Word of Mouth is the second album by Jaco Pastorius, released in 1981 while he was a member of Weather Report, and also the name of a big band that Pastorius assembled and with whom he toured from 1981 to 1983. While his debut album showcased his eclectic and impressive skills on electric bass, Word of Mouth focused more on his ability to compose and arrange for a larger band. The album still shows off Pastorius's skill, most notably in the solo opening to "Chromatic Fantasy" by J.S. Bach and the title track. "Crisis" also features a fast, bass pattern looping, which runs under the frantic soloing. Most of the rest of the album's bass is subdued and blends into the band's arrangement. The song "John and Mary" is dedicated to his children from his first marriage to Tracy; he had two other children, twin sons Julius and Felix with his second wife, Ingrid. The band included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker, Don Alias and Toots Thielemans, who is featured on harmonica on many of the songs. The first 50,000 copies of the album lacked credits for all participating musicians. As the result of a lawsuit against Warner Bros., CBS forbade the names of a few of the musicians to be mentioned on the sleeve. Pastorius defiantly replied that "if they can't be listed, then nobody will be listed". On later copies of the album, the names were listed.
Track listing
All tracks written by Jaco Pastorius except where noted.
"Crisis" – 5:17*
"Three Views of a Secret" – 6:05
"Liberty City" – 11:57
"Chromatic Fantasy" – 3:01
"Blackbird" – 2:48
"Word of Mouth" – 3:53**
"John and Mary" – 10:52
*For the original LP, Cassette and CD release, "Crisis" was 5:21. However, for reasons that are unclear, the current MP3 downloads cut the first three seconds of the improvisation. The 1981 Warner Brothers promo disc has the 5:17 listing for "Crisis." **"Word of Mouth" is listed as being 4:21 in the liner notes, as it begins with the feedback at the end of "Blackbird" and ends with the whispering and giggling at the start of "John and Mary".
Personnel
Jaco Pastorius – electric bass, double bass, organ, piano, synthesizer, autoharp, koto, percussion, vocals, drums on "Word of Mouth"
