Jaco Pastorius
Word of Mouth

After proving to Wayne Shorter and the entire world that he is the greatest bassist of all time, Jaco Pastorius decides to prove to himself and clearly to the entire world that he is also a great composer. Not one of the greatest of all time, but someone with guts. He then writes "Word of Mouth" (AD 1981).

Enter the pseudo be-bop of "Crisis" where a frenetic bass takes the lead (and fun fact: all the instruments were recorded individually without the musicians hearing each other's parts). Following this, the somewhat reflective swing of "3 Views of a Secret" and then the more joyful swing of "Liberty City" kicks in, starting as if it were Dizzy Gillespie, basking for a moment in a funky magma of bass and percussion, challenging Miles Davis on his own turf, and ending in a way that couldn't be more epic! Eleven and a half thrilling minutes.
What about the reinterpretation of the bachian "Chromatic Fantasy"? Fantastic with the bass climbing where no one else has ever reached and a succession of sweet winds and unheard cacophonies. In "Blackbird" by the Beatles, the harmonica of Toots Thielemans reigns supreme, while "Word of Mouth" breaks every barrier with a thunderous bass in overdrive and explosive drumming. The album closes with the ambitious "John and Mary", dedicated to his children: it starts glam, gets tinged with soul with wonderful vocalizations and Shorter's soprano sax making miracles, not to mention Jaco inventing a groove never heard before. One of the most beautiful jazz suites ever written.

And once again, Jaco was right.