I read that Jaco Pastorius favoured the fretless bass because he viewed frets as "speed bumps" and while, some of the tracks attest to that. His playing is often quite languid and serene, supporting the work of his bandmates. Quite reserved, given that he got his gig with the band after walking up to them and proclaiming himself to be the best bass player in the world!
But it's unfair of me to act like Pastorius is the only shining light here, it's just that I'm a bit of a fan of his (I discovered the band through him rather than the reverse) and this is his first full release with Weather Report, though he had played on a couple of tracks on the previous release "Black Market".
'Rumba Mama' highlights the group's drummer and percussionist (Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena). Original instigators of the band Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter had been in Miles Davis' early fusion bands and they both shine throughout this album too. All in all it's an accessible and digestible fusion record.
