The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown

Los Angeles-based producer John Heintz thought that the magic of jam sessions and sit-ins shouldn’t be confined to one-off opportunities. When the right combination of seasoned musicians gets together, music can be pulled out of the ether, fusing together the unique voices of the players and taking the music into uncharted sonic territory.

“I thought if unscripted jamming could sound so good and natural on stage,” Heintz says, “then bringing that energy and camaraderie to the studio could produce some incredible music.”

And that it did. Out of this idea, Heintz created The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown. Working alongside <a href="spotify:artist:17yG70sNJCecYiTGc0LIj3" data-name="Yo Mama&#39;s Big Fat Booty Band">Yo Mama&#39;s Big Fat Booty Band</a>’s JP Miller and Derrick Johnson, as well as producer and musician Frank Mapstone, Heintz built a collective of hundreds of musicians and artists that defy the boundaries of genre, age and geography.

The project has seen members of legendary funk bands such as <a href="spotify:artist:2JRvXPGWiINrnJljNJhG5s" data-name="The Meters">The Meters</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4QQgXkCYTt3BlENzhyNETg" data-name="Earth, Wind &amp; Fire">Earth, Wind &amp; Fire</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6XswoC68grx55in1WQnJ7E" data-name="Parliament Funkadelic">Parliament Funkadelic</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2X3pNc13eRGofTO9Yt3sMi" data-name="Fishbone">Fishbone</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2Pfv2w8a20xzC7Dr7QXRqM" data-name="Mudvayne">Mudvayne</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5Va9LuEmaZxnbk1gMnjMD7" data-name="Arrested Development">Arrested Development</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:47seycXi6raJRZ8SU5KfQS" data-name="The Lee Boys">The Lee Boys</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6Uhp7WA6sjm5ZL6Xz561de" data-name="Living Colour">Living Colour</a>. Both albums were recorded by gathering musicians for weeklong retreats that were part jam, part writing session and part house party.

15 years into the project, Heintz is now preparing The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown Volume 3. Featuring Chad Smith of the <a href="spotify:artist:0L8ExT028jH3ddEcZwqJJ5" data-name="Red Hot Chili Peppers">Red Hot Chili Peppers</a>; <a href="spotify:artist:1wnaeDbP5Yl9MNV9qC008L" data-name="Philip Lassiter">Philip Lassiter</a>, a renowned jazz trumpeter and former member of <a href="spotify:artist:5a2EaR3hamoenG9rDuVn8j" data-name="Prince">Prince</a> and the New Power Generation; Ler LaLonde of <a href="spotify:artist:64mPnRMMeudAet0E62ypkx" data-name="Primus">Primus</a>; Jack Irons, of the Chili Peppers and of <a href="spotify:artist:1w5Kfo2jwwIPruYS2UWh56" data-name="Pearl Jam">Pearl Jam</a>; and more.