In 1982, the greatest electric bassist in the history of the instrument (few would dispute that claim) had just left, or been ejected from, fusion supergroup Weather Report, and was determined to prove himself as a leader in his own right.
The Word of Mouth Big Band, which included heavyweights such as trumpeter Randy Brecker, drummer Peter Erskine and percussionist Don Alias, became the vehicle not only for Pastorius’s virtuoso playing, but also his increasingly assured writing and arranging for large ensemble.
The great bassist left precious little recorded music behind, particularly under his own name, so this live recording, made in New York’s Avery Fisher Hall in June 1982, presenting an entire Word of Mouth concert in pristine clarity, is an important document of one of the 20th century’s greatest instrumental talents.
