The Brian Melvin Trio (featuring Jaco Pastorius And Jon Davis) Standards Zone (1990)

This straight-ahead trio date led by drummer Brian Melvin is most notable for being electric bassist Jaco Pastorius' final recording, cut just a year before his premature death. With Melvin and pianist Jon Davis (whose style is most influenced by McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock), Pastorius was free to be very active in accompanying the piano solos, and he gets to stretch out on nearly every tune. Those listeners who stereotype Pastorius as a fusion-rock bassist will be surprised by the song titles, which include "Days of Wine and Roses," "So What," "If You Could See Me Now," "Tokyo Blues," and "Village Blues." The recording is consistently stimulating and serves as a strong final musical chapter for the great Jaco Pastorius.