Joni Mitchell talks about the greatest bass player Jaco Pastorius 

One of the greatest videos ever made was Joni's "Shadows and Light" with Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker Don Alias and Lyle Mays. They performed a masterpiece.

Hejira is a MUST HAVE album. It is absolutely amazing on many levels. The planets aligned for that record.

Pat Metheny said it best: "I wish people would just quit trying to imitate Jaco. That'll never happen again. No one's ever gonna do anything like that again."

She's an excellent guitarist in her own right.

Such a tragic story, such otherworldly brilliance and beauty! Thank goodness Joni tracked him down, I can't imagine that band not existing!! My dear friend and the guitarist in my high school band was walking home from a rehearsal one day in the East Village with his jazz band and they passed a homeless looking guy sitting on the sidewalk, one of them said, "man that looks like Jaco" and the guy yelled, "yeah that's me, the notorious Pastorious!" They stopped, not convinced, but he talked my friend into handing his guitar over... and proceeded to blow their minds. My friend was very shaken by this experience, thrilled and saddened to the core. It's a crazy beautiful world.

Joanie's work with Pat Methany and Jaco was the pinnacle of her career, in my opinion. Outstanding music on a very high level. Glad I was alive to hear it. No popular music before or after came close

I saw the Shadows and Light tour in Philly in the summer of 1979, and still get goosebumps watching this video. I was knocked out of my seat.

Wow. That says it all about Joni Mitchell's musical credibility that Pat and Jaco would be so willing to join her as a combo. This is easily one of the best videos I've ever seen on RU-vid. Like a national historic document.

God, what telepathic understanding of music Jaco had. He never played a sour note when he was at himself, and found his place with anyone, settling exactly where he fit every time. Amazing. His stuff for Joni is among my favorite he ever did.

It's been a long time but I don't think I'll ever stop being sad about Jaco's downfall and passing or being grateful for the music he gave us.

Joni Mitchell has always been an underrated guitarist, perhaps overshadowed by her singing. But in the old days when musicians lived and hung out in Laurel Canyon, Eric Clapton would visit and sit at her feet, marveling at her guitar technique. That band with Pastorius and Metheny were like a jazz super group that in that moment of musical history, were the platinum standard of vocal jazz.

Joni jaco and Pat. Wonderful

I'm in my 40s and never gave Joni a second thought. I'm glad I saved her until my taste was more refined. The full concert video of the one featured here is unbelievable.

there is something about his bass sound and her voice being perfect together. I have listen/watched that live show like 20 times. He is so pitch perfect and fits in perfectly.

Special People like Jaco Pastorius come once every 100-250 years!!! SO GLAD I WAS AROUND AT THE SAME TIME TO WITNESS HIS MUSICAL GENIUS!😲😲😲

Saw Jaco with Weather Report, Santa Cruz c. 1975. An everyday excellent concert for Joe's unit; a mind-blowing, never-to-be-forgotten experience for this 25-yr old who'd 'enhanced' the experience w/ some local 'shrooms.

the perfect marriage of styles, where the players all hear an alternate universe of sound. Beautiful colors without a trace of doing stuff to show off; every thing fits but only these guys could find it. THe best I have every heard.

Joni and Jaco's playing on the song Hejira is the most intimate thing I've ever heard♥️

Even before I knew who Jaco was, I immediately fell in love with the album Hejira in '76, and still consider it Joni's very best, because of those completely unique sounds of Jaco Pastorius.

Love them both. Joni and Jaco reached new heights together. Nothing has topped it for me.

It had to be a rare treat to be a jazz-based musician and be appreciated and able to perform with Joni!

Been watching this since the early 90’s! One of the greatest concerts ever! The best is Joni smiling ear to ear the whole time! She knew they were killin!

1989 , 1990 , when i heard heavy weather from WR , my life has changed for ever ....

One of my favorite moments in the movie "The Last Waltz" was when Joni is on-stage with The Band playing "Coyote", and Robbie Robert gives commentray that the members of The Band had trouble keeping up with Joni Mitchell, between the musical range she played at, plus her use of open tuning on the guitar. That's an incredible compliment from one of the best musicians of a band made up of great musicians!

My brother knew Jaco very well, Randy, and Jaco would come over for cookouts and Thanksgiving where I remember all of us out front of my mother's house throwing football, great times. Jaco was always very friendly to me.. So sad what happened. RIP Jaco Thanks for the memories....

I love this. I heard the news about Jaco while in a church on Sunday morning. I couldn’t help it, I wept. If anyone has not watched the entire shadows and light concert or heard the record, I highly recommend you do both. Everyone on that stage was on fire.

Jaco was one of a kind. We were blessed to have him share his gift with us. RIP Jaco, you brought us so much joy.

I never knew his story until now and I'm 69 years old.....I was working with Henry Lewy in 1984 thinking I knew soooo much in my little music world ..damn!😂❤

This Band was cooking. Man what a tight groove, and what musicianship...

I have long thought that some of Hejira is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard a man and a woman do, eg the sequence with "a man and a woman sitting on a rock". Now hearing the interview segments at 0:35 and onward gives me some of the back story of how these artists came together. I'm glad I lived long enough to see this. Thanks, @vintagebassarchive

Jaco collaborating with Joni on her albums Hejira and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter blew my mind when I was a teenager. Those records still blow my mind.

shocking for its brightness, shocking for its darkness, but Jaco, always Jaco, the best ever!!!

Outstanding!!!! Jaco and Pat Metheny and Lyle Mayes, and Joni....way over the moon! Outstanding!!!

Great stuff. Thanks. Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays were frequent customers at a music store I co-owned in Cambridge, Ma. They were wonderful guys who loved to talk about music and music gear.

Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius. Their music what we hear when two musical geniuses add up to even more than the "sum of two parts": it's beyond sublime. I was around when this was happening (at music college), and we were all in awe.

Jaco and Lyle juggling... wow. The world was different back then. RIP brothers.

Lyle and Jaco juggling??!! so amazing. Thanks for this

Mindblowing. Several shots I hadn’t seen before. Thanks for sharing this.

Wow - Jaco, Pat Metheny, and Joni!!!!! I'd forgotten, too, about Jaco; hadn't realized how creative a player he was...

Whenever I spend any time with Joni’s music and singing I’m stunned with by its breathtaking beauty and depth. Every time. Still, all these years later. That this video also celebrates Jaco is a double bonus.

06:36 Pat Metheny plays the riff to Phase Dance, a plug to his own music. Then smiles a "did you get it?" type smile to the band.

I remember ready the small paragraph about his terrible passing in the Philadelphia newspaper. I was in disbelief for a while because he was such a legend in Philly being that he was from the area and got very little coverage.

Thank you forever, Jaco, wherever you are ! 😊

Big fan of Joni's music back in the day! Never was a fan of any female singers until I heard her. Never knew till today, Dec. 2023, that was Jaco playing the bass! Thank you VBA for this visual down memory lane! Back in the day we could only hear it on records or the radio. The vinyl's cardboard jacket our only form of information to the creaters... this post was very emotionally moving for me... bless you

Joni's phrasing is always such a thrilling ride and impossible to re-create, maybe even for her!

And Joni was so lovely in that video, so 'In charge'. It looked like the other musicians were devoted to her.

Thank you Joni this left me with shivers of gratitude for this legendary soul 🧡❤️💛🧡🩷

Yeah..her work expanded once Jaco came into the picture. Fantastic chemistry.

I saw Weather Report on Halloween night in 1978 in Wash DC. Front row center. It was beyond brilliant, and Jacos' solo spot brought the house down.

Wow, amazingly beautiful things said, sight unseen. The Mingus album, another amazing piece. Thank you. Genius begets genius. 😂 🎉

Music where you can hear everything is ridiculously great

I was fortunate enough to see this tour in Edwardsville Illinois. Still say it was one of the best performances I have ever seen! The band was amazing.

Love when Pat throws in American Garage at the end of his solo

If you’ve watched Shadows and Light, it’s a trip walking past that outdoor theatre in Santa Barbara. You look at the space and the memories come flooding back.

Thanks for sharing. There’s footage here I’ve never seen. I saw him live once in SF 1982. Cherished memory.

Some Stars just burn brighter and faster than the others.

This was such a magic pairing

Love the Joni Mitchell "Mingus" album.

Pat Metheny with Jaco accompanying Joni, rock n rolling ! you can't beat that !

Thanks Rob for making this happen! 🤘

Thank you, Joni and her players!!!!

There are people who are not meant for longevity because their star is too bright and it burns out like a Nova, however what they do lasts forever, Jaco was one of those people.

Jaco G.O.A.T ❤

We went to a simple little club in Tiberon Ca. where Jaco was playing. We were jazzbos, and hit all he clubs in the bay area, but never there before. We walked up, it was still light outside, and there was Jaco outside the front door, picking his nose. Really working it. I think the gig was really the keyboardist's. This was a really casual thing..no hype, no big lines..just a place where he was playing. And of course, it looked like he picked up that bass in a pawn shop after a fire. Oddly enough, many years later I befriended a fellow named Riki Chen, who said he was posted as Jaco's bodyguard, (but really to watch over him) on an east coast gig. I met Riki in the cafes in North Beach. He busked, and was occasionally nuts. He wound up in my short film noir, which is on youtube as Bum Rap Andre Hunt.

Jaco, we miss you so much💔🙏🏼😭😭😭

An unnecessary tragedy. The world lost an amazing talent when Jaco left us.

Wow, great music.

Most pleasant. I'm officially a Joni Mitchell Fan. 😂🎉❤

There's something about this that makes me want to cry. I like to hear Joni speak well of Jaco.

With this amazing post, I begin to follow yr'channel: they -both- Jaco & Joni, are my top 10 musician of my life soundtrack: CONGRATS! (for ever)!!!!

It seems so unfair that Jaco is no longer around. It's criminal that he didn't flourish further. We all lost when he was murdered.

What a gem of a vid. Fanx for posting this. ❤

The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace. Bill Hicks

Three unique exemplary musicians on the same stage!

There was no music like this then and certainly no music now.Fortunatly we can celebrate this great concert and so many more on audio and video.She is past beautiful on this day,shining brighter than the sun.

Everlasting inspiration from a sadly troubled genius. Thanks always Jaco 🙏🏽

OH JACO!! Absolutely.

Even the credits are epic.

Ya left me wanting more dam it! Rest in peace Jaco.✌🏻🎸

Took a trip to Oakland park(fla) to see his mural. Off of a busy street. They could have placed it in a bigger park.

Joni Mitchell is the greatest songwriter of the planet.

Herjiira has the most amazing bass tracks you will ever hear. Magnificent album.

The opening chords to Coyote always put a lump on my throat. It's so beautiful and ethereal.

I wish this documentary lasted a lot longer

I saw him play with Weather Report. Greatest music and bass playing that I ever heard.

Hejira is one of the greatest singer songwriter albums every made.

Absolutely, lovely.

10:15 That's the observation tower in Valley Forge park circa 1972 (Mary was born in 1970). I used to climb it as a kid so now I can say Jaco and I climbed the same steps!

A serious band and a great song.

Tremendous vid, and tribute Joni sharing the spotlight with these once in a lifetime musicians…. She sang he ass off consequently.

He was such an extraordinary human being.

Perfect combination!

Ahhh those were the days. 😊

Shadows and Light blows you away from the first note. This band fully realizes these songs - Pats playing always at the top, and Jaco is basically bass, keyboards and horns with all the harmonic embellishments, genius.

The GOAT.

Wow, can't get the image of Lyle Mays juggling with Jaco as Pat Metheny watches! 11:00 Hard to believe on Pat is left.

Great reaction from a beautiful woman.....yet so a Illy. Love it ❤ David Thomas/Enid, Oklahoma

Really wish I could have met Jaco and jammed with him! I really love his bass playing and I just know I could have really jammed some nice grooves with him. I'm sure everyone would have loved to play with him. I just hope he knows how much he was appreciated. One of only a few good decent humans!

Musicians simply on another level than the rest of us. That’s a special special place to be

Possibly THE most beautiful album ever made. Jaco was best when in the supporting role, IMHO.