Claypool hooked up with eccentric guitarist Buckethead, former P-Funk and Talking Heads keyboardist Bernie Worrell and former Primus drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia to form Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains in 2002.  Buckethead, Worrell and Mantia were originally slated to perform at a music festival with another bassist, but when said bassist was unable to play, Claypool, who was attending the same festival, invited them to jam with him.  Their earliest performances were strictly improvisational - no rehearsals or any kind of prepared music at all.

Their one studio album, 2004's The Big Eyeball in the Sky, was constructed in much the same vein, with lots of extended instrumental jams and solo breaks.  Some of the tracks on it are, in fact, instrumentals, including "Jackalope."

Click here to watch a fan-made video for "Jackalope" on YouTube.

Click here to watch one of the band's concert-opening jam sessions.  Before I saw this, I don't think I'd ever seen anyone slap a Rickenbacker, but Les pulls it off beautifully here.  Oh, and a note for you touring drummers, keep an extra snare drum on hand at all times.

This is part of a week-long series on the many projects of Les Claypool.