JACO: the Film

The second disc of additional material, including in-depth interviews with many of the musical friends that chucklehead, is worth the price alone. Then, you also get a very well-made film the covers a lot of ground. The only thing that wasn't mentioned, however, that I feel is important, was that the common thread between weather report, RTF, and Mahavishnu was Miles . Miles is really not mentioned much in the entire video. And I think it's a mistake to think fit any of this music could've existed without bitches brew, because so many of these major players Who are interviewed came out of that era before Jaco arrived on the scene. Still, a beautiful job and Mr. Trujillo deserves much praise. It was a little hard to hear metal music coming out of Jaco's magical base now that he owns it, but at least it is being played, loved, and respected.

This documentary views like a music composition. During the first half the basic themes are presented and discussed, and about half way through, the mood shifts and the variations begin. Along the way there are embellishments of home movies, revealing interviews, and of course clips of Jaco performing. The pacing is calm and even. No topic is rushed. The results are a humanizing documentary that reveals a man – savant like in his gifts – who tries to juggle his unprecedented talent with personal demons. Is the music the cause of his struggles, or the result? Are his abilities gifts or burdens? We’re left to make our own conclusion.All in all, this documentary is a touching portrait of a man who left an indelible mark in a very short time. A second disc contains extended interviews which provide insightful stories about Jaco. Most are commentaries about his abilities, his friendships, and a few accounts of his idiosyncrasies.With anything, there are always subjects that could have been furthered explored. I would like to have heard from his wives (his sons and brother are featured). I would also have liked more details about his technique with specific examples. When discussing his demise, not much was said about the people that caused Jaco’s death. We’re not really told why they beat him so savagely, or what happened to them. Perhaps this wasn’t the place for those details.Fame and accolades aside, it’s too bad Jaco wasn’t able to receive consistent mental and physical care. Who knows what else he could have accomplished. As impressed as we might be with what Jaco left us, imagine what it must have sounded like in his head! Absolutely recommend for any music aficionados, and required viewing for all bass players! All will be amazed at the outrageous virtuosity, performed on only four strings!

I enjoyed this documentary very much. It has something for everyone as it contains at least some things you didn't know, nor have seen, regardless of who you are. My family moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida in 1955, a few years before the Pastorius Family. Although Fort Lauderdale/Oakland Park and the rest of Broward County is pretty spacious, believe it or not, in the 50's and 60's it wasn't heavily populated. As such, you would run into people all the time. My first memories of Jaco are related to the outdoors as that is what you did back then. I remember Little League games at Holiday Park when we were about 8 or 9 and the basketball courts on the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach where all of the families used to cook out. We were not in the same circle of friends as he grew up on the east side of town, Oakland Park, and I grew up in Lauderdale Manors, about a mile from WRBD, which Jaco's brother Gregory refers in the documentary to as The Hood. Somehow, someone, had the insight (or at least the bread) to record some of this footage of life in South Florida back then. Even his first wife Tracy seemed to now something was coming and preserved Family Life at the beach swimming and playing Frisbee. This is some of my favorite footage as the young Jaco I knew was pretty quiet and shy, not the Wildman some people think of. Peter Erskine, Peter Graves, Ira Sullivan, and others try to emphasize the difference between the Man and the Performer. The documentary actually has a lot of really funny content which is nice as I think everyone was expecting it to be sad due to his early demise. As far as concert footage, if you are a devoted follower, you undoubtedly will have seen at least some of these performances, but even I had not seen all of them. There is much video of Jaco on stage with full-length performances, this is a documentary of his life peppered with enough snippets to lure in even those who are only interested in his music. Which could include Jaco as he makes it clear that his primary concern was where he was playing next. It certainly wasn't on money management or business dealings, which contributed greatly to his problems. He knew what he wanted in his music (even if the Industry refused to listen) but he had 2 wives and 4 kids to support. One night I was at Musicians Exchange Cafe talking with Jaco's brother Gregory and Jaco walked in. He just kept saying "what do they want from me?. Do they expect me to invent the electric bass, again?" Less that 10 years before, people were sitting there with their mouths hanging open in awe, and now they sat with their arms crossed saying "impress me" The "downfall" portion, if you want to call it that, is sad, but he accomplished/contributed more in his time on Earth than the rest of us will do if we live to be 100. Jaco was a deeply spiritual and even religious sole. ( he was an altar boy at St Clemens in Wilton Manors) The Bobby Thomas footage is very revealing regarding it being time to go. He started in Holiday Park and ended in Holiday Park. It would have been nice to have more in the documentary regarding the later days after the Twins, Felix and Julius (both very good musicians themselves) were born and the Jaco Pastorius Park which we helped bring to fruition just a few blocks from where Jaco grew up, but hey, it is still a great documentary of a simple yet very complex man who is still missed by many, including me.

I don't know that I learned anything new here, having read the biography and so many articles over the years, but I enjoyed revisiting so many stories and listening to the people he played with recall the real Jaco. I think I went into this movie wanting to see a movie about one of the most influential bassists; someone who stood the world of music on its ear. Unfortunately when making a movie about Jaco you cannot have a movie about his musical greatness without trudging deep into the world of his mental disorder. Whenever you discuss mental disorders you are trying to rationalize something that isn't rational, the pieces don't fit and I find it frustrating. A big thank you has to go out to Robert Trujillo for investing so much of himself into this film, and creating this tribute to such a wonderful musician.

As a long-time fan of his playing and much (but not all) of his music, I had awaited this release keenly. Some early reviews were slightly dismissive, suggesting that it wasn't a wholly accurate representation of his life or was selective in its content, and if I'm honest there may be a grain of truth to this, but as an insight into the great/troubled genius, it is very fine piece of work. If you want a bit more context, the Bill Milkowski biography is an essential read (and should, perhaps, be considered complimentary to this film) but as a standalone documentary this stands tall against other great music documentaries.I have to say, though, that this is not a happy ending story; there are bits of the film that are painful to watch, such as the Jaco/Mike Stern footage where Jaco is clearly drunk and shows a vitriolic side that surprised us. And, of course, the ending is a tragic thing, probably avoidable although perhaps inevitable. What's most poignant, though, is the liberal video footage showing the other side of Jaco - from child, through adolescence and on into his adult years. You get a greater sense of the family man, the joker and the artist, than you would from simply reading about him or listening to his recordings. What's more, the fine array of his peers and those he as influenced, giving honest interviews, was fascinating, and showed just how many lives he touched (in one way or another).If you have any interest in Jaco this is a six star documentary, and even if you simply like musical documentaries, this is still compelling viewing. Ask my wife: she cares not a great deal for his music, but was fascinated by the film.

I've been building my excitement for this film since Robet Trujillo announced it about 3 years ago. So it had s lot to live up to.....and it did! To start with I was concerned it had been shot in 4:3 but that was just the aspect ratio of archive footage, and the new parts are all 16:9. I've previously read Jaco's biography and some of the details in this film don't quite match the stories in the book, so I'm not sure which is right. But in other places it was fascinating to gain a deeper insight in to Jaco's early years. He certainly was "the worlds greatest bass player" and has had a profound impact on my own musical tastes and indeed numerous other more notable bassists! I loved this film. It is well shot and sensitively produced. Excellent job Mr Trujillo and thank you so much for making this film.

Rather entertaining for a documentary. Learned lots of things about this groundbreaking bass player. Hearing Jaco play with Weather Report was one of the main reasons that I picked up the instrument in the first place. This documentary explains to some degree how and why his life became so complicated. Well worth seeing.

Love it! Its a must-have for any bass player. You should really buy it on DVD to back up Robert Trujillo who took the time, money and hazzels to get this done!

An interesting film about one of, if not the, most influential bassists ever. Most of what is in the film has been said before (in the book for example) but it is nice to see the people talking about him and bringing everything together.