DVD Review: "Robert Trujillo Presents Jaco"

If it’s nothing else, Jaco, a passion project from perhaps the world’s biggest Jaco Pastorius fan, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, is honest. It’s an honest account because, not only does it chronicle the meteoric rise of bassist virtuoso Pastorius, it also accounts for his decline (he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and living on the streets of New York City and Ft. Lauderdale and even spending time in Bellevue Mental Hospital, before his death from a massive brain hemorrhage in 1987). At its core, Jaco is your prototypical biopic - directors Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak offer up previously unseen home movie footage and rare family photos of Pastorius, and through these an intimate relationship between the bass legend and the viewers is quickly built. There are also numerous talking heads the likes of frequent collaborator Joni Mitchell as well as Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Pete Erskine, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Geddy Lee and Flea, who, as friends and fellow musicians, provide an insight into Jaco the man – especially today’s well-known bass players, which is a nice touch. There's also plenty of decent footage of Jaco performing on stage and a bonus second disc in the package contains numerous 'outtakes, anecdotes and stories' to help cement the legacy of Jaco Pastorius, as if it truly needed to be. It’s easy to tell that this is a true passion project and nothing is really glossed over or even missed for that matter when telling this story. This is a must for fans of Pastorius, a must for bass players and a must for all fans of music really. One thing is for sure – Jaco is not a fluff piece.

Grade: B+