Jaco Pastorius – Slang (Bass Solo) [Live in Pittsburgh, 1980]

45 years ago today, Weather Report performed at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the second concert of their tour of 1980, and one of five shows performed before Robert Thomas Jr. joined the group on January 24. This was reviewed by Gary Bradford for The Pittsburgh Press, which, though mostly positive, criticised Wayne Shorter's lack of prominence. (The concert also happened to take place on jazz legend and Pittsburgh native Horace Parlan's 49th birthday, but it wasn't acknowledged during the concert.)

I'll share the rest of this concert later, but first I want to focus on Jaco's 7-minute bass solo. 1980 spawned some of Jaco's best versions of his "Slang" solo bass routine, and this is one of the best. Unlike most, it doesn't rely quite as much on quotes and solo renditions, and is a lot less hectic overall. Much of the pre-looping doodling is centered around his version of The Beatles' "Blackbird," but even then, Jaco takes time to play with different articulations and dynamics. Some of the looping segment is missing due to a cut at 5:37, but I'm hoping a more complete tape recording will surface eventually, because it sounds really good.

In spite of Jaco's declining mental health, many of the 1980 Weather Report live recordings I've heard are good, and deserve to be heard. Although I'm quite busy at the moment, I'll try to go through them, and pick and share the best bits. Please subscribe to my channel if you haven't already, so you won't miss out on anything. I'm also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where I share rare photos and videos, so if that's what you're into, be sure to check them out. Thanks!

00:00 Improvisation
00:35 Blackbird by The Beatles
01:47 Improvisation
03:10 Blackbird by The Beatles
03:53 Improvisation

Photos by Chris Hakkens (Amsterdam, 1980).
From the Stanley Theatre (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA), 1/19/1980.
https://linktr.ee/jacoarchive