Jaco Pastorius, who helped redefine the role of the electric bass in jazz and rock, was remembered with a musical eulogy of his compositions at his funeral.

John Francis Pastorius, who grew up in this part of Florida and began his musical career in the clubs of Fort Lauderdale, was buried Friday after services at St. Clement's Catholic Church, where guitarist Randy Bernsen and a small band played gentle, acoustic versions of Pastorius' tunes.

The 35-year-old Pastorius died Monday of head injuries suffered during a beating outside an after-hours club here Sept. 12.

"I can't think of any musician who had the effect he's had on jazz," said jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, who recalled meeting the young electric bass player at the University of Miami in 1972.

At the peak of his career in the '70s and early '80s, Pastorius toured with the seminal "fusion" group Weather Report, as well as Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

His later years were characterized by poverty, bouts of erratic behavior and brushes with the law.

The Rev. Patrick McDonnell read a message from New York musicians who said, "He has passed to us a torch, and our tears cannot diminish it."

Metheny and former Weather Report percussionist Robert Thomas Jr. performed an impromptu session after the funeral.

"The contributions of Charlie Parker or John Coltrane may be longer lasting, but you can't turn on a radio without hearing two or three songs that wouldn't sound the way they do if it weren't for Jaco," Metheny said.