I expected to like Jaco Pastorius—both the bassist as well as his self-titled debut album—from the start. It is the official editorial position of the Simpsonian that Rush is the greatest rock group of all time, so I hope there is no doubt when I say that I surely appreciate a proper bass-slapping. Alas, despite all that, my first listen of this album sailed right under my whelms. I had a hard time following along or categorizing the album: we start with the virtuosic but minimal "Donna Lee," followed by the distinctly R&B "Come On, Come Over", then a few progressive tracks, finally tied up with some soaring strings?¹ I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

But with repeated listens, something finally clicked. The real "a-ha" moment for me was likening this album to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories—bear with me. Yes, the two albums sound pretty different, but they both explore all kinds of different musical ideas/genres, while still maintaining a coherent, singular identity that binds all the tracks together. Even when drilling down to the level of individual tracks there's some fun parallels; let me break them down for you:

But there's also a more direct jazz connection worth pointing out here: Herbie Hancock! We first met Hancock a couple weeks ago alongside his Headhunters; Hancock features prominently on this album too. He plays keyboard on several tracks here, and the "Speak Like a Child" half of "Kuru / Speak Like a Child" comes from an earlier composition of his. Hancock was clearly a fan of the young Pastorius; the back of the album features this extended praise:

Jaco is a phenomenon. He is able to make sounds on the bass that are a total surprise to the sensibilities. Not only single notes, but chords, harmonics, and all sorts of nuances with the color of the instrument that when combined and translated through Jaco make for some of the best music that I've heard in a long time.

Of course, it's not the technique that makes the music; it's the sensitivity of the musician and his ability to be able to fuse his life with the rhythm of the times. This is the essence of music. On this record Jaco captures some of that rhythm.

So after a week's worth of listening, I've ended up exactly where I thought I would: this album is awesome; highly recommended.

Favourite track: Kuru / Speak Like a Child