“He looked me in the eye and said, real seriously, ‘Rory, man, I’m the best bass player on earth’. I looked back at him and said, ‘I know’: How the formidable personality and talent of bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius was embraced by Joni Mitchell

Jaco Pastorius performing with Weather Report at the Berkeley Community Theater on November 26, 1978.

If there’s one attribute shared by truly great artists across the decades it is creative restlessness – the desire and drive to keep moving forward artistically, to break new ground and to set the bar high in terms of your own self-expression and innovation. 

Miles Davis, David Bowie, The Beatles, Bjork, Madonna, Prince, Patti Smith and PJ Harvey are among the array of artists who have created music that is ever-shifting, fearless and unique. One key addition to this list is Joni Mitchell, a uniquely gifted singer-songwriter who emerged from the '60s folk circuit and early '70s enclave of Laurel Canyon with more raw talent than most of her male contemporaries combined.