Nevermind. Half way through Havona and I was blown away....and it only got better from there.
If you are a fan of Jaco's and/or the Jaco-period Weather Report, this work is a must have. The arrangements are crisp and the ensemble plays just perfectly.
There is a special charm to hearing the Weather Report pieces done by a big band. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Zawinul's...but hearing the 70's-esque synthesizer parts redone by a horn section sounds so pure.
Fusion jazz from that era tends to be dismissed these days. I hope releases like this will help to portray just how good and timeless that jazz from this era truly was.

Jaco's music doesn't need improvment. The beautiful sound of the bass, the funky lines, the great tunes and the energy floating from it, are perfect as they are. This album simply gives a new interpretation to his music, and doing it with so much love to the man, that it feels like Jaco himself is sitting in the studio, smiling. The use of a big band gives new energy to the tunes and makes them sound funky and energetic. The guest bassists sometimes try too much, in my opinion, to sound like Jaco and not like themselves, but in general each of them gives his view on Jaco and the tune he's playing. The result is a beatiful, funky and energetic album, that gives a new view on Jaco's music, and is worthy to stand side by side with Jaco's originals.

Very Good tribute cd to the greatest jazz bassist of all time. Only gripe is that Portrait of Tracy was left off. Otherwise, excellent.