Robert Trujillo, bass guitarist for the band Metallica and film producer John Battsek (Passion Films) have jointly produced Jaco: The Film, a highly anticipated documentary on bass great Jaco Pastorius. The documentary, which was funded by a Pledge campaign, will be released on demand and through streaming services on November 27, with a soundtrack via Sony released on the same day. However, this week in America several events surrounding the film are already happening, including a screening followed by a Q&A with Trujillo and the film’s director Paul Marchand. Also occurring this week at the Hollywood Bowl, is an event featuring clips from the film accompanied by Vince Mendoza’s arrangements of Jaco classics with performances from Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Robert Trujillo and many others.
There are few musicians who fundamentally change their instrument, and even fewer still who transcend their instrument altogether. Jaco Pastorius did both. In 1976, Jaco’s melodic “singing” bass style redefined the role of the bass in modern music. Almost overnight, critics hailed Jaco Pastorius as “the future of modern music,” alongside popular visionaries like David Bowie, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, and Herbie Hancock.
Driven only by his own desire to create the music he wanted to hear, Jaco transformed himself from a poor and unknown, scrappy Florida boy, into an international sensation — all without any formal musical training. Instead of chasing popular music, Jaco led his fans towards the music inside him. Defiantly jumping off amplifiers, heaving his bass through the air, and refusing to be just a “sideman,” Jaco broke down the barriers between audiences and genres.
http://jacothefilm.com/
This video featuring Robert Trujillo was made as part of the original pledge campaign