Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius

A fitting tribute to the troubled genius who revolutionized electric bass playing and bridged the gaps between jazz, R&B, rock and funk. From his early days in R&B club bands through his international stardom with fusion group Weather Report and on to his solo career and tragic death at age 35, this book portrays the life and music of Jaco Pastorius, the self-proclaimed “world's greatest bass player.” This special anniversary edition features new interviews with Jaco's childhood friends, prominent bass players of Jaco's era and afterward, and girlfriend Teresa Nagell, who was with Jaco in the last few years of his life. Some incidents from the first edition have been further researched and expanded to become full chapters. Exclusive to this edition, the online audio features newly revealed music tracks from Jaco's early years along with spoken testimonials from Jaco's friends and colleagues. The book also contains new, never-before-seen photos acquired from the Pastorius estate.

Bill Milkowski is a longtime contributor to such music magazines as Downbeat, Jazziz, Guitar Player, Absolute Sound, and Germany's Jazzthing. His work has also appeared in Jazz Times, Interview, Musician, Mix, Modern Drummer, Bass Player, Guitar Club (Italy), Guitar (Japan), and the New York Daily News. He is also the author of Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius (Backbeat Books), Swing It! An Annotated History of Jive (Billboard Books), Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries (Billboard Books), Legends of Jazz (White Star) and Keith Richards: A Rock 'n'Roll Life (White Star). He also co-authored Here and Now: The Autobiography of Pat Martino (Backbeat Books). After covering jazz and guitar-oriented music in New York City for forty years, he moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, in 2018.