But it would have made a better closing track than the downbeat The Days Of Wine And Roses.
Stuttgart Aria II, a much better jam than part I, is only marred by simplistic drumming by Peter Lubke. Jaco Reggae is okay, and the slow version of The Chicken is actuall good, due to some fine blues playing by Lagrene. Besides the blandness of the disco, the singing comes off (at least these days) as a bit racist. The first downturn is Stuttgart Aria I, which is basically a disco-funk jam, with Pastorius singing the chorus from Sly Stone's Don't Call Me Whitey, N*****. This song is essentially Jaco taking a bass solo over drums and a bass synth. The album begins well with the rocking American Boy and continues with an interesting version of Charlie Parker's Donna Lee. This time, Jaco is playing with guitarist Bireli Lagrene and his European jazz band. It has some soaring bass, but also some mediocre tunes. Like many albums with Jaco Pastorius, Stuttgart Aria is very uneven. Review by Evolver, SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Crossover & JazzRock/Fusion Teams Heavy 'N Jazz is a must for Jaco-philes, however, jazz purists be warned. Of particular interest are Lagrene's solo piece, "Bluma," and his aggressive guitar work on the exciting, soaring "Medley," featuring "Teen Town." Pastorius' playing on "Star Spangled Banner" is at once terrifying and beautiful, while "Honestly" affords him a chance to play the hits - a collage of some of his oft-played riffs from well known Pastorius/Weather Report compositions. The performances contrast nicely with Pastorius' live jazz recordings with the Word of Mouth big band (Invitation, The Birthday Concert), particularly the cooker "Reza," which appears on all three CDs in vastly different presentations. A fast-paced outing with more rock inflection than usual, the compact disc boasts very good sound quality. The album is heavy, as the title suggests, thanks to a powerful trio fronted by guitarist extraordinaire Bireli Lagrene displaying his fiercest rock chops. Broadway Blues & Teresa is presented in impressive digipak packaging, available only as a German import.Heavy 'n Jazz is the last live Jaco Pastorius performance currently available to the public, and is one of the most truly satisfying of his trio recordings. Since the most refined rendition of "Teresa" appears on the first disc, the second CD seems more like a supplemental bonus that really doesn't strengthen the two-disc project. Pastorius plays piano and bass, but "Teresa" is akin to a slow waltz, and the composition's evolution becomes rather tedious after awhile. He talks throughout the recording process, in between many of the tracks, generating a subtle but pleasant intimacy with the listener.ĭisc two, titled Teresa: Documentation of a Work Process, features three tracks representing an evolution of Pastorius' "Teresa" composition. Turn it up!" A nice touch, Jazzpoint made a good decision in not editing all of Pastorius' voice out of the mix. Pastorius yells, "That's the sh*t right there - Eddie Van Halen. The piece is reminiscent of Lagrene's fiery "Improv No. "Bluma," the opening cut on BB, finds Lagrene playing Eddie Van Halen-style better than Eddie himself. Stuttgart features keys and synth BB does not, and it is their absence that makes BB such an appealing recording - it is firmly rooted in jazz fusion, whereas the electric synthetics of Stuttgart create a levity that nearly places the project in the pop-jazz category.īireli Lagrene, a superior, rapid-fire improviser, is impressive throughout. Disc one, Broadway Blues ( BB), consists of different renditions of compositions that appear on Stuttgart Aria and the live Heavy 'n Jazz. The recordings are taken from the Stuttgart Aria studio sessions (March 1986) and from Pastorius' four-track home recordings made during his stay in Germany (March-December 1986).
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