Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time,[2] Pastorius recorded albums as a solo artist, band leader, and as a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1976 to 1981.

[6][7] Pastorius suffered from drug addiction and mental health issues and, despite his widespread acclaim, over the latter part of his life he had problems holding down jobs due to his unreliability.

Pastorius was born December 1, 1951, in Norristown, Pennsylvania,[1] the oldest of three boys born to Stephanie Catherine (née Haapala; 1925–2001), who was of Finnish descent, and musician John Francis Pastorius Jr. (1922–2004), a singer and jazz drummer of Italian and German descent, who spent much of his time on the road.

His brother called him "Mowgli" after the wild boy in The Jungle Book because he was energetic and spent much of his time shirtless on the beach, climbing trees, running through the woods, and swimming in the ocean.

[12] In the early 1970s, Pastorius taught bass at the University of Miami, where he befriended jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, who was on the school's faculty.

[15] Before recording his debut album, Pastorius attended a concert in Miami by the jazz fusion band Weather Report.

After bassist Alphonso Johnson left Weather Report, Zawinul asked Pastorius to join the band.

Pastorius made his band debut on the album Black Market (Columbia, 1976), in which he shared the bass chair with Johnson.

Pastorius was fully established as sole band bass player for the recording of Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1977), which contained the Grammy-nominated hit "Birdland".

[12] During his time with Weather Report, Pastorius began abusing alcohol and illegal drugs,[9] which exacerbated existing mental problems and led to erratic behavior.

[17] He left Weather Report in 1982 because of clashes with tour commitments for his other projects, plus a growing dissatisfaction with Zawinul's synthesized and orchestrated approach to the band's music.

[9] Warner Bros. signed Pastorius to a favorable contract in the late 1970s based on his groundbreaking skill and his star quality, which they hoped would lead to large sales.

He used this contract to set up his Word of Mouth big band,[9] which consisted of Chuck Findley on trumpet; Howard Johnson on tuba; Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and Tom Scott on reeds; Toots Thielemans on harmonica; Kenwood Dennard, Peter Erskine and Jack DeJohnette on drums; and Don Alias on percussion.

While in Japan, to the alarm of his band members, he shaved his head, painted his face black, and threw his bass guitar into Hiroshima Bay.

[23] In 1985, while filming an instructional video (Modern Electric Bass), Pastorius told the interviewer, Jerry Jemmott, that although he had been praised often for his ability, he wished that someone would give him a job.

These instruments were modelled on the Bass of Doom, with the Custom Shop version featuring a fretboard sealed with epoxy resin.

He also controlled his tone color with a rackmount MXR digital delay unit that fed a second Acoustic amp rig.

Other recordings included work on four Joni Mitchell albums between 1976 and 1980 (Hejira; Don Juan's Reckless Daughter; Mingus; and Shadows and Light) and Al Di Meola's Land of the Midnight Sun, released in 1976.

[41] After his death in 1987, he was voted, by readers of DownBeat magazine, to its Hall of Fame, joining bassists Jimmy Blanton, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Charles Mingus, Charlie Haden, and Milt Hinton.

Others who have dedicated compositions to him include Randy Brecker, Eliane Elias, Chuck Loeb, John McLaughlin, Bob Moses, Ana Popović, Dave Samuels, and the Yellowjackets.

Almost twenty years after his death, Fender released the Jaco Pastorius Jazz Bass, a fretless instrument in its Artist Series.

[45][46] William C. Banfield, director of Africana Studies, Music and Society at Berklee College, described Pastorius as one of the few original American virtuosos who defined a musical movement, in addition to Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, and Wes Montgomery.

[52] The legacy of Jaco Pastorius is one of the most impactful in the world of electric bass in jazz and in general for every genre, despite his flawed and controversial latter years,[53] although as time passed, his work began to be more appreciated by musicians.

Known for his solo career with the self titled album Jaco Pastorius, the track "Donna Lee" is remembered as showcasing his incredible feel and speed on the electric bass,[54] a level of skill which had not been seen before.

In his contributions to Weather Report, he is remembered for his incredibly precise and fast bass lines, played with flash and gusto.

[54] The fact that he entered the music scene at the age of only 16 has inspired future musicians such as Victor Wooten and Kinga Głyk.

Jaco's legacy, while having some aspects that many find to be negative, overwhelmingly shows his unmatched skill and trailblazing in the world of jazz and electric bass performance.

These bass players include Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam),[56] Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle),[57] Frank Bello (Anthrax),[58] Rex Brown (Pantera and Down),[59] Chris Chaney (AC/DC, Jane's Addiction and Slash),[60] Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave),[61] Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Sadus and Death),[62] David Ellefson (Megadeth),[63] Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers),[64] Tony Franklin (The Firm and Blue Murder),[65] John Myung (Dream Theater),[66] Paulo Jr. (Sepultura),[67] Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and Sons of Apollo),[68] Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Pestilence and Obscura),[69] Robert Trujillo (Metallica),[69] Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning and Mercyful Fate),[70] and Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse).