Jaco

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.

A warm and lively tribute, "Jaco" is a celebration of the life and music of one of the greatest and most influential musicians, one of the rare talents who altered the course of their craft and took it to heights that others have been inspired to follow. Jaco Pastorius took the bass guitar from an insignificant instrument to its full potential capable of beauty, complexity and artistic significance. "Jaco" chronicles the life of the wonderkind from his childhood to his tragic fate. Priceless footage from throughout his life and interviews with his family, friends and fellow musicians reveal the man and his genius. Sting, Bootsy Collins, Geddy Lee, Flea, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and Robert Trujillo among others share their experiences and it gives a good and intimate glimpse. The quality of the film parallels the life of Pastorius with its promise and high of the man's early years to his peak wowing crowds with his virtuosity and flamboyant stage presence then hitting a low by becoming less compelling as Pastorius slides to mental illness and incapacity leading to his sad demise and unsettling end. Produced by veteran musician and bassist Rob Trujillo this is one of the finest documentaries and a memorial on the glory of the human spirit and the terrible price it unfortunately a lot of times has to pay.

I'm reviewing "Jaco" after seeing it for the second time in three years. This time it became apparent to me that Jaco ("the greatest bass player who ever lived") was a real life Tragic Hero in the classical sense. He had a seemingly supernatural gift, but ultimately mental illness and addiction plagued him after his rise to the top. The documentary lays out that story, and features commentary by some of the collaborating musicians who were also at the top of their field (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter). Viewers who are unfamiliar with Jaco Pastorius might not find this as engaging as his fans will. But for those who are curious about a musician who completely revolutionized the way of playing his instrument, this doc might turn you on to one of the greats.

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.

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.