In Part 2 of my interview with Curt Bianchi, we hear the story of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius' tenure with Weather Report.
Pastorius liked to introduce himself as the world's greatest living bass player, and according to many of his fans (including author Curt Bianchi), he lived up to his claim. He joined Weather Report in 1976, as the band was recording their acclaimed album Black Market and the very same year that his eponymous debut album was released on Epic Records. In Pastorius, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul found a colleague that could not only keep up with them but could contribute to their music on an equal level.
As Bianchi relates in his book, the relationship between Pastorius and founding member Joe Zawinul was both friendly and adversarial. Musically, they challenged and complimented each other. Off the bandstand, there were tensions that were spurred on by Jaco's substance abuse issues and, according to Bianchi, undiagnosed manic depression.
You can see the band in action with jaco Pastorius in this video recorded at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Weather Report - Live at Montreux (1976) [Remastered] - YouTube
Listen to Part 3 of Curt Bianchi's interview here: https://www.delmarvapublicmedia.org/2022-10-18/weather-report-part-3-technology-wayne-shorter-and-the-end-of-an-era
