“My godfather played drums with Herbie Hancock, and he asked this guy to help me out on bass. Years later I found out it was Jaco”: How a chance family connection brought Raphael Saadiq a lesson with one of the greatest bass players of all time

Jaco Pastorius performing with Weather Report at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, Illinois, February 9, 1980. Singer Raphael Saadiq performs during the 2010 Lollapalooza music festival.

Raphael Saadiq has been a torchbearer for organic bass grooves in contemporary R&B since his early-’90s breakout as Tony Toni Toné’s frontman.

Since then, he has provided basslines for East and West Coast rappers such as A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, and Q-Tip, and he's played a key role on D’Angelo’s critically acclaimed neo-soul albums.