1982 · Album
Invitation
Recorded September 1982, various venues in Japan · Warner Bros. · Produced by Not specified in available sources
Arranging for the ensemble in Japan
Invitation captures Pastorius conducting his big band live, proving he could organize and lead beyond the bass.
Invitation is a live recording from September 1982, captured during Pastorius's tour of Japan with his Word of Mouth big band. What matters here is that this wasn't a bass showcase masquerading as a band album — Pastorius was genuinely in the role of bandleader and arranger, which changes what you're listening to. The album was recorded at various venues across the country, and the fact that it holds together as a coherent statement despite that traveling situation speaks to how seriously Pastorius had worked out these arrangements.
If you know Jaco Pastorius (1978), his debut, you remember it as a display of what one person could do on electric bass — overdubbed, layered, a tour of his capabilities. Word of Mouth (1981), which came before Invitation, had already pointed toward this larger ensemble direction, but Invitation is the live version of that idea. You hear the band actually playing together, no studio fixes, no overdubs. The big band setting means Pastorius steps back from being the dominant voice and becomes part of the texture. That's either interesting to you or it isn't, but it's different from what came before.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings rated it three and a half stars, which is solid without being overwhelming. It's worth hearing if you're curious about what Pastorius did beyond the bass-hero thing, or if you want to understand how he thought about arrangement and leadership. It's not the place to start if you want to hear him play bass at his most inventive — that's the debut album. But for what it documents about where his head was in 1982, Invitation does exactly what a live album should do.
Who's playing
Jaco Pastoriuselectric bass guitar
Bob Mintzersolo, tenor saxophone
Randy Breckersolo, trumpet
Peter Erskinedrums
Othello Molineauxsteelpan
Toots Thielemansguest, harmonica
Where next?
More by Jaco Pastorius
All 11 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
