I’m no bassist, but I love Jaco Pastorias. His playing is incredibly melodic, more so than I usually think of the bass. And his tone is identifiable. I think I could pick his playing out of a crowd.

This is a classic Jaco track with his band Weather Report. He’s really groovin’ on this one.

I got turned onto Jaco through his work with Joni Mitchell. He played with with her for a while in the latter half of the 70’s. That was a great period in her career too, during her “jazz stage”. This is one of my favourites. Boy, did she assemble a good band here. The bass line throughout the tune is worth special attention. (Sorry, Flash only).