Herbie Hancock - Sunlight

Styles:  Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:20
Size: 90,8 MB
Art:

(8:55)  1. I Thought It Was You
(8:24)  2. Come Running to Me
(7:10)  3. Sunlight
(6:18)  4. No Means Yes
(8:32)  5. Good Question

After Man-Child, alas, Herbie Hancock's American jazz-funk records in the 1970s grew gradually more commercial, less stimulating, and crucially, less truly funky with each release, even as his equipment rack grew larger. Just take a look at the staggering collection of keyboards on the back cover of the Sunlight LP all sought-after collectors' items now yet Hancock makes so little use of their possibilities here. For much of the album, he seems most interested in establishing a new career as an electronic vocalist. "I Thought It Was You," "Come Running to Me," and the title track introduce the ghostly, gauzy sound of Herbie's singing voice as heard through a vocoder; there's even an electronic Herbie scat choir. Stevie Wonder, he's not. There are still occasional splashes of Hancock harmonic color on the keyboards, but he also relies upon superfluous, self-arranged brass riffs and string backgrounds. The backup bands shift from track to track, from combinations of Headhunters alumni that offer soft-focused facsimiles of the old funk drive to a surprisingly strait-jacketed pairing of Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius on the eccentric "Good Question." ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/sunlight-mw0000473390

Personnel:  Herbie Hancock – keyboards, synthesizers, lead and background vocals (through vocoder) (1–3), string, brass and woodwind arrangements; Patrick Gleeson – additional synthesizers (5); Bennie Maupin – soprano saxophone solo (3); Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar (1, 3); Byron Miller (1), Paul Jackson (2–4), Jaco Pastorius (5) – electric bass; Leon "Ndugu" Chancler (1), James Levi (2, 3), Harvey Mason, Sr. (4), Tony Williams (5) – drums; Raul Rekow (exc. 3), Bill Summers (exc. 1) – percussion; Baba Duru – tabla (2); Bobby Shew, Maurice Spears, Robert O'Bryant, Garnett Brown – brass (exc. 4); Ernest J. Watts, Fred Jackson, Jr., Jack Nimitz, David Willard Riddles – woodwind (2, 5); Terry Adams, Roy Malan, Nathan Rubin, Linda Wood, Emily VanValkenburgh – strings (2)

Sunlight

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Weather Report - 8:30

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:35
Size: 166,5 MB
Art: Front

(9:47)  1. Black Market
(6:04)  2. Teen Town
(8:01)  3. A Remark You Made
(4:45)  4. Slang
(2:52)  5. In A Silent Way
(6:58)  6. Birdland
(3:33)  7. Thanks For The Memory
(9:28)  8. Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz
(2:36)  9. 8:30
(8:34) 10. Brown Street
(3:16) 11. The Orphan
(5:35) 12. Sightseeing

Weather Report is generally regarded as the greatest jazz fusion band of all time, with the biggest jazz hit ("Birdland") from the best jazz fusion album (1977's Heavy Weather). But the group's studio mastery sometimes overshadows the fact that it was also a live juggernaut so don't overlook the outstanding live and studio album from 1979, 8:30. This was a rare quartet version of Weather Report, with co-leaders in keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The bassist was the inimitable Jaco Pastorius, the drummer a young Peter Erskine. Pastorius is otherworldly on early gems like "Black Market," the breakneck "Teen Town," and his solo showcase, "Slang" (in which he quotes Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun"). Shorter is most involved on the CD's slower pieces like "A Remark You Made," "In a Silent Way," and his own solo piece, "Thanks for the Memory"; Zawinul and Erskine shine on the swinging version of "Birdland" and roller coaster ride of the "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz" medley. 

Four studio tracks (composing what was side four of the original album version) close 8:30 with a flourish and some surprises. Pastorius duets on drums with Zawinul on the brief title track, then plays double drums with Erskine (as Erich Zawinul plays percussion) on the playful "Brown Street." Zawinul then throws a curve with "The Orphan," dueting with Shorter as ten members of the West Los Angeles Christian Academy Children's Choir chant harmonies. The saxophonist gets in the last word, though, with his burning composition "Sightseeing" on which he plays unison lines with Zawinul over Pastorius' rare walking bassline and Erskine's most aggressive drumming. A future jazz standard ending one of this band's standard-setting CDs. ~ Bill Meredith https://www.allmusic.com/album/830-mw0000198916

Personnel: Joe Zawinul – keyboards, bass synthesizer, vocoder, percussion; Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Jaco Pastorius – fretless bass guitar, percussion, drums on "8:30" & "Brown Street"; Peter Erskine – drums; Erich Zawinul – percussion on "Brown Street"; The West Los Angeles Christian Academy Children's Choir – vocals on "The Orphan"

8:30

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Jaco Pastorius & Brian Melvin - Jazz Street

Styles: Jazz-Rock, Jazz-Funk 
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:06
Size: 89,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:43)  1. No Slack
(3:52)  2. Jazz Street
(5:05)  3. Miles Mode
(6:30)  4. May Day
(6:19)  5. Wedding Waltz
(6:24)  6. Out Of The Night
(8:09)  7. Drums of Yadzarah

Jaco Pastorius' recording sessions with drummer Brian Melvin resulted in five releases: four studio (including Jazz Street) and one live. This body of work is unique in that it not only takes the electric bassist out of his New York element but also represents a focused, reinvigorated Pastorius. The instrumental Jazz Street, one of Pastorius' last studio dates, places him in a west coast pop-jazz climate and he comes through with flying colors. His playing is clear and vibrant, best exemplified on Joe Henderson's "Out of the Night" which features extended, fluid soloing by Pastorius. He's also quite prominent on "No Slack" and the title track, two upbeat cuts on which Pastorius slickly executes some very familiar licks and riffs. Honorable mentions go to Jon Davis' bluesy piano piece "Wedding Waltz" and Melvin's atmospheric "Drums of Yadzarah," an offbeat drums/percussion/synth creation. Though Jazz Street was most likely the last Pastorius/Melvin collaboration, it most closely resembles their first, the superior Night Food, recorded almost two years earlier -- not to be confused with Melvin's later, nearly identically titled release, Nightfood, featuring Bob Weir.  ~ David Ross Smith https://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-street-mw0000872851

Personnel: Bass – Jaco Pastorius, Keith Jones ;  Drums;  [Percussion, Drums] – Brian Melvin; Piano, Synthesizer – Jan Davis ;  Saxophone, Drum Programming – Rick Smith;  Guitar – Paul Mousavi

Jazz Street

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Jaco Pastorius - Live In New York City Volume Three

Styles: Post Bop, Fusion
Year: 1991
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 71:00
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

( 3:06)  1. Bass & Percussion Intro.
( 5:28)  2. Continuum
( 4:30)  3. N.Y.C. Groove #2
(15:22)  4. Teen Town
( 6:54)  5. Alfie
( 4:57)  6. Why I Sing The Blues
( 8:28)  7. Promise Land
(18:27)  8. If You Could See Me Now
( 3:44)  9. Niema

There wasn't much difference between Volume Three and its predecessors in this series of live dates by bassist Jaco Pastorius' Punk Jazz crew. They did identical material, some fusion, some jazz-rock, and some mainstream, and mixed originals with reworked material. Everything was also as well played this time out as before. ~ Ron Wynn https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-new-york-city-vol-3-promise-land-mw0000104618

Personnel:  Bass [Electric] – Jaco Pastorius;  Drums – Kenwood Dennard;  Guitar [Electric] – Hiram Bullock;  Piano [Acoustic] – Michael Gerber;  Saxophone – Alex Foster, Butch Thomas;  Trumpet, Congas – Jerry Gonzalez

Live In New York City Volume Three

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Weather Report - Black Market

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:34
Size: 88,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:32)  1. Black Market
(4:41)  2. Cannon Ball
(7:53)  3. Gibraltar
(5:08)  4. Elegant People
(3:27)  5. Three Clowns
(3:14)  6. Barbary Coast
(6:37)  7. Herandnu

The shifts in Weather Report's personnel come fast and furious now, with Narada Michael Walden and Chester Thompson as the drummers, Alex Acuna and Don Alias at the percussion table, and Alphonso Johnson giving way to the mighty, martyred Jaco Pastorius. It is interesting to hear Pastorius expanding the bass role only incrementally over what the more funk-oriented Johnson was doing at this early point that is, until "Barbary Coast," where suddenly Jaco leaps athletically forward into the spotlight. 

Joe Zawinul or just Zawinul, as he preferred to be billed contributed all of side one's compositions, mostly Third World-flavored workouts except for "Cannon Ball," a touching tribute to his ex-boss Cannonball Adderley (who had died the year before). Shorter, Pastorius, and Johnson split the remainder of the tracks, with Shorter now set in a long-limbed compositional mode for electric bands that would serve him into the 1990s. While it goes without saying that most Weather Report albums are transition albums, this diverse record is even more transient than most, paving the way for WR's most popular period while retaining the old sense of adventure. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/black-market-mw0000192680

Personnel: Joe Zawinul (vocals, guitar, melodica, piano, grand piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Oberheim synthesizer, tabla); Jaco Pastorius (vocals, mandocello, electric bass, drums, steel drum); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, lyricon); Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (drums, congas, tom tom, percussion); Chester Thompson , Narada Michael Walden (drums); Manolo Badrena (congas, tambourine, timbales, percussion); Don Alias (percussion).

Black Market

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Weather Report - Weather Report

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:14
Size: 97,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:26)  1. Volcano For Hire
( 5:55)  2. Current Affairs
(10:11)  3. N.Y.C.: 41st Parallel / The Dance / Crazy About Jazz
( 5:27)  4. Dara Factor One
( 4:47)  5. When It Was Now
( 5:58)  6. Speechless
( 4:27)  7. Dara Factor Two

For some crafty reason, Weather Report gave its 11th Columbia album the same eponymous title as its first, which no doubt led to massive retail confusion. It is the last WR album for Peter Erskine, Jaco Pastorius, and Robert Thomas, Jr.; Thomas left the band soon afterwards. And with Pastorius receding a bit into the background, the creative balance tilts heavily toward Joe Zawinul, who contributes all but one of the seven compositions. "Volcano for Hire" and "Dara Factors One and Two" are the requisite Zawinul groove-athons, and his deepening awareness of the rapidly improving synthesizer's harmonic and timbral possibilities color such tracks as "Current Affairs" and the three-part "N.Y.C." suite. Though the creativity level seems to be on medium-tank here, the band could still startle the ear with surprising new sounds, a supremely pithy Wayne Shorter statement, or fresh Third World spices. Their ability to swing is never in doubt. ~ Richard S.Ginell http://www.allmusic.com/album/weather-report-1982-mw0000192682

Personnel:  Josef Zawinul – Electric keyboards, piano, Wayne Shorter – Tenor and soprano saxophones,  Jaco Pastorius – Bass guitar, percussion, voice,  Peter Erskine – Drums, drum computer, claves,  Robert Thomas Jr. – Percussion

Weather Report

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Jaco Pastorius & Bireli Lagrene - Stuttgart Aria

Styles: Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:49
Size: 126,4 MB
Art: Front

( 4:51)  1. American Boy
( 4:46)  2. Donna Lee
( 7:40)  3. Stuttgart Aria I
( 6:02)  4. Jaco Reggae
( 5:55)  5. The Chicken
( 8:56)  6. Teresa
(10:09)  7. Stuttgart Aria II
( 6:30)  8. The Days Of Wine And Roses

At the end of their tour European tour and the triumphant concert in Rome documented on Heavy 'n Jazz Jaco Pastorius, guitarist Bireli Lagrene, and percussionist Serge Bringolf decided to leave the continent with at last one studio recording under their belt. The result is Stuttgart Aria. With the addition of three additional musicians Jan Janke on synths and keyboards, Peter Lubke on drums, and keyboardist Vladislav Sendecki (the keyboardists never played at the same time) the date went off as a series of formatted tunes with extended improvisations anchoring them to the album. While the styles here vary wildly; they are all rooted deeply in the jazz fusion and R&B worlds. To be fair, the trio of Lagrene, Pastorius, and Bringolf could have executed these songs very well especially since one of them was "Donna Lee," Pastorius' transcription of the Charlie Parker bebop classic that he recorded on his own first solo album for Columbia. The keyboards seem to get in the way, and sound stilted based against the loose groove created by the pair of string players. And then there's the matter of Pastorius' "singing" on the title track, which is a meld of James Brown funk, high-tech rock, and jazz. 

It's one long riff; Lagrene gets to riff on forever as Pastorius indulges his weak voice and awful lyrics ("people got to be free/give 'em a shot of R&B"), quoting from Sly Stone and any other tune he can think of. It just comes off as indulgent as hell without any substance other than Lagrene's playing to hold it in place. But there are astonishing moments as well, when Pastorius drives a dub-riddled "Jaco's Reggae" into the stratosphere with a meld of chordal and scalar riffs that never, ever sacrifice the track's rhythm for the sake of improvisation. Lagrene's chunky, knotty chords give it a deeper feel, lending the bottom a wide base. There is also a gorgeous performance of "Teresa" with the single weepiest bassline Pastorius ever recorded. The set ends with a serious lyrical, lush, and moving version of Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses" that pairs Lagrene and Pastorius together in a silky weave of emotion and musical virtuosity, exchanging harmonics and chromatic melody in a painterly fashion. This disc is far from perfect, and must have been a bit of a drag to even make ever such a high-energy tour, but it's not without merit especially for serious fans of the two principals. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/stuttgart-aria-mw0000654208

Personnel:  Backing Vocals – Jan Jankeje;  Bass [Synthesizer] – Jan Jankeje (tracks: 6, 8);  Drums – Peter Lübke;  Electric Bass [Fender 86], Piano, Vocals – Jaco Pastorius;  Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals – Bireli Lagrene;  Keyboards, Synthesizer – Vladislaw Sendecki*

Stuttgart Aria

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Pastorius, Metheny, Bley, Ditmas - Jaco

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop, Fusion
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:39
Size: 84,2 MB
Art: Front

(9:55)  1. Vashkar
(1:00)  2. Poconos
(6:28)  3. Donkey
(7:14)  4. Vampira
(1:04)  5. Overtoned
(3:45)  6. Jaco
(5:12)  7. Batterie
(0:28)  8. King Korn
(1:29)  9. Blood

Although listeners often think of Jaco Pastorius' first solo album as 1976's Jaco on Epic, producer/keyboardist Paul Bley actually gave Pastorius his first official chance at professional recording two years earlier. Coincidentally titled Jaco (originally titled Pastorious/Metheny/Ditmas/Bley), this spontaneous set is also significant for being among guitarist Pat Metheny's first recordings; completing the quartet are Bley on electric piano and drummer Bruce Ditmas. The music consists of three songs by Bley, five from Carla Bley, and "Blood" by Annette Peacock. Pastorius sounds quite powerful, but Metheny's tone is kind of bizarre, very distorted, and not at all distinctive at this point. The recording quality is a bit shaky throughout the electronic set, and the group does not quite live up to its potential, but Pastorius shows that he was already an innovative player, making this an LP of historic interest. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/jaco-mw0000759043

Personnel:  Drums – Bruce Ditmas;  Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius;  Electric Guitar – Pat Metheny;  Electric Piano, Producer – Paul Bley

Jaco

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