''Word of Mouth'' is the second solo studio album by American bassist

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist, composer and producer. He recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader and was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. ...

, released in 1981, while he was still a member of the jazz fusion group

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and voca ...

, and also the name of a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

that Pastorius assembled and with which he toured from 1981 to 1983.

Critical reception

Reviewing the album in ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled ...

'', Cook and Morton favorably assessed the album, they wrote: "A brilliant example of Jaco’s gift for sound (...) A lovely record, full of surprises", while in contrast Swenson saw the album as a troubled follow-up to the previous ''

'' album.

Background

While his debut album showcased his eclectic and impressive skills on electric bass, ''Word of Mouth'' focused more on his ability to compose and arrange for a larger band. The album still shows off Pastorius's skill, most notably in the solo opening to " Chromatic Fantasy" by

J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

and the title track. "Crisis" also features a fast, bass pattern looping, which runs under the frantic soloing. Most of the rest of the album's bass is subdued and blends into the band's arrangement. The song "John and Mary" is dedicated to his children from his first marriage to Tracy; he had two other children, twin sons Julius and Felix with his second wife, Ingrid. The band included Herbie Hancock,

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the dru ...

, Jack DeJohnette,

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

Don Alias Charles "Don" Alias (December 25, 1939 in New York City – March 28, 2006 in New York City) was an American jazz percussionist. Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for ...

, and

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...

, who is featured on harmonica on many of the songs.

Crediting controversy

The first 50,000 copies of the album lacked credits for all participating musicians. As the result of a lawsuit against Warner Bros., CBS forbade the names of a few of the (less well-known) musicians to be mentioned on the sleeve. Pastorius defiantly replied that "if they can't be listed, then nobody will be listed". On later copies of the album, the names were listed.

Track listing

All tracks written by Jaco Pastorius except where noted. #"Crisis" – 5:17* #"Three Views of a Secret" – 6:05 #"Liberty City" – 11:57 #" Chromatic Fantasy" (

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

) – 3:01 #" Blackbird" (

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...

) – 2:48 #"Word of Mouth" – 3:53** #"John and Mary" – 10:52 *For the original LP, Cassette and CD release, "Crisis" was 5:21. However, for reasons that are unclear, the current MP3 downloads cut the first three seconds of the improvisation. The 1981 Warner Brothers promo disc has the 5:17 listing for "Crisis."
**"Word of Mouth" is listed as being 4:21 in the liner notes, as it begins with the feedback at the end of "Blackbird" and ends with the whispering and giggling at the start of "John and Mary".

Personnel

– electric bass, double bass, organ, piano, synthesizer, autoharp, koto, percussion, vocals * Herbie Hancock – keyboards, synthesizers, piano *

, Tom Scott, Mario Cruz – saxophone *

– harmonica * Chuck Findley – trumpet * John Clark – French horn * Howard Johnson – tuba *

and Robert Thomas Jr. – percussion *

and Jack DeJohnette – drums *

Othello Molineaux Othello Molineaux (born 1939) is a jazz steelpan player who spent much of his early career with Jaco Pastorius. He was among the earliest musicians to adapt the steelpan to jazz. He has worked with Monty Alexander, Chicago, and David Johansen. ...

and Paul Horn-Muller – steel pan * John F. Pastorius IV – vocal on "John and Mary" *

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

- flute

References

External links

Official Jaco Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Word Of Mouth (Jaco Pastorius Album) Jaco Pastorius albums 1981 albums Warner Records albums