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Jaco

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Jaco (2015)
Trailer for Jaco
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
4 Photos
BiographyDocumentaryDramaMusic

JACO" tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and the role of the electric ... Read allJACO" tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and the role of the electric bass guitar.JACO" tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and the role of the electric bass guitar.

  • Directors
    • Stephen Kijak
    • Paul Marchand
  • Writers
    • Paul Marchand
    • Robert Trujillo
  • Stars
    • Jaco Pastorius
    • Jerry Jemmott
    • Robert Trujillo
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Stephen Kijak
      • Paul Marchand
    • Writers
      • Paul Marchand
      • Robert Trujillo
    • Stars
      • Jaco Pastorius
      • Jerry Jemmott
      • Robert Trujillo
    • 9User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Jaco
    Trailer 2:26
    Jaco

    Photos3

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast61

    Edit
    Jaco Pastorius
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Jerry Jemmott
    • Self
    Robert Trujillo
    Robert Trujillo
    • Self
    Flea
    Flea
    • Self
    Juan Alderete
    • Self
    Jack Pastorius
    • Self - Jaco Pastorius' Father
    • (archive footage)
    Gregory Pastorius
    • Self
    Stephanie Pastorius
    • Self - Jaco Pastorius' Mother
    • (archive footage)
    Bob Bobbing
    • Self
    Wayne Cochran
    Wayne Cochran
    • Self
    • (voice)
    Randy Emerick
    • Self
    Tracy Lee
    • Self
    • (voice)
    Armand Sabal-Lecco
    • Self
    Sting
    Sting
    • Self
    Herbie Hancock
    Herbie Hancock
    • Self
    Blood Sweat & Tears
    • Themselves
    • (archive footage)
    Bobby Colomby
    Bobby Colomby
    • Self
    Charlie Parker Quintet
    • Themselves
    • (archive footage)
    • Directors
      • Stephen Kijak
      • Paul Marchand
    • Writers
      • Paul Marchand
      • Robert Trujillo
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    7.61.3K
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    Featured reviews

    10naysbaghai

    An intriguing and deeply personal film about the greatest bassist to ever live

    Described by nme.com as "a four string demon", Jaco Pastorius was arguably the greatest electric bass guitarist to walk the earth since John Entwistle, and continues to hold a revered reputation amongst bassists across the world, including me. The news of a documentary and the release of the film's theatrical trailer tickled my anticipation to high levels, and I can proudly say that Robert Trujillo's 2015 passion project is a great representation of Jaco's career and personal life.

    Although normal moviegoers might not appreciate Jaco as a film, it should not be viewed as a mind-boggling piece of cinema, but rather a detailed lesson on one of the most influential musicians of all time. The essential purpose of a documentary is to educate the masses on a subject not commonly known. Jaco more than delivers as a refresher for fans and as a discovery for newcomers. It touches on most of the essential topics in Jaco's life: his youth, musical career, personal life, mental disorders, and most importantly, his legacy in the musical community. This intriguing and deeply personal story is represented through a wide variety of media, including photos, archive footage, interviews, and music. You might question the over-reliance on grainy Super 8 footage, but it nonetheless provides us to hours of unseen footage and concerts, showing that the filmmakers have really done their homework and respect the material they are handling. As far as their production values go, the style of the titles and montages is gorgeous and oozing with colour, while the high resolution, low depth-of-field shots showcase a level of professionalism for the most part.

    Jaco features dozens of famous musicians that offer words on this kingpin of the electric bass, including Flea, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock and many more. Although the filmmakers fail to capitalise on the big-name bassists, such as Sting, Bootsy Collins, Geddy Lee and Victor Wooten, the undeniable influence of Jaco reverentially acknowledged by these musicians is humbling to listen to, propelling your appreciation of him even further. Moreover, the people who were most important in Jaco's life and/or those who knew him best are given longer amounts of screen time, and rightly so; the raw authenticity with which they describe Jaco and his demise propel the emotion of the film.

    No discussion of Jaco would be complete without mentioning its soundtrack, primarily (and appropriately) comprised of music composed and performed by Jaco himself. While the occasional leitmotifs from the soprano saxophone and the bass guitar harmonics feel a bit too monotonous, it is a very small complaint, because the symphonic-like arrangement of Jaco's countless compositions throughout the film is so intelligent and mathematical, and it is impossible not to feel chills when you hear the deus-like virtuosity of Jaco's playing. Coincidentally, the best Jaco compositions are the ones that are utilised the best in the film, such as Continuum, Portrait of Tracy, Donna Lee and Come On, Come Over, all of which happen to be from his eponymous debut album.

    We might view films as a means of escape and entertainment, but the really good ones are ones that manage to both distract and educate us. Jaco perfectly achieves both of these objectives, and while it is not as jaw-dropping as Whiplash, it is the perfect medium to transform anyone into a fan of Jaco Pastorius, a unique, tormented and unforgettable individual who reinvented the electric bass the same way Jimi Hendrix did with the guitar.
    9TheOtherMovieGuy

    The greatest bass player in the world

    That's really all that needs to be said and you really should watch this to understand why that is not just hyperbole.

    This is a documentary telling the story of Jaco Pastorius' life; like an epic movie story, you know that there will be no happy ending to this.

    Jaco not only single-handedly reshaped the jazz genre, he opened up a realm of bass playing that was previously unheard of and reinvented the expectations of what an electric bass is able to do. He was the Jimi Hendrix of bass.

    What I found really interesting is to see how bass players across the entire music spectrum pays tribute to Jaco. And as we've seen happening with so many musicians, there is a tragic ending to his story although his legacy will live on forever.

    If you have a passion for music you should watch this, even if Jazz isn't your thing; this is the story not just of a musician, it's the story of how music evolves.
    5thomas998

    Mediocre documentary about a very great musician

    The movie tells the story of one of the biggest bassists that ever lived, who was at the top during the 70's when Jazz and Rock had a brief romance that blended the two together before music became a very segmented compartmentalized business.

    I'll assume anyone considering the movie will already know the basic story of Jaco's rise and fall. If not, then I would certainly not recommend this documentary. Some documentaries work well for people that aren't even familiar with the central subject, and example would be Senna, or Finding Sugarman... Both of those two told a story that drew you in so that you felt a connection to the character even if you weren't familiar with him before. Jaco does none of that it pretty much just retread the information you probably already were aware of and throws in some old photos and film clips that you might not have already found surfing on Youtube when looking up Jaco.

    The production values are generally good, the real down fall is that too much time is spent running old grainy footage from the past that doesn't really help the story as much as it simply serves as a media to throw out footage someone found in a basement somewhere.

    What will probably upset more people even more is that the documentary was marketed on the internet using clips of artists such as Flea talking about Jaco, so that you expected to see more of that type of thing in the documentary... sadly it is missing. The majority of the interviews are with a few select people that worked or knew him personally but they don't give a lot of insight into him. You also are missing any discussion of what Jaco did or how he was doing it... I would have much preferred to have the film spend a few minutes going over the harmonics he was getting out of the bass and how it was achieved instead of hearing about how he used to crash at so and so's house and just hang for a days...

    Sorry but I am a fan of his and was expecting more... this didn't deliver. Even a hard core fan will be hard pressed not to hit the fast forward button to zip through some of it... The up side is I think the only way you can see this is to buy the Blu-ray or DVD of it... I would recommend the DVD over the blu-ray because there is so much old grainy footage that you don't really need the clarity of blu-ray to view SD video... Don't expect to watch the whole thing in one sitting it too me two days because I got bored the first night and finished the second.
    9RodrigAndrisan

    Exceptional musical testimony!

    About the odyssey of a genius, a genius of the bass guitar, a genius who, like Mozart and many others before him, ended sad, in misery. After celebrating the peak of glory with another great genius, Joe Zawinul, in the legendary band of jazz fusion Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius followed a downward road, slept through parks, arrived at one moment in a madhouse, and died young, in a stupid way. But, better watch the movie, it's full of people who have met and admired him, famous musicians...
    9botfeeder

    the best biographical documentary I have ever watched

    This movie is brilliant. First of all, Pastorius lived one of the most fascinating lives of any artist in recent history, and that's a prerequisite for making a movie of this caliber. But then you have to execute, to produce a work that is worthy of the subject matter. And they pulled it off. And that took a lot of talent.

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    Music

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    FAQ17

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 3, 2016 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Film Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Жако
    • Production companies
      • Passion Pictures
      • Slang East/West
      • Toy District Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $800,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 50m(110 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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