If you’re anything like me, you grew up listening to Jaco Pastorius’s “Teen Town” and dreamed of playing it. For me that meant upright, because I only played upright for most of my life. If you’ve been looking up Jaco Pastorius bass lines to learn, this page pulls together the Jaco lessons and transcriptions in the library.
Quick answer
Some of his lines, like parts of his solo on “Havona,” go across the instrument, all four strings in one line. His hero was Charlie Parker, whose phrases start and end in the craziest places, so transcribing Jaco teaches you rhythm, not just harmony. And when he plays over “All the Things You Are,” it sounds like one consistent line.
How do you play Teen Town on upright?
“Teen Town” is really one of the great bass tunes of all time, and the key to it on upright is open strings. Try the first part with the fingering the old Simandl taught you and it won’t work at a faster tempo. I can play it at the speed of the record because I’m using open strings, and I’d argue that’s the only way to do it at that speed. The open string minimizes the amount of shifting.
The right hand matters too. I start every line of two or more eighth notes on the second finger. If you start on the first finger, you have to bring the second finger around, and that’s when a lot of us get tripped up. The fingerings and the right hand are in Teen Town bass on upright.
What can you learn by transcribing Jaco’s Havona solo?
Jaco’s solo on “Havona” is one of the greatest solos ever played. It’s on Heavy Weather, probably my third favorite album of all time, and I’d listened to it so many times that I could sing most of the solo before I’d ever played it. That’s the first step. Get it in your ear to the point that you can sing it, then translate it on the instrument. If it’s only muscle memory, it won’t show up in your playing.
I still can’t believe someone improvised this. Real genius on every level.
Cole Davis
Some of it goes across the instrument, all four strings in one line, which is very difficult on upright and a really good way to get good at the instrument. On electric bass it’s much easier. Jaco’s hero was Charlie Parker, and Parker’s phrases start and end in the craziest places, not all on the one. So rhythmically you have to make the solo line up, and that increases your knowledge of rhythm, not just harmony. He even quotes the bassoon melody from Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” in this solo. My whole process is in how to transcribe bass by ear.
How does Jaco walk and groove at the same time?
The “Night Passage” lesson in the transcription library shows Jaco playing a walking bass line and a funk, R&B groove at the same time, on the title track of the Weather Report album of the same name. His fills are always musical, and he plays all the hits that go with the melody. One part, full of melodic information, sits mostly in one spot on the neck, so it’s easier to play than you’d think.
There’s his walking on “All the Things You Are,” too, with lots of tritones and lots of chromatic motion. Some of it wouldn’t work on upright, but it works perfectly on electric. That’s in the electric section of the All the Things You Are bass line.
Listen to Jaco Pastorius play over “All the Things You Are,” and it sounds like one consistent line. That’s voice leading: getting from one chord to another in the most fluid possible way. He was a master of extensions, too. He loved the sharp 11 sound, and you can especially hear it on Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life.
How should you start learning Jaco’s lines?
Pick one phrase from “Havona” or “Teen Town” and learn it the way I transcribe:
- Sing it first. Listen until you can sing the phrase, even if your voice only approximates it.
- Find it on the bass, phrase by phrase. A good way to check yourself: does what you’re singing line up with the phrase on the record?
- Play it without the track. You want to be able to play it as if it’s your own solo.
- Make it yours. Lift a lick from the solo and improvise on it over the same chords. That’s how his language gets into your playing.
Transcribing takes a lot of focus, and there’s a point where you’ll want to stop. That’s when you have to keep going, because when you push past that point, it starts to creep into your playing. It might take you two or three days. It’s still the same process. And if your walking needs work before any of this, start with my guide to walking bass lines.
Records to start with
- Heavy Weather (Weather Report). “Teen Town” and “Havona.” One of my top three albums of all time.
- Bright Size Life (Pat Metheny). Where you can especially hear the sharp 11 sound he loved.
Jaco Pastorius lessons and transcriptions
- Jaco Pastorius: Havona, Transcribed in Real Time. Watch me transcribe his “Havona” solo from scratch on upright, mistakes and all, plus the finished transcription.
- Jaco Pastorius: Teen Town on Upright. “Teen Town” on upright at the speed of the record, and the two things that make it possible.
- Jaco Pastorius: Night Passage. Jaco walking and grooving at the same time on the Weather Report title track.
- The Bass Brain Melters. The transcription collection all three Jaco lessons come from.
Put on Heavy Weather tonight and sing along with one phrase until it’s in your ear. Then pick up the bass.
Go deeper
Jaco Pastorius: Havona, Transcribed in Real Time
Watch Cole transcribe Jaco’s Havona solo from scratch on upright, mistakes and all, plus the finished transcription.
FAQ
Can you play Jaco on upright bass?
Yes. I play “Teen Town” on upright at the speed of the record. The key is open strings, which cut down the shifting. In the right hand, I start every line of two or more eighth notes on the second finger. Some of “Havona” goes across all four strings in one line, which is very difficult on upright. On electric bass it’s much easier.
What album is Teen Town on?
It’s on Weather Report’s Heavy Weather, along with “Havona.” Heavy Weather is one of the great, great albums of all time, definitely in my top three. I’ve probably listened to it something like 8,000 times, which is why I could sing most of the “Havona” solo before I’d ever played it.
Who was Jaco Pastorius’s hero?
Charlie Parker. And Charlie Parker was the most rhythmically free improviser ever. His phrases start and end in the craziest places, not all on the one and not all on the three. So when you transcribe Jaco, you have to make the rhythm line up, which increases your knowledge of rhythm, not just harmony.
Did Jaco play walking bass lines?
Yes. On “Night Passage,” the title track of the Weather Report album, he plays a walking bass line and a funk, R&B groove at the same time. On “All the Things You Are,” his walking has lots of tritones and chromatic motion, some of which works perfectly on electric but wouldn’t on upright.
How do you learn a Jaco solo by ear?
Sing it before you play it. Listen until you can sing the phrase, then find it on the instrument, phrase by phrase, and play it without the track so it feels like your own solo. Then lift a lick and improvise on it. If it’s only muscle memory, it won’t show up in your playing.
