Vince Arranges and Conducts "Jaco's World"
Vince Mendoza arranges and conducts “Jaco’s World” at the 2015 Monterey Jazz Festival featuring Will Lee, Christian McBride, Felix Pastorius, Peter Erskine, Tierney Sutton, Sonny Knight, Bob Mintzer, Alex Acuña, and others on Friday night in the Arena.
Left: Chick Corea, Vince, Peter Erskine. Right: Bassists Chrisitan McBride and Will Lee.
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From the Mercury News:
Grammy-winner Vince Mendoza conducted the big tribute ensemble, which featured some 20 musicians, including bassists McBride and Felix Pastorius (Jaco's son) as well as two former Weather Report members, percussionists Peter Erskine and Alex Acuna. The music was bold and beautiful, with a dash of daring for proper seasoning. The set featured some nice vocal work, such as when Tierney Sutton recounted the bizarre tale of "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" (a song off Joni Mitchell's album "Mingus," to which Pastorius famously contributed).
Though he primarily recognized as a giant in jazz, the tribute also served to remind fans of Pastorius' passion for R&B, as the crew blasted through the original "Come On, Come Over" (from the bassist's self-titled debut) and the blues cut "Fannie Mae," which is a tune that Pastorius was known to play in concert.