Trio of Doom

The Trio of Doom was a short-lived jazz fusion power trio consisting of John McLaughlin on guitar, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Tony Williams on drums.^[1] They were brought together by Columbia Records in 1979 to play the Havana Jam festival in Cuba alongside Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, and others.

Trio of Doom
Montage of the three members of the Trio of Doom (pictured in the 1980s) From left: Pastorius, Williams and McLaughlin
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Jazz fusion
Years active	1979
Labels	Columbia
Past members	Jaco Pastorius Tony Williams John McLaughlin

They were named by Pastorius.^[2] He had earlier called his bass the "Bass of Doom," because of its growling sound.^[3]

Their only live performance was on March 3, 1979, and it is recorded on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79.^[4]

On March 8, 1979, the group reconvened in New York City to record the songs they had played live,^[5][6] but a dispute broke out between Pastorius and Williams that ended the trio.^[7]

An album was released on June 26, 2007, on Legacy Recordings, containing five tracks from Havana Jam and five recorded in the studio.^[8]

Trio of Doom (album)

Trio of Doom
Studio album by Trio of Doom
Released	June 26, 2007
Recorded	March 3 and March 8, 1979
Venue	Karl Marx Theater, Havana, Cuba
Studio	CBS, New York City, U.S.
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	39:39
Label	Columbia Legacy
Producer	John McLaughlin Richard Seidel (exec.)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[9]
The Guardian	[10]

Tracklist

1. "Drum Improvisation (live)" (Tony Williams) – 2:46
2. "Dark Prince (live)" (John McLaughlin) – 6:36
3. "Continuum (live)" (Jaco Pastorius) – 5:11
4. "Para Oriente (live)" (Tony Williams) – 5:42
5. "Are You the One? Are You the One? (live)" (John McLaughlin) – 4:51
6. "Dark Prince" (John McLaughlin) – 4:11
7. "Continuum" (Jaco Pastorius) – 3:49
8. "Para Oriente" (alternate take one) (Tony Williams) – 1:05
9. "Para Oriente" (alternate take two) (Tony Williams) – 0:20
10. "Para Oriente" (Tony Williams) – 5:28

Tracks 1–5 were recorded on 3 March 1979, at the Karl Marx Theatre, Havana, Cuba. Tracks 6–10 were recorded on 8 March 1979, at CBS Studios, New York.^[6]

References

1. "Trio of Doom - Trio of Doom Live". Popmatters. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
2. Jazz, All About (5 August 2007). "John McLaughlin/Jaco Pastorius/Tony Williams: Trio of Doom album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
3. "Jaco Pastorious and the "Bass of Doom."". denvermusicinstitute.com. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
4. "McLaughlin/Pastorius/Williams - Trio of Doom". MusicTap. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
5. "Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, Tony Williams - Trio of Doom CD review". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
6. "Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, Tony Williams - Trio of Doom". Discogs. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
7. "Interview: John McLaughlin (solo, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis)". October 8, 2012.
8. "Trio of Doom overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
9. Jurek, Thom. "Trio of Doom - The Trio of Doom Live". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
10. Fordham, John (22 June 2007). "John McLaughlin/ Jaco Pastorius/ Tony Williams, Trio of Doom". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2018.