The Cats! Vol. 3: Servants of the Musical Sangha

On The Jake Feinberg Show (radio), Jake has conducted over 2,000 interviews with "The Cats"-popular musicians across the spectrum. His unique interviewing style puts musicians at their ease, inspiring them to reflect candidly on topics familiar or unexpected.

This third volume of striking extracts from the interviews sings songs for the unsung heroes of music: the studio sharks who created the space and sounds for other people with name-recognition. These cats could play from memory, sight-read, improvise, or compose their own songs. They could perform all kinds of music, at any hour, play tight or free, pick up ideas quickly, be consistently "on," play with heart and soul, play as one animal, keep up the groove, sit in the pocket, develop their own style, inspire dancing, and swing like crazy. Part II (Interlude) is dedicated to the double bassist Paul Jackson who passed away during the writing of this book. Part III focuses on leaders and innovators in their own right, drawing on their inner experience to create something profound, musically and personally. Jake calls them "wizards."

All these cats made up a sangha: a sacred community of servants to music and to life who helped each other as well as the stars, created safety and chemistry and comradeship, mentored each other and the next generation, and played what they loved without concern for their considerable legacy.

Based on interviews with: Marty Balin, George Bohanon, Harvey Brooks, Steve Cropper, John Densmore, Craig Doerge, Bob Dorough, James Gadson, Terry Haggerty, Jimmy Heath, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Keith, Roger Kellaway, Chuck Leavell, Gordon Lightfoot, Rick Marotta, Bill Keith, Dean Parks, Julian Priester, Bernard Purdie, Mickey Roker, Michael Shrieve, John "Jab'o" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, Chester Thompson, Allen Toussaint, David T. Walker, and Bob Weir.