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Happy Birthday, Jaco Pastorius


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Requiem for Jaco's Birthday

 

Jaco transcended the electric bass guitar.

he was a fan of rock'n roll as much as we was a student of jazz; pointed to Jimi Hendrix as one of his early influences in the same breath as players like Mingus, "the cats, ya know?" as he affectionately referred to them.

 

Jaco wasn't all about soloing and bass virtuosity -- give Joni Mitchell's "Coyote" a whirl; the taste, the eloquence... even during his later years when he sadly became increasingly unhinged, he was as much a composer, an arranger, as he was a player.

 

his smile infectious, he'll always remain the precocious wild child... every century or so someone like him comes along... if we all live long enough, maybe someone like Jaco will come along again...

but i doubt it.

 

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Isn't he dead???

 

LouieB

 

In the early to mid-1980s, Pastorius began to experience increasingly prevalent mental health problems, including symptoms of bipolar disorder. These were worsened by heavy drug and alcohol use and he was eventually diagnosed as being manic depressive. Although his on-stage and off-stage antics were already well-documented, his mental health and addiction problems exacerbated his unusual and often bizarre behavior and his musical performances suffered.

 

During this time he played in various solo acts in Fort Lauderdale and New York City, and became an outcast of the musical community due to his health problems. He was homeless, penniless, and secluded from nearly all who once held him dear. He was left to gig at various nightclubs around town, but when his behavior became too much, he was banned and would segue to the next club. His final address was at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After sneaking onstage at a Carlos Santana concert September 11, 1987, he was ejected from the premises, and he made his way to the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors, Florida (which is now The Corner Pocket, near the intersection of NE 6th Ave and Wilton Drive, in The Shoppes of Wilton Manors). What then happened was clouded with discrepancy. After reportedly kicking in a glass door after being refused entrance to the club, he was engaged in a violent confrontation with the club bouncer, Luc Havan. Pastorius was hospitalized for multiple facial fractures and gruesome disfigurement to his face, including the probable loss of his right eye and right arm, and had sustained irreversible brain damage. He fell into a coma and was put on life support. There were initially encouraging signs that he would come out of his coma and recover, but a massive brain hemorrhage a few days later pointed to brain death. His family decided on a majority vote to remove him from life support, even though his second wife Ingrid was against the decision. Pastorius died on September 21, 1987, aged 35, at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, his heart continuing to beat an agonizing three hours after the plug was pulled. In the wake of Pastorius' death, Havan was convicted of second degree murder, for which he served four months. Jaco is buried at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery in North Lauderdale.

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I KNOW he is dead..i was being facetious......thanks for the blow by blow of his last horrid days...one more reason not to do hard drugs...etc.

 

Just not sure why we are celebrating the poor guys birthday....

 

LouieB

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I KNOW he is dead..i was being facetious......thanks for the blow by blow of his last horrid days...one more reason not to do hard drugs...etc.

 

Just not sure why we are celebrating the poor guys birthday....

 

LouieB

 

5 O'Clock post - I meant to add I did not know all of that stuff. I just recall reading some article in a Spin magazine that said he was found dead in an alleyway in Florida. I know he is the man - but I just don't care for jazz rock or fusion or whatever it's called.

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he was a supremely talented bassist, sorry i didn't run it by you first.

Okay sorry, I was sort of curious where this came from.

 

5 O'Clock post - I meant to add I did not know all of that stuff. I just recall reading some article in a Spin magazine that said he was found dead in an alleyway in Florida. I know he is the man - but I just don't care for jazz rock or fusion or whatever it's called.

He did play with Joni Mitchell and other rock artists, but was a difficult guy when he was more together I guess. It is truly sad when someone with so much talent just goes completely off the tracks like he did.

 

LouieB

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