Jaco Pastorius - Modern American Music… Period! The Criteria Sessions (2014) (2014)

When Jaco Pastorius’ solo debut appeared in 1976, a new standard in both jazz and the electric bass guitar was born. Many of the the tracks on that eponymous album had their genesis two years earlier when a 22 year-old Pastorius and friends used after-hours time at Criteria Studios to work out songs and jam. Eventually, six of those session tracks were pulled to an acetate. Many of the songs would later find their way onto Jaco’s self-titled debut, but some remained unreleased until now. All tracks appear here in their full, unedited form for the first time.

Omnivore Recordings is honored to present Modern American Music . . . Period! The Criteria Sessions. Produced in conjunction with the Pastorius estate and Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, this release contains 11 revolutionary tracks from one of the world’s greatest musicians.

The CD features 11 tracks from the Criteria sessions, essays from Trujillo and Pastorius biographer Bill Milkowski (writer for Down Beat and Jazziz), and unseen photos from the family’s archives.

The original six-song acetate is being reproduced for Record Store Day, 2014 in a special splatter vinyl version that will include one sought-after bonus track, “Havona/Continuum.” The special Record Store Day LP will also contain a download card for the entire CD program (being released the same day), as well as an insert with both essays and rare photos.

This material was unearthed and restored in conjunction with the upcoming documentary, Jaco, the official Record Store Day film for 2014.

While these tracks, recorded at the beginning of Pastorius’ incredible career, may be from the past, they, like all of Jaco’s music, transcend time and space.