I knew from the first note I heard (1977) that the world had discovered the ultimate bass talent. I love lots of other bass players, but as Pat says, no one else really comes close. It's not just his technique and creativity; he possessed a magical quality as well.
You know out of all the decades that Jaco has been gone when you hear music like this it's like he really never left us because you can hear everything he's done through other bass players and writers that play the bass. Stuff like this Never Dies man.
I always come back to this video mainly for Microcosm. I know it’s still a long way but in 2026 for the 50th anniversary of the album they should release the full definite version of the Jaco Pastorius album and include these tracks
That growl Jaco got makes the hair on the back of neck stand up. What a loss to all that loved him. BTW, I've been a bass player for 48 years. When I listen to him, I feel like selling all my equipment and taking up another hobby, like the study of sand.
That's the dumbest saying ever. Selling your equipment because Jaco was good at what he did. You must be a shitty musician after 48 years, if that's the case.
Isn`t this beautiful music as unique as anything Jaco ever recorded? Hey,Sony,Epic, how about an expanded version of Jaco`s debut album........COME ON!
Thanks, Espen. These track are absolutely brilliant and I am cerrtain that a whole world of Jaco fans will no go crazy as they hear the beauty and the great musicianship represented here. Wthout your work and research, Espen, so many friends would never hear how great a musician the young Jaco were. The recordings truly represent the talent of Jaco before drugs and manio depressivity took over. I thank you again and again for sharing this. It's amazing stuff, really!
Good Lord this is SOLID GOLD!!!! Thanks for posting. Jaco transcends bass, his music is timeless and completely unique. No one has ever even come close to his level.
Thank you so much for uploading these. IMHO these versions stand up as masterpieces in themselves. That they provide an insight into how the finished acts of genius we know so well happened, is fascinating.
One of the great joys of my life was seeing Jaco Pastorius during Weather Report's "Night Passage" tour at the Birmingham Odeon; I even got to shake his hand, a month or so later I sold my Bass Guitar and moved over to the Drum Set.A pivotal moment in my life.
I agree!!! I was your typical punk rock kid for my early teens, who started playing bass because I figured it would be the easiest instrument to learn and I'd have the greatest chances of getting invited to play with bands cuz almost everyone else I knew played drums or guitar. But then someone showed me Jaco's Amerika when I was 14, and that's it, my life was forever changed... And because of my age I'm pretty sure that had something to do with How Deeply it impacted me. So I say, make Jaco mandatory study materials in high school, and ban anybody from reading the Bible until they're 21 !
Yeah, instead of so many crap...In my country musical education stinks...well education in general. When I was a kid you had to learn to read music and play baroque flute, today that info is gone...kids don’t want to be in a band or so ever... to listen to Jaco, Trane, Monk, Parker...Bartok, Debussy....at least the Fab 4... this demonstrates how bestial we are becoming...
I actually don't think the world was ready for where he wold have taken music. Just like Charlie Parker, Lee Morgan, Jimi Hendrix; their stars were too bright for this lifetime.
I don’t have a notion as to “what if” but we need to acknowledge the parallel forces of genius and madness that were at play in Jaco’s mind. You can’t have one without the other unfortunately.
Indubbiamente,siamo alla vetta della musica jazz,oltre come bassista,le sue composizioni sono gigantesche.Armonie,melodie,ritmo,atmosfere di una bellezza unica,non trovo parole x descrivere la sua grandezza.Mi permetto di dire,non mi vergogno....mi commuovo ogni volta che ascolto le sue songs.
What a wonderful and brilliant surprise we' ve got over here. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't stop hearing and feeling all of this sounds, power of expression and full of soul pieces of high art. What a master and such a great artist he'll always be. Many thanks from Brazil, brother. Cheers!!!
Hi everyone. For various reasons I have long periods where I am not active on social media, therefore a lot of comments have come in without me having had a chance to answer them. So instead of answering every comment one by one( which would take some time), I'd like to say thank you to each and everyone of you who have have contributed with your thoughtful comments. Regarding my channel I promise that there is more interesting content to come, both Jaco related and music by other artists that I hope you will enjoy. Greetings from Norway
hearing a new song from my most favorite and beloved musician is always fun... microcosm... and love the different arrangement of liberty city and havona, thank you! is there anywhere I can download these?
Microcosm is a great arrangement...love it! Is that Herbie on Havona? His performance of the song with Weather Report is still my favorite, I do like the different approach Jaco has on this version of Havona.
So the riff right before 7:11 is one got transferred to Word of Mouth album, however after 7:11 you hear this higher part sounds at first like a keyboard, no that’s Jaco track but speeded up one octave. They recorded it on tape at half speed then back to normal he’s hauling ass! Lol 🎉 Ok thanks for sharing g these sooo soooo good
Jaco has been and will always be my "Bass God". Many talented bassists have come along since, but those would most likely have never even been heard without Jaco's brilliance. Thanks for posting these tracks. It reminds me what a great void there is in a Jaco-less world.
Riff beginning at 7:11 is the funkiest I have ever heard Jaco lay it down. Back behind the backbeat so heavy. This challenges any hip-hop artist samples to this day! Damn...
Nice to hear the genesis of these piece then and how they came to be refined in the hands of veterans like Zawinul and Shorter ( Havona). Jaco was searching , and then found IT!
Jaco is my favorite, but all he had to do for the Word of Mouth Album is release his best stuff. All Jaco had to do was go back to the 70's and bring them over to the album. Start off with Balloon Song, Domingo, Havona...... then Blackbird, Chromatic Fantasy, Word of Mouth and then John & Mary. WB would have had to give him another album. Still a genius though, still the best bass guitarist ever.
This is just me but I always felt there were 2 great albums in modern music that never got made. One was the Frank Sinatra /Ella Fitzgerald duets record. The other was the Jeff Beck and Jaco Pastorius album. I think it would have been a real gas to listen to both of those.
I've heard these tracks a while back on youtube, but they got removed...There must be some copyright ownership involved, so why the heck aren't these tracks released???!!!
These are wonderful!! But, are they really all from the Debut Album Sessions or some of them are from later on? I thought he wrote Liberty City after the first album was released..
Jaco Universe - This is awesome! "Liberty City" is my favorite, particularly; who are the personnel on that? After a second listen, it seems that maybe that was all Jaco, possibly?
Eduardo P. Yeah, I still wonder, since there are no guitar players credited on the main album's list of players; and Jaco was already able to play drums and piano quite well, in addition to being the supreme leader of electric bass! Hmmm...
joe duran Really? That's cool, where were you able to find the details about the outtakes? It crossed my mind that it may be bass, but I was thinking a 5 or 6 string, or maybe a baritone guitar type instrument.
I had the fortune of meeting Jaco in Buenos Aires, 1980 as I was the interpreter for him and Weather Report. It was an experience I will never forget.
Thanks a lot for sharing your story. I don't doubt for a second that it was an experience for a lifetime! :)
I knew from the first note I heard (1977) that the world had discovered the ultimate bass talent. I love lots of other bass players, but as Pat says, no one else really comes close. It's not just his technique and creativity; he possessed a magical quality as well.
So true
You know out of all the decades that Jaco has been gone when you hear music like this it's like he really never left us because you can hear everything he's done through other bass players and writers that play the bass. Stuff like this Never Dies man.
I always come back to this video mainly for Microcosm. I know it’s still a long way but in 2026 for the 50th anniversary of the album they should release the full definite version of the Jaco Pastorius album and include these tracks
Instantly recognizable. Jaco's sound and feel cut thru to the heart. Genius.
So true
That growl Jaco got makes the hair on the back of neck stand up. What a loss to all that loved him. BTW, I've been a bass player for 48 years. When I listen to him, I feel like selling all my equipment and taking up another hobby, like the study of sand.
Glenn Martin Hahaha fantastic comment, so true...
That's the dumbest saying ever. Selling your equipment because Jaco was good at what he did. You must be a shitty musician after 48 years, if that's the case.
Not as shitty as your comment.
Glenn Martin He got that from a heavy right hand. He played with exceptional dynamics. The UREI LA4 was the perfect match for his playing.
CooManTunes What’s a complete asshole like you doing listening to Jaco anyway?
Isn`t this beautiful music as unique as anything Jaco ever recorded? Hey,Sony,Epic, how about an expanded version of Jaco`s debut album........COME ON!
The masters are gone.
@@bassmickeyd What happened?! Do you have any more information?
I'd love to hear that too
If the masters are gone, where did these outtakes come from?
@@HHGary NICE!
Jaco has that special sound I keep coming back to. Always takes me to a certain world that is only his. My favorite bass player. I love him so much !
Track list: 00:00 Microcosm 3:10 Portrait of Tracy(alternate version) 6:09 Liberty City 8:27 Forgotten Love 10:29 Havona
Wow. More great stuff. Where did you get this? It should be released. Thank you again.
Seriously! Where in the hell did you come across these tracks ?
@@andrewcroft9333 It is released right here!
Thank you for the sharing ❤️❤️❤️,First Ilistening ön my life ❤️❤️❤️🔥 Really Good...bit Áll. Jaco ...
Thanks, Espen. These track are absolutely brilliant and I am cerrtain that a whole world of Jaco fans will no go crazy as they hear the beauty and the great musicianship represented here. Wthout your work and research, Espen, so many friends would never hear how great a musician the young Jaco were. The recordings truly represent the talent of Jaco before drugs and manio depressivity took over. I thank you again and again for sharing this. It's amazing stuff, really!
yes, the manic is not on view, as it was for the Word of Mouth record!
Outstanding--this needs to be released officially! What a treasure; so cool to hear an early version of Havona.
Good Lord this is SOLID GOLD!!!! Thanks for posting. Jaco transcends bass, his music is timeless and completely unique. No one has ever even come close to his level.
and so young !!!!!
Thank you so much for uploading these. IMHO these versions stand up as masterpieces in themselves. That they provide an insight into how the finished acts of genius we know so well happened, is fascinating.
One of the great joys of my life was seeing Jaco Pastorius during Weather Report's "Night Passage" tour at the Birmingham Odeon; I even got to shake his hand, a month or so later I sold my Bass Guitar and moved over to the Drum Set.A pivotal moment in my life.
Robert Dore I once read on a comments section that Jaco had a very strong handshake. Is it true?
How very Special.....Man THANK YOU FOR THIS!!
Pastorius appreciation should be compulsory in High School...
LOL :-)
I agree!!! I was your typical punk rock kid for my early teens, who started playing bass because I figured it would be the easiest instrument to learn and I'd have the greatest chances of getting invited to play with bands cuz almost everyone else I knew played drums or guitar. But then someone showed me Jaco's Amerika when I was 14, and that's it, my life was forever changed... And because of my age I'm pretty sure that had something to do with How Deeply it impacted me. So I say, make Jaco mandatory study materials in high school, and ban anybody from reading the Bible until they're 21 !
I mean it seriously. And I'm an educator myself
That's where I learned about him in 1976 - I had bass player friends. I borrowed Heavy Weather - the world was never the same.
Yeah, instead of so many crap...In my country musical education stinks...well education in general. When I was a kid you had to learn to read music and play baroque flute, today that info is gone...kids don’t want to be in a band or so ever... to listen to Jaco, Trane, Monk, Parker...Bartok, Debussy....at least the Fab 4... this demonstrates how bestial we are becoming...
This is a treasure trove right here! Thnk u for sharing..
Jaco 4ever..
There'll never b another!
I'm glad you enjoyed the music. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Thank you so much for sharing. It's like a first love, first instrument, high school sweetheart .
This is awesome. What a tone! Beautiful. Jaco lives on in his music.
These are Florida demos Jaco did before they went to NYC and Herbie came onboard. ... Liberty City is so quick. ... Alex on Havona. ...
I feel grateful that iam alive to have listened to the jaco .. phenomenon
Unbelievable gorgeous stuff. Blessed to hear this!...
It's actually scary in a way, to think of where he would have been by now (not to mention the world of Bass) were he still with us today... :)
I actually don't think the world was ready for where he wold have taken music. Just like Charlie Parker, Lee Morgan, Jimi Hendrix; their stars were too bright for this lifetime.
I don’t have a notion as to “what if” but we need to acknowledge the parallel forces of genius and madness that were at play in Jaco’s mind. You can’t have one without the other unfortunately.
Indubbiamente,siamo alla vetta della musica jazz,oltre come bassista,le sue composizioni sono gigantesche.Armonie,melodie,ritmo,atmosfere di una bellezza unica,non trovo parole x descrivere la sua grandezza.Mi permetto di dire,non mi vergogno....mi commuovo ogni volta che ascolto le sue songs.
What a wonderful and brilliant surprise we' ve got over here. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't stop hearing and feeling all of this sounds, power of expression and full of soul pieces of high art. What a master and such a great artist he'll always be. Many thanks from Brazil, brother. Cheers!!!
I'm glad you enjoyed the recording my friend. Merry Christmas! :)
Greetings from Norway
a terrific alternate version of "Havona"! very different from the version on "Heavy Weather"...amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this!
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Hi everyone. For various reasons I have long periods where I am not active on social media, therefore a lot of comments have come in without me having had a chance to answer them. So instead of answering every comment one by one( which would take some time), I'd like to say thank you to each and everyone of you who have have contributed with your thoughtful comments. Regarding my channel I promise that there is more interesting content to come, both Jaco related and music by other artists that I hope you will enjoy.
Greetings from Norway
of course !!!!! thank you from puy de dome in france
Thanks for upload
Hey Thank you especially for sharing this!! Extremely Heartwarming!!
@@waynefoote3781 You're welcome. And thanks for the heartwarming comment. It is much appreciated :)
His music always ease my soul. Love you Jaco
Same here. Jaco was special :)
Epic needs to release a deluxe of this album with some extras
Great to hear these outtakes.
hearing a new song from my most favorite and beloved musician is always fun... microcosm... and love the different arrangement of liberty city and havona, thank you! is there anywhere I can download these?
So beautiful. Like no other.....❤️🙏
Every time I listen to Jaco I get the urge to rip out all the frets from my fender bass.
i did that already lol
Must be cheaper to buy a bass without frets, no? Rip out your ukulele frets!
@@larrymonteleone1789 how? I have the urge to rip the frets out of mine because I love the fretless sound.
@@RiveBassCovers buy a cheep bass and use a butter knife to pry them out
DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!!!!!
Hopefully it'll be us constantly saying "DO IT" that'll make you DO IT!!! 😃
Microcosm is a great arrangement...love it! Is that Herbie on Havona? His performance of the song with Weather Report is still my favorite, I do like the different approach Jaco has on this version of Havona.
isn't it reassuring to hear Herbie do a Tommy Flanagan on it...
So the riff right before 7:11 is one got transferred to Word of Mouth album, however after 7:11 you hear this higher part sounds at first like a keyboard, no that’s Jaco track but speeded up one octave. They recorded it on tape at half speed then back to normal he’s hauling ass! Lol 🎉
Ok thanks for sharing g these sooo soooo good
Sounds like music to me...God damn, so,so amazing!
Jaco has been and will always be my "Bass God". Many talented bassists have come along since, but those would most likely have never even been heard without Jaco's brilliance. Thanks for posting these tracks. It reminds me what a great void there is in a Jaco-less world.
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Riff beginning at 7:11 is the funkiest I have ever heard Jaco lay it down. Back behind the backbeat so heavy. This challenges any hip-hop artist samples to this day! Damn...
Thank You for this! A real treasure!
Ancora oggi è irraggiungibile, livelli di pensiero e concezione elevatissimi.
Nice to hear the genesis of these piece then and how they came to be refined in the hands of veterans like Zawinul and Shorter ( Havona). Jaco was searching , and then found IT!
Still the reigning king of fretless electric bass, in my book.
This is also a wonderful rendition of Tracy!
yes
thank you for sharing these with us!
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
This is so amazing to hear. I wish these all made the album. The the more the merrier, I guess.
and this is the stuff that DIDN'T make the record. wow.
Yes, that says a lot doesn't it Mark? Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Thanks for sharing so amazing bass guitarman!
music therapy
have loved this vid for years but never commented
Sentimento & tecnica..............MERAVIGLIOSO!
tanks a lot!!!!!
This incredible guy was an Alien!!!!
Jaco is my favorite, but all he had to do for the Word of Mouth Album is release his best stuff. All Jaco had to do was go back to the 70's and bring them over to the album. Start off with Balloon Song, Domingo, Havona...... then Blackbird, Chromatic Fantasy, Word of Mouth and then John & Mary. WB would have had to give him another album. Still a genius though, still the best bass guitarist ever.
thanks for posting these rare cuts.
+oldschoolbbass
You're welcome.
Thanks for posting these songs!
+Danny Crout
You're welcome.
Fantastic. Greatest!
Ele era genial. Insubstituível. Um gigante que não precisava mais que 4 cordas.
We can hear " the first of three lines" of (Liberty city follow by a funky line all in GM) ; the reprise of (Havona) is a very great moment
Glad you enjoyed it Pierre. Greetings from Norway.
Brilliant thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Very nice indeed !...
thanks for sharing!
Thanks for posting!
スーパープレイの連続❤😮👍
Really Love the Funk version of Liberty City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I ask where the hell you came across these?
@@VisualDrone12 Even still....
Wish Bowie would have hired him for Lets Dance sessions with Stevie Ray Vaughn.
A Real Treasure
Are you ______ kidding me!?!?!?!?!?!??! Wow.... Thank you!!! (P.S. - Ummmm... how did these tracks NOT end up on the Criteria Sessions CD?!?!?!?)
Read his biography.
I won't let him go
Liberty City did not arrive til 1980 though the verse groove heard here found a home there.
Can I just add to the chorus of thanks on this post? Thank you so much. Peace from London, England.
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
This is just me but I always felt there were 2 great albums in modern music that never got made. One was the Frank Sinatra /Ella Fitzgerald duets record. The other was the Jeff Beck and Jaco Pastorius album. I think it would have been a real gas to listen to both of those.
Thanks for this!
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Amazing stuff man, how did you get hold of these?
Fresh jaco! Great music, thanks from Argentina
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.
Greetings from Norway
Of course, listen to the whole tune to get the feel.
Pastorius, Unico e irripetibile!
Thanks so much for posting this! Are these available anywhere?
Great!!
I've heard these tracks a while back on youtube, but they got removed...There must be some copyright ownership involved, so why the heck aren't these tracks released???!!!
Awesome
love jaco ever!!
If Jaco were alive......we'd be ignoring him,which is where his problems started......
He's memorial
His kids are blessed
Jaco+
IC XC ➕ NI Ka
Liberty City!
It's a shame that he did his best playing before he was in weather report.
Absolutely. Exactly.
That's debatable. His dad thinks he did his best work with Joni Mitchell.
This could be the tape he gave to Zawinul
Jaco the best.
thanks
Go to Jaco lives on U tube for a rare insight into the mad genius unmasked.
Microcosm shouldave been on the album i think, great track.
Jaco Straight Pimpin
Wish he would have done Take Five.
Fantastisk
yes
Microcosm!
These are wonderful!! But, are they really all from the Debut Album Sessions or some of them are from later on? I thought he wrote Liberty City after the first album was released..
Anyway, I love Jaco.
Jaco Universe - This is awesome! "Liberty City" is my favorite, particularly; who are the personnel on that? After a second listen, it seems that maybe that was all Jaco, possibly?
+Fender JazzStudent Tremendous guitar player. Definitivelly not Jaco.-
Eduardo P. Yeah, I still wonder, since there are no guitar players credited on the main album's list of players; and Jaco was already able to play drums and piano quite well, in addition to being the supreme leader of electric bass! Hmmm...
Agree, but this is not his approach on strings. With a guitar in his hands he had played another stuff. So long.-
+Eduardo P. thats not guitar. thats bass with the tape sped up so its up an octave.
joe duran Really? That's cool, where were you able to find the details about the outtakes? It crossed my mind that it may be bass, but I was thinking a 5 or 6 string, or maybe a baritone guitar type instrument.
The Hendrix of bass ! Jamerson was great but Jaco was a new universe. I don’t think there was any aspect of bass he didn’t touch upon and explode.