From Guitar World · · 1m 30s
Bootsy Collins on the funk you can't program
The J.B.'s reunited for the Superbad soundtrack, and Bootsy Collins says the old chemistry came back in seconds.
In brief
The J.B.'s reunited for the Superbad soundtrack, and Bootsy Collins says the old chemistry came back in seconds. Groove comes from listening to the people in the room, not from thinking harder about what to play. Originally reported by Guitar World.
The J.B.'s reunion session
Guitarist Lyle Workman pulled Bootsy Collins and a crew of James Brown alumni together to score the comedy Superbad. Bootsy called the session better than sex.
“Recording with the J.B.'s cats again felt incredible, beyond sex”
Nobody was rusty
Drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jab'o" Starks and guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins joined him. Decades apart, and the old chemistry snapped straight back.
“That energy popped back like we had been playing all the time. Nobody was rusty, man.”
Parts built on the spot
Workman started a groove and everyone wrote their own part around it, the same way sessions ran under James Brown. No charts, just reacting.
“We pretty much came up with our own parts once Lyle would strike up the groove”
A computer can't feel you back
Bootsy's case for live players is the anticipation: wondering what the next guy will play and trusting you can land on top of it. Software gives you nothing to answer.
“That's like having a doll in the closet instead of having a real chick, you know?”
Two drummers, two languages
Jab'o brings the swing you hear on Sex Machine. Clyde burns hot, like Get Up, Get Into It, and Get Involved. Bootsy learned to lay differently with each.
“You have to vibe with Jab'o a little bit, and then he's there. Clyde doesn't need any foreplay.”
Fingers, not slaps
The soundtrack needed period authenticity more than his signature slap. So he went back to the precise, syncopated fingerstyle he sharpened in Brown's band.
“With James, it was all about who had the fastest fingers”
Stop thinking, start playing
He plays fewer notes now and puts them where nobody else would. The moment he analyses it, the feel is gone.
“It's not something I think about, once you start thinking, you're shot.”
The short version
Groove comes from listening to the people in the room, not from thinking harder about what to play.
