Modern American Music... Period! The Criteria Sessions presents a series of demo recordings that bassist
Jaco Pastorius made two years before his landmark debut album, 1976's
Jaco Pastorius. Recorded after hours at Miami's Criteria Studios, these tracks represent some of the earliest solo cuts from
Pastorius. While a handful of these songs were eventually reworked for his debut, here we get all of these demo sessions in full. Backing
Jaco on these recordings is a superb band of some recognizable and some lesser-known names, including drummer
Bob Economou (who played on one track on
Jaco Pastorius), Fender Rhodes keyboardist
Alex Darqui, percussionist
Don Alias (who also appeared on
Jaco Pastorius), and steel drummers
Othello Molineaux and Cederik Lucious. Much like 1974's confusingly titled
Jaco (
Pastorius' other early-career date with keyboardist
Paul Bley and guitarist
Pat Metheny), these sessions showcase an expansive, somewhat avant-garde sound that bridges the gaps between post-bop, fusion, and free improvisation. Certainly, we still get
Pastorius' bravura solo take on
Charlie Parker and
Miles Davis' "Donna Lee," but we also get to hear
Pastorius lead his band through more liquid, dreamlike compositions including the roiling, steel drum-heavy "Pans" and the rarely heard "Havona/Continuum." There is also a gorgeous early version of the bassist's composition "Forgotten Love," featuring
Pastorius alone on electric keyboard, which gives the
Herbie Hancock version on the 1976 album a run for its money. Ultimately, although these are demo-quality recordings, they clearly showcase the already genius-level ability that
Pastorius had achieved before anyone knew his name.