Not another all-star rehash of Jaco’s fretless pyrotechnics, Gospel for J. F.P. instead targets the writing talents of the late, great genius of electric bass. It’s easy to forget how good a songwriter Jaco Pastorius was, as this savy record reminds us via interpretations of some of his better and less known pieces. Its wide-screen approach is clear in the opener, ‘ThreeViews of a Secret’ – a delightful meeting between gypsy guitarist Bireli Lagrčne, fusioneer Hiram Bullock and Uruguayan vocal ensemble Contrafarsa. Elsewhere, ‘Las Olas’, is a lilting Brazilian ballad with pianist Michael Gerber, while ‘Havona’ is a more direct treatment of the Weather Report classic with steel pans and Bob Mintzer’s soaring tenor sax. Likewise Gil Goldstein’s ‘PunkJazz.’ As if to emphasise that the record aims to capture the spirit of Jaco rather than his bass chops, several tracks are bass-less, diversely mining the composer’s acoustic, Latin and Caribbean lair. Felix Pastorius, by the way, is a chip off the old block, grooving like his old man gloriously on ‘I Can Dig it Baby.’
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