INVITATION

I have always had mixed feelings about Jaco Pastorius. As a bass player myself, I appreciate his overwhelming talent and what he brought to the instrument. But on the whole, while his playing was phenominal, the majority of the bands and the music he chose to play just didn't match his abilities.

This live album is one of the recordings I've heard where he really could shine, with music that could really push his bass to another level.

Invitation starts the album on a high note, with Jaco playing ferociously fast behind his big band orchestra. Amerika is a nice quick bass solo on the traditional patriotic piece (but why the "k"?). The Chicken was one of Jaco's signature pieces, and this is one of the best recordings of it I've heard. Othello Molineaux' steel drums really liven the song.

The second side drops a bit in quality. The songs are somewhat more low key, and Jaco's playing, while good, just doesn't elevate the songs. And strangely, I notice that the volume levels seem to fluctuate during many of the songs.