Mary Pastorius

By: Tobin Bennison

Article Category: Local CD Review 2 Comments

Mary Pastorius
From Then Until Almost Now
Mæric Music; 2007

Comprised of 17 tunes culled from a 10-year span of tireless creativity, local singer/songwriter Mary Pastorius’ From Then Until Almost Now fairly bursts from the surfeit of compelling musical ideas it contains.

While several of the tracks have never been released until now, many have made previous appearances on other recordings she had an impressive hand in. Described by Pastorius as a kind of “clearing house” of some rich early material, From Then Until Almost Now collects songs she wrote while in Dope Fiend during the late ’90s, Locura in the early part of the naughts, and some penned most recently with Queen Mary.

The dizzying wealth of sounds covered here is almost as astounding as the list of players who support her, people whose own musical pedigrees connect, either by actual association or inspiration, to that of her late father, beloved jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius. She’s helped by her brothers David (bassist for Resident favorites Local 518 and Elephant Gun) and John (drums), guitarist Matte Henderson (who’s played with Mick Karn and Natalie Merchant), percussionist Bobby Thomas Jr. (of Joe Zawinul’s fusion collective Weather Report, with whom Jaco earned initial fame), guitar icon David Torn and several renowned local musicians, drummer Bjarne Kjaer of Dub City Tribe among them.

Now, what may at first sound like pointless name-dropping is actually essential to understanding the brilliance behind both From Then… and Mary Pastorius’ unique talent. Because while it may seem daunting at first to wrap your mind around gulping opener “Backwards World” (from her Queen Mary days), referencing Kate Bush and the atmospherics of Belew-era King Crimson will set your ears in the right direction. Further help comes in the form of “Nothing” and “Feeding The Disguise” (from Queen Mary and Locura respectively), songs you can imagine P.J. Harvey or Shirley Manson wishing they’d written. And it’s artists like these — ones who’ve followed their own path regardless of commercial concerns — that inform the lush aural vision Pastorius has conceived, a vision that admits both darkness (“Hairdu”) and light (“October”) in equal degrees.

Less a decade-long summation than an invitation into Mary Pastorius’ complex soul, the impeccably produced From Then Until Almost Now is a cohesive album in its own right and one that deserves repeated, frequent visits.

Visit Mary Pastorius online at www.marypastorius.com. From Then Until Almost Now is available online at www.cdbaby.com/marypastorius

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