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An interview with nightclub promoters "Downbeat Freddy" and Freddy Beasley re-creates a vivid picture of the black music scene that Jaco became so fascinated with. Major stars would show up at the club after playing gigs in the area--such as James Brown, Little Milton, The Ohio Players, and others. More importantly, local talent was also welcomed at this club. The area was thriving with talented performers. You'll hear Jaco explain how he came up playing on the streets. You are then treated to another funky Woodchuck track, "Mr. Pitiful".
Jaco continues, "I started just that simple, a little rhythm & blues, some Rock & Roll, you know." You then hear Tommy Strand & The Upper Hand performing the tune "Higher" with Jaco on bass. Here a teenage Jaco plays a funky four-minute bass solo during the performance.
"Ming of Mings" by the CC Riders was heard by Jaco at the Swingers lounge in Miami and the performance inspired him in a number of ways. Jaco realized that his next big challenge was writing and arranging music.
Charlie Brent, guitar player and musical director of the CC Riders, talks about an experience with Jaco that while touring in Indianapolis he got it into his head to play a fretless bass. He went down to the hardware store and bought some compound, sandpaper, varnish and alligator pliers. He started yanking the frets out of the bass and filling them in with compound. Before the evening's gig started, Jaco had converted his bass to a fretless and was sliding between notes. Charlie then recalls the song "Rice Pudding" where he allowed space for Jaco, [now a member of the CC Rides] to solo. Charlie recalls how Jaco created new sounds on the bass using harmonics and slides making music on his bass unlike anything he had ever heard before.
Charlie goes on to set up the song "Amelia" explaining that Jaco was an all around musician, arranger, and composer, and that he was great at all three. In this tune you hear the arrangement Jaco wrote. His playing sets the pace for the entire band. Amelia is another of Jaco's earliest never-before-heard originals.
The next track, "Do you like the sound of the music?" features the King of Blue eyed soul, Wayne Cochran! It's a fever pitched live performance from a show just outside of Atlanta in Marietta, GA. You'll have no problem hearing the driving funky bass work Jaco became known for in Cochran's band.
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