Jon Liebman, founder/creator of ForBassPlayersOnly.com, recently spoke to METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo about Trujillo's documentary film on the life and music of bass legend Jaco Pastorius. You can now watch the chat below. "Jaco - A Documentary Film" made its debut as a "work in progress" on October 6 at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The film features interviews with several high-profile musicians, including Joni Mitchell, and tells the story of Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who made almost mythical impact on music and reinvented the electric bass. Jaco brought a level of playing that gave the instrument a powerful and dynamic voice with both edge and beauty. "Jaco - A Documentary Film" is currently in its final stages of post-production and is in the midst of a fan-funded partnership with Pledge Music. Speaking about why he decided to make the movie about Jaco, Trujillo told ForBassPlayersOnly.com: "When I was a teenager, I had the good fortune of seeing Jaco play at least four times. I caught him with the WEATHER REPORT at the Playboy Jazz Festival, and then I saw him at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, which was actually our local, kind of, concert venue. And it was just an eye-opening experience. In a lot of ways it changed my life, because that's where I saw that bass as an instrument could propel itself into the forefront and not just be the guy in the back holding it down on the sly, but actually could be up in the front and in control of just beyond the music but also the stage presence alone was really incredible." He continued: "Jaco, he set the bar. I mean, the bar was just so high that it was almost unattainable to a certain degree, but the great thing about it is it inspired you to take the instrument into other directions. So at the time I wasn't necessarily trying to play 'Teen Town' note for note or 'Portrait Of Tracy', but I was writing, you know, creating music with him in mind. So a band like the INFECTIOUS GROOVES was inspired by Jaco Pastorius, but it was also inspired by bands like METALLICA or SLAYER or the SEX PISTOLS. But bass, as a bassist, probably the main inspiration would have been Jaco." Directed by Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak, "Jaco - A Documentary Film" includes interviews with a wide array of legendary musicians, from Herbie Hancock to Wayne Shorter to Joni Mitchell to Bootsy Collins, and was made with the full involvement and cooperation of the Pastorius family. It contains incredible unseen footage and photography procured by Gregory and Johnny Pastorius, providing exclusive archival support to further augment this engaging story. The filmmakers have chosen PledgeMusic's direct-to-fan platform so as fans can not only be a part of the project but also unlock exclusive updates and content upon pledging. Pledgers can access a variety of unique experiences and cool items. Like so many other musical greats, Jaco Pastorius died young, only 35, but his legacy has lasted the test of time. With his pioneering techniques, charismatic and outrageous stage performances and his unmistakable singular style, Jaco left behind a musical legacy that has continued to inspire and influence ongoing generations worldwide. Through his critically acclaimed self-titled solo debut album, his work with break-through fusion/jazz group WEATHER REPORT, whose "Heavy Weather" album is one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, and his collaborations with singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, Jaco's reputation and influence grew to permeate many musical styles and genres.
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