Modern American Music... Period! The Criteria Sessions
presents a series of demo recordings that bassist
Jaco Pastorius
made two years before his landmark debut album, 1976's
. Recorded after hours at Miami's Criteria Studios, these tracks represent some of the earliest solo cuts from
Pastorius
. While a handful of these songs were eventually reworked for his debut, here we get all of these demo sessions in full. Backing
Jaco
on these recordings is a superb band of some recognizable and some lesser-known names, including drummer
Bob Economou
(who played on one track on
), Fender Rhodes keyboardist
Alex Darqui
, percussionist
Don Alias
(who also appeared on
), and steel drummers
Othello Molineaux
and
Cederik Lucious
. Much like 1974's confusingly titled
(
' other early-career date with keyboardist
Paul Bley
and guitarist
Pat Metheny
), these sessions showcase an expansive, somewhat avant-garde sound that bridges the gaps between post-bop, fusion, and free improvisation. Certainly, we still get
' bravura solo take on
Charlie Parker
Miles Davis
' "Donna Lee," but we also get to hear
lead his band through more liquid, dreamlike compositions including the roiling, steel drum-heavy "Pans" and the rarely heard "Havona/Continuum." There is also a gorgeous early version of the bassist's composition "Forgotten Love," featuring
alone on electric keyboard, which gives the
Herbie Hancock
version on the 1976 album a run for its money. Ultimately, although these are demo-quality recordings, they clearly showcase the already genius-level ability that
had achieved before anyone knew his name. ~ Matt Collar