Jaco Pastorius

Not sure I’d call this a concert but it certainly was a magical moment, or series of moments, for me!

The year was 1967, I had been relocated to Fort Lauderdale from Long Island by my parents. I was not looking forward to this move, and of having to do my last 2 years of High School not knowing a soul. But I had just started learning how to play guitar, so over the summer that was my main pastime.

But on, what I believe, was my first day at Northeast High School I had the good fortune to meet one of the best local rock & roll drummers Ray Lenahan, and he introduced me to many of the local musicians in our area.
On one of those first days at school I was coming from my architectural drafting class and happened to see a young man coming from an art class with his drawings under his arm,and I remarked at how wonderful I thought they were. So we sat down and he showed me his portfolio, and all of his work was extremely good, very well done for a person of our age, a natural talent. He happened to ask if I was into music and I told him yes, very interested. He told me he had a band and they would be playing in the high school courtyard and that I should come down and see them.

Later that evening I went back to Northeast and his band was rockin’, he was playing a Hammond B-3 organ and was quite impressive, after that song he moved back behind the drum kit, his main instrument at the time, and played a killer groove. I had never seen anyone who could play two completely different instruments so well. After that night I would go see him play whenever I could, wherever I could with his band Las Olas Brass, and at local warehouse jam sessions.

At some point he broke his wrist and a substitute drummer was filling in who was doing a great job, and as their bass player was leaving the band he decided to learn to play bass. As he progressed he played with Wayne Cochran, Pat Metheny, and then joining Weather Report. And that young man was Jaco Pastorius, I continued to see him play whenever he was in town, at jams with Alex Darqui, and Richard Franks, and wherever he’d be jammimg word would spread through town. We remained friends until his untimely death in 1987. R.I.P. Jaco, the greatest bass player in the world!

By John Tillman- Transplanted New Yorker
Playing music in this area since 1966, worked at Modern Music in Oakland Park for many years, played in local bands Roscoe, Harvest, recording original act Dark Horse Fler, and currently with The Long Run a celebration of the music of the Eagles