Quotes from Jaco Pastorius

Sometimes I have a very bad point of being too obnoxious. I am not too obnoxious. I mean, I just try to make things more peaceful. Me being obnoxious makes a lot of things more peaceful.

Music is in the air; it's my job to pull it out.

A chimpanzee could learn what I do physically, but it goes way beyond that. When you play, you play life.

I'm not a star. I'm just backing up the cats.

I'm the greatest bass player in the world.

I learned everything from my friends and just constant gigging in night clubs, eight sets a night!

My concept is not bigger than Weather Report. I am Weather Report. It comes through me; I do not create nothing. It comes from being a child and listening to the radio every day of my life.

Joseph Zawinul does overkill, and his technological overkill sucks, but there's no friction between us; I just say, 'Look,' and that's it. Do you have any idea how much music I learned from him?

So what, I'm living in a park. Parks are beautiful. I'm a musician. And I'm tired of dumb people who don't know where I come from.

Music is the only thing keeping the planet together

I was playing legit snare with a traditional grip, not a matched grip. After I broke my left wrist, I couldn't hit a snare drum anymore. From the age of 13 to 17, I couldn't really get a pop on the snare drum. I would hit it, and my wrist would almost shatter.

I had an upright - it took me years and years to get enough bread to get it. I'm from Florida, so one morning I woke up, go in the corner, and the bass is in a hundred pieces 'cause the humidity is so bad. I mean, the upright just blew up. I said, 'Forget it, man. I can't afford this anymore.'

Joseph Zawinul and Toots Thielmans, in my opinion, are the only Europeans who can play rhythm-and-blues.

I play in tune like a cello player and use legitimate vibrato. There are no tricks; it's just all in the hands!

I've been playing the bass guitar for almost twelve years and fretless for about nine, so I've got quite a bit of mileage in my hands already.

Women and rhythm-section first!?

In the studio, I don't use an amp, I just go direct into the desk. It's virtually acoustic, what I'm doing.