Jimmy Carl Black, of Mothers Of Invention and Captain Beefheart fame, just turned seventy–and says last year was one of his busiest ever. First, there’s the band The Jack And Jim Show, which recently released The Jack And Jim Show Presents Hearing Is Believing. It’s an off-the-wall recording that Black describes as “a mix of all kinds of music–country, jazz, blues, improv, free jazz, and comedy. All the songs on the CD were fun to do. I like ‘Cheney’s Hunting Ducks’ and ‘It’s 5:00 O’clock Somewhere.’ ‘What’s Going On’ is also out there.”

The Jack And Jim Show played over fifty gigs last year on a trek dubbed The Think 69 Tour, since that was Black’s age at the time. “I also did my first disco recording in Italy with a band called The Happy Metal Band, which is pretty funny,” he says. “Maybe I’ve been going about this music business all wrong. I should have done disco a long time ago and maybe made some money out of it. This year I’ve released three new CDs that I sell through my MySpace page and Web site as well as off the stage. I’m too old at this point to get a proper recording contract from a major label.”

Speaking of age, Black says, “I feel I play better the older I get because I’ve learned some tricks that help me play better without hurting myself. I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I know how to compensate for that.” For more on Jimmy, check out www.jimmycarlblack.com. Advertisement

Robyn Flans