“He already had his signature tone and touch, and a few of his signature licks, too”: A year before he was discovered, Jaco Pastorius laid down this classic R&B bassline on Little Beaver’s 1974 hit, I Can Dig It Baby

Jaco Pastorious, portrait, c 1975.

In interviews throughout his career Jaco Pastorius often acknowledged his bass guitar influences, and perhaps to the surprise of some of his jazz-leaning fans, nearly all were R&B players – James Jamerson, Jerry Jemmott and Bernard Odum were often mentioned. A deep foundation in R&B permeated Jaco's feel and sense of rhythm, separating him from many of his bass-playing peers in jazz.

I Can Dig It Baby was recorded by Florida soul artist Little Beaver (real name Willie Hale) and appears on his 1974 album Party Down. Perhaps more notably, it also features on Portrait Of Jaco: The Early Years, 1968–1978, a collection of producer Bob Bobbing’s personal recordings of a young Jaco.