The Birthday Concert is an excellent live album from American bassist Jaco Pastorius. This concert was recorded on December 1, 1981. The significance of this date is that it was Jaco's 30th birthday. It is also significant to mention that this album was not actually released until 1995, six years after Jaco's death. The majority of the tracks on the album are originals from Pastorius.
Jaco played alongside the Peter Graves Orchestra and drummer Peter Erskine. Michael Brecker and Bob Mintzer also play the tenor saxophone. The album itself is very upbeat as Jaco is playing in his prime before his problems unfortunately began to impact his career. The Birthday Concert can be classified under the jazz fusion subgenre and it's jazz fusion at some of it's finest.
The album opens up with a wonderful intro and then the first track "The Chicken" begins. The track is very upbeat with the horns firing on all cylinders. Jaco also does a wonderful job on the track and it was co-written by him. The second track "Continuum" is a Jaco original and slows down the pace with Jaco's fantastic playing.
The third track "Invitation" does a wonderful job of showcasing the skills of everybody on stage. The track also clocks in as the longest on the album. The track even has a conga solo at one point by Don Alias. The fourth track "Three Views of a Secret" is a Jaco original and a bit softer than the previous track.
The fifth track "Liberty City" is a Jaco original and returns the album to its upbeat tempo. "Liberty City" is definitely one of the best tracks on the entire album and features some of Jaco's best playing. The sixth track "Punk Jazz" is also a Jaco original and simply outstanding. The horns once again are heavily featured on this track and do an excellent job.
The seventh track "Happy Birthday" is a jazz cover of the famous song as they perform it for Jaco. The eighth track "Reza" is a Jaco original and is the second longest track on the album. Jaco and company are magnificent and the track is an enjoyable listen.
The ninth track "Domingo" is the last Jaco original on the album. All of the originals by Jaco on the album really showcase his stellar composing skills and why he still has such a large influence today despite dying at the age of 35. After that follows the band intros. The album ends with the track "Amerika". The track is essentially Jaco performing the song "America" on the bass alone and doing a wonderful job of it.
The Birthday Concert is a magnificent live album and showcases some of Jaco's greatest work. Jazz fans that enjoy jazz fusion will definitely enjoy this album. Although the album is worth listening to for any jazz fan. The album is also available for listening on Spotify.
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