A bass playing experience I’ll never forget

By Jon Liebman
December 1, 2025

Back in the ‘80s, during my Miami years, I was deeply immersed in the South Florida music scene. In those days, you never knew who you might run into at a concert or around town. Oftentimes it was just a quick hello or a short conversation. 

But when it came to legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius it turned out to be so much more.

A good friend of mine needed to stop by Jaco’s house to discuss some publishing details and asked if I wanted to tag along. It didn’t take me long to tell him, “Yes!” What followed turned into one of the most memorable afternoons of my life.

In this week’s Tales From the Pit, I share what it was like to spend time with Jaco — the conversations, the music, the stories, and a few moments I’ll never forget. It’s a timeless memory.

This video will stay up indefinitely, but the date I’m publishing it is December 1, Jaco’s birthday.

I hope you enjoy this video. It’s pretty powerful. 

Please leave a comment below with your takeaways.

Let’s play bass! — Jon