Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius

American jazz bassist (1951–1987)
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Jaco Pastorius
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John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist who was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. He worked with Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell, and recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader. His bass playing employed funk, lyrical solos, bass chords, and innovative harmonics. As of 2017, he is the only electric bassist of seven bassists inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, and has been lauded as one of the best electric bassists of all time.

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Jaco Pastorius was born on Wednesday, 5 December 1951 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States. His full name at birth was John Francis Anthony Pastorius III. He was best known as a bassist. Pastorius' country of citizenship (nationality) was American. He died on Monday, 21 September 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, FL at the age of 35. He is buried at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, USA. He had blue eyes and light brown hair (color). His zodiac star sign was Sagittarius.

You can find people similar to Jaco Pastorius by visiting our lists American male jazz musicians and 20th-century American male musicians.

Full name at birth
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III
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Claim to fame
Weather Report
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Date of birth
5 December 1951
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Place of birth
Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States
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Date of death
21 September 1987
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Age
35 (age at death)
Place of death
Fort Lauderdale, FL
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Cause of death
Brain Hemorrhage
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Resting place
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, USA
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Occupation
Musician, composer, producer
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Nationality
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  • Attended the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with Bruce Hornsby, Patti Scialfa and Pat Metheny.
  • Came to prominence after backing both The Temptations and The Supremes.
  • Forced by a football injury to his arm while in his teens to give up playing piano and saxophone and concentrate on drums and bass.
  • His 1976 self-titled solo album is considered a seminal work in the history of jazz fusion, containing such highlights as the cover of Miles Davis's "Donna Lee", "Continuum", "Portrait of Tracy" and "Opus Pocus".
  • Other than playing in Weather Report, Jaco also performed and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Al Di Meola and Mike Stern. He was also involved in a big band solo project Word of Mouth, who released one album in 1981.

Jaco Pastorius is known for his role in the TV series Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity (2023) as Self.

He is also known for his role in the TV series Daisy Jones & The Six (2023) as performer - 1 episode, 2023 / writer - 1 episode, 2023.

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