Pat Metheny - Jaco - live 1977 

Mark Egan getting a great tone and playing excellent.

Just imagine the sessions and Pat says to Mark Egan (an amazing player himself) “Hey, I have this song called ‘Jaco’ “…

I was a recording engineer at the time The Pat Metheny Group album was released. I was regretting my choice of career because the studio I worked in at the time had become the darling of the disco producer wanna bes. So that's all I got to work on. Then I heard the Pat Metheny Group album. I ultimately went through three copies of the LP and two CDs. I just couldn't seem to get the album off my turntable. It was a revelation. Several years later I found an address book which had been dropped on the sidewalk in Chelsea where I was living. I looked through it to see if the owner had put his or her name on the flyleaf. They hadn't, but I did find these three names: Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays and Danny Gottlieb. So I knew immediately it was Mark Egan's book. I got it back to him and eventually became acqainted with everyone in the group. That album had a generation's worth of talent in four young men.

The OG Pat Metheny Group. They were like rock stars to so many of us in the late 70's and early 80's. RIP Lyle.

Mark Egan KILLING it.

Great ensemble!!! Makes me terribly nostalgic for my high school days when I discovered them and realized there was a world of music outside of rock.

This is The Pat Metheny Group Pat Metheny - guitars Lyle Mays - keyboards Mark Egan - bass Danny Gottlieb - drums

The salad days of Metheny Group. Pat/Lyle/Dan tearing it up with more fusion/rock flair. Yes lots of critics called Pat "Carlton on acid". But that's why we don't need critics. People forget how much of Gottlieb's signature drum sound/playing helped shape later LP's like "Offramp".

At UNT I took a bass lesson with Mark Egan once! I had just gotten into the jazz world on bass and was very green and had very little dexterity. Any ways watching Mark play right next to me was like watching an Olympic athlete perform a gold medal routine. I hope I was not a waste of his time. Such a nice guy.

The song is dedicated to Pat Metheny’s good friend and collaborator, Jaco Pastorius, who played on Metheny’s legendary album, Bright Size Life.

How lucky can a music lover be? On my way to pick up my HS Diploma in 1973 I heard the first release from Steely Dan's "Can't Buy A Thrill". HOOKED !! The Dan would serve as the soundtrack for my undergraduate days. In 1978 Metheny showed up in Gainesville to play a free concert. HOOKED. In 1979 The PMG performed again in Gainesville in support of The White Album. TOTALLY HOOKED. Metheny + Mays have provided the soundtrack for my adult life. How fortunate to have been walking the Earth while they were. I'm sure the folks who lived in Shakespear's or Beethoven's time felt the same way. PMG's music is still and will always be the soundtrack for my life. My Will decrees that September 15th be played at my Memorial Service.

Mark Egan is a BEAST on bass!!! I wish he would have stayed longer with the group.

Mark Egan absolutely killed it! Wow!

I saw this band open for Stanley Clarke in 1977 at Kent State. A musician friend had told me not to miss Metheny but I couldn’t get my roommates (who only cared about Stanley) to put the bong down and get to the concert hall until their last song. Which was Jaco. Ouch. 😢

I can see how folks could make that mistake in reading your title. But it was so easy to recognize Mark Egan for me, personally. And his playing was like Jaco cloned himself. Knowing that Mark was Jacos student made it simple for me to understand the title of your video. And thank you for posting that. It was badass. Saved in Favorites.

Yeah, the title made me think that Jaco was playing with Pat so thanks for clearing that up. Mark Egan is an INCREDIBLE bass player! I totally see how he was one of Jaco’s students. Thanks for the excellent video!

in 1977 I was 15 years old and, I confess, I still didn't know Pat... I only started listening to him with sublime pleasure 10 years later... but since then Pat's music has been in my life and in my soul 🥰

Wow, rare and important historic film material. Great.

Can't believe it's been 47 years ago when I 1st herd this cut...still listen to it 2day like it just came out...and I absolutely luv Mark Egan's sound...👌🏿

Mark's no slouch at all. Great fretless work.

The groove, the fingers, the vibe, the HAIR 💪🏾👍🏾🙏🏾

That is one of the best bass solos I’ve ever heard ever period. Tone for days

First time hearing Pat Metheny and I gotta say this song is just great. I'm a fan.

I could listen to this forever.

Pats best band ever. Just so amazingly good!!.

The Best Metheny Band!

Them was the days, it's a shame that they removed the magic juice from the public water supplies sometime in the eighties.

That is Mark Egan Played the fretless bass ? Is the song name Jaco? ❤

I remember being at a friend’s house when this came on. I was instantly mesmerized and when it was over, I immediately went out and bought the album. Best ever.

great thing about egan's solo is how utterly devoid of jacoisms it is! i play bass, and say , it's hard to avoid jacoisms, especially on a fretless!

For those who don't know, this song, "Jaco", appeared on the first PMG album, "Pat Metheny Group", sometimes referred to as the White Album (with a nod to the Beatles).

Mark Egan played bass in Sting´s "Nothing Like The Sun" album, but I cannot say in which song(s).

The track is called Jaco. That is Mark Egan on bass, playing a song called Jaco.

Great bass player.

From my favorite PMG album. And it has Mark Egan highlights all over it. Smokin bass player. This lineup was supa tight!

this comment section lmao

Where was this?

I first saw Pat Metheny live at the legendary venue, Amazingrace, in 1976. It was a trio, about 40 people in the audience. I laid on the floor with my eyes closed.....had buried a friend earlier in the day...got to meet Pat after the show.... I have more Pat stories, but that's enough for now. Thanks for posting this.

I remember as a young kid playing that bassline over and over and over till I popped a string!!! What a great song that was. I recently heard it for the first time in years. What wonderful memories.

Mark Eagan is also great bassist, and he has his own sound and style that is different from Jaco. This video title is wrong!!!

Its amazing how accurate Jaco was with his statement that "its all in the fingers", because even though Mark is playing a fretless Jazz of roughly the same era as the Bass Of Doom, and is utilising a lot of techniques and phrases that Jaco was known for, he sounds nothing like him. Fantastic playing though, that '64 Jazz sounds brilliant.

Thanks for posting this. What a treat to see this jewel from the past. I did not know Egan was a student of Jaco's. In this cut I can hear his influence. They all look like kids!

Man for a moment there I thought we had some footage of Pat & Jaco .

Man, this is priceless...Thanks for sharing it.

it's Mark Egan, the afro gave him away

The magic that is Mark Egan.

"...from a better, vanished time".

Fantastic Bass solo by Mark Egan. Supercool groove altogether.

Egan sounds so much like Jaco here, it's scary.

Loved this lineup of the PMG! Really miss Lyle😢

Hey guys if you don't know "Jaco" then you don't know Pat Metheny music. :) Nice post !!!

I saw Pat and Lyle in Burlington Vermont about 1983 - absolutely blew me away - I’m still getting over that show ! Such incredible musicianship by all of you - RIP Lyle 🙏🙏🙏🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼👏👏👏👏👏👏

Mark Egan studied under Jaco at the University of Miami, in a department led by bassist Will Lee's dad, if I remember correctly..

I Love Pat! One of my music heroes! A real musician as opposed to the overload of entertainers masquerading as musicians these days. I was only 10 years old when this album came out, and I really didn't start getting into the Pat Metheny catalog until undergrad. Why did such talented musicians like Danny Gotlieb and Mark Egan leave the band?

In January of 1977 Jaco and I began work on what, some years hence, became Word Of Mouth. Pat’s Bright Size Life featured great playing by Jaco and I could tell he was affected by its success as we would occasionally call him to let him hear some ideas. There was mutual respect and friendship between them. On the saddest day of my life, Pat came to Jaco’s home and expressed his loving thoughts with a strength I was still struggling to find. I’ll never forget the beautiful homage of his words and playing that day. What a lovely human being Pat Metheny is. 💙

Jaco Pastorius is unique,, style-wise, and this bassist, although quite good, is no Jaco...

That Egan guy does an INCREDIBLE impression of Jaco himself

Oh Yess... This is One of My All Time Favorite Pat Methany Group Tunes... They Slayed This ☺☺😎👊💯

El bajista es Mark Egan, un excelente seguidor de Jaco

Jaco? Where?

The freshness of this first PMG frontline is amazing. It was a project full of ideas and the history confirms it. Egan comping was perfect and he played a tasty solo.

Los q no saben nada de nada creen q pastorius esta tocando ahi con patt jajajjaja

Egan's work on What Child is this - GRP Christmas, Altiplano - Alex deGrassi and Arcadia and the Promise are all something else on that crazy Pedulla bass.

Pat playing through a (gasp!) Peavey amp, and not an Acoustic!

Metheny was a breath of fresh air and had a completely new sound and phrasing style back then. Such a relief after the awful distorted shredding of the era. However, (and no one is going to like this) I lost interest in him soon after. I think his music deteriorated into easy listening to shift CDs and apart from a couple of interesting tunes his stuff is bland and boring. I know he’s capable of better but he chose the big money big stadium route and disappeared into a parody of his 24 year old self. Shame for music but great for his bank balance.

What a great band saw them at the Great American music Hall, SF, 1978 tickets five dollars 😮

I once walked into a Chinese restaurant that has live jazz and mark Egan was playing.

Mark Egan is an EXCELLENT bass player!

Great, I saw this lineup in the early 80s…

That wasn't Jaco on bass? I guess I was fooled by the title of the track, but man, was he ever KILLING IT!

Egan poniendolos a todos en linea

Glad to have seen them live a few times! Mark had already switched to using Pat's bass. Talked to all of them except Lyle outside Avery Fisher Hall.

Mark's playing on the outro is insane.

Great musicianship...period. Respect and RIP to keyboardist Lyle Mays.

Yes, listen to the band introduction at the end of the video. I agree with the other comments that the bass playing is excellent but not Jaco Jaco always plays "around" the changes not "with" the changes if that makes sense. He was a master of melody - as is Pat Metheny.

For what it's worth I have several LP's by Mark and he plays a fretless bass

Mark Egan was really jamming on that jazz bass

Masterful bass break!

Mark "The Wonder" Egan

I just listened to this again. The bassist is just nuts. In a good way

Pat Mark Lyle and Danny

Woah!! All these guys are amazing!!!! Cool song and great performance!!! Thanks for posting and sharing!!!

With Lyle OMG from the beginings+ Pat...!!!!!

Danny’s groove is unstoppable!

Questo brano è andato nella storia !! 👍👍

...magic sound❤

Great!!! Thank you for sharing this video. Best wishes from Huenos Aires! - Christian

It's not clear, where is Jaco?!

Superb!

I turned 30 in 1977 and heard “Watercolors.” I was instantly attracted to the band’s sound, which was being called “fusion.” Long story short, I’ve been a big fan of Pat and his work ever since.

I didn't see Jaco. He must have been in the crowd. Lol.

No better Bassist than Mark Egan( perhaps Bunny Brunel or Alan Caron) to do this great tribute to Jaco

Mark Egan fa scuola !

De hecho el título del álbum es Jaco, pero el bajista malogrado si participó en la grabación...yo tengo ese vinilo.

Best of fusion from Metheny and Lyle Mays collaborations,1975-2000

Que grupazo!!! 👍👍👍

Jaco Pastorius как-то умудрился обходиться четырех струнным басом. Впрочем, ему хватило бы и одной струны😊

One of the great "hair bands" of the 70s, right? Seriously, the PMG defined an entire genre of jazz. Thanks for posting. Even off VHS it sounds pretty good!

Metheny, Egan, Gottlieb and Mays. My favorite lineup from PMG era.

This is an album (just called Pat Metheny Group) that everyone should have in their collection. There's not a lame track on the whole thing. It's amazing.