Word of Mouth

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Word of Mouth
Studio album by Jaco Pastorius

Publication
(s)

July 1981

Label (s) Warner Bros. Records

Format (s)

CD, LP

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

7th

running time

44:02

occupation

production

Jaco Pastorius

chronology
Jaco Pastorius
(1975) 		Word of Mouth Invitation (1982)

Word of Mouth ( English for word of mouth , but also storytelling or oral tradition ) is the second album by jazz musician Jaco Pastorius , which was released in 1981 by Warner Brothers . Word of Mouth is also the name of a big band that Pastorius toured with between 1980 and 1986. The naming goes back to the "mouth-to-mouth" strategy used to announce the very first concert by Pastorius' new band in New York City in 1980.

background

While on his 1975 debut album Jaco Pastorius his impressive skills in playing the electric bass were in the foreground, the focus of Word of Mouth was on his compositional talent and the arrangement of larger bands. Pastorius was at the time of this session (1980) as bassist in the group Weather Report .

Nevertheless, his mastery of bass playing is also evident on his second album, especially on the Chromatic Fantasy written by Johann Sebastian Bach , the title track Word of Mouth and Crisis . On the other album tracks, the bass is usually more muted and fits into the band's arrangements. The song John and Mary is dedicated to his children from his first marriage.

The band consisted of musicians such as Herbie Hancock , Wayne Shorter , Peter Erskine , Jack DeJohnette , Michael Brecker , Don Alias and Toots Thielemans .

Due to contractual differences between Epic / CBS and Warner, no list of musicians appeared on the album's early presses. CBS wanted to ensure that only musicians who were under contract with Warner were named, which Pastorius completely refrained from naming them.

An album of the same name was also released as a tribute album Word of Mouth Revisited .

Reception of the album

Critics Richard Cook and Brian Morton , who gave Word of Mouth the second highest rating in their Penguin Guide to Jazz , see the album as “a brilliant example of Pastorius' talent for sound , with a rich mix of brass sounds that the smaller ensemble enjoyed surround. Another key element of the work is Jack DeJohnette's drumming, which here acts intensely musically and endlessly goes into Pastorius' long, winding bass lines. Jaco seems casual here and plays more calmly and with a less percussive approach. Some of its mid-range sounds could also have come from a cello . ”Cook and Morton sum up: Word of Mouth is“ a great album full of surprises. ”

Scott Yanow in allmusic , who awarded the album four stars, puts it more cautiously: "Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth Orchestra was an unfulfilled dream, a worthy concept that did not have long enough time to develop its full potential."

Track list

  1. Crisis - 5:17
  2. 3 Views of a Secret - 6:05
  3. Liberty City - 11:57
  4. Chromatic Fantasy ( Johann Sebastian Bach ) - 3:01
  5. Blackbird ( Lennon / McCartney ) - 2:48
  6. Word of Mouth - 3:53
  7. John and Mary - 10:52

The compositions are by Jaco Pastorius, unless otherwise noted.

Other participating musicians

  • Alfie Silas
  • Allan Harshman
  • Árni Egilsson
  • Bernie Grundman
  • Bill Reichenbach
  • Bob Findley
  • Brad Varnaar
  • Brian Risner
  • Bruce Bransby
  • Charles Loper
  • Chuck Findley
  • David Breinenthal
  • David Duke
  • David Taylor
  • Deborah Sabusawa
  • Dennis Karmazyn
  • Denyse Buffum
  • Edie Lehmann
  • George Young
  • Gerald Vinci
  • Hank Cicalo
  • Harvey Michael Schaps
  • James M. Walker
  • Jason Corsaro
  • Jeff Reynolds
  • Jerry Hudgins
  • Jim Gilstrap
  • Jim Pugh
  • John Lehman
  • Jules Chaikin
  • Larry Warrilow
  • Lew McCreary
  • Marti McCall
  • Mike Butcher
  • Myrna Matthews
  • Othello Molineaux
  • Paul Horn-Muller
  • Peter Gordon
  • Peter Yianilos
  • Petsye Powell
  • Ray Kelley
  • Richard Hilton
  • Ricky Schultz
  • Robert Cowart
  • Robert Thomas, Jr.
  • Roger Bobo
  • Russell Schmitt
  • Scott Litt
  • Simon Levy
  • Stuart Canin
  • Tim Devine
  • Tommy Johnson
  • Vincent "Vincenzo" Oliveri
  • Warren Luening
  • William Hymanson
  • Zedric Turnbough

Web links

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