Pass the Peas – The JB’s

“Pass the Peas” by the JB’s is not just one of the most recognizable tracks in Soul and even Hip-hop, but one of the Funkiest, Jazziest jammers in history.

The JB’s are the instrumentalists (and often background vocals) of countless hits by James Brown, Fred Wesley, Bobby Byrd, and many more, and have been established as one of the seminal sounds of sampled music for their horns, drums, guitar plucks, bass lines, Latin percussion, and basically everything else they did.

Of course, you’ll recognize the most immediate and obvious sample from Eric B. (@ericb) and Rakim’s (@rakimgodmc) “I Ain’t No Joke”, a Classic Bboy Hip-Hop joint.

De La Soul (@wearedelasoul) also grabbed the opening vocals for “Pass the Plugs”:

Old School MC Stezo took advantage of the horns, drawing on a number of other  Funky People samples including Lyn Collins “Think About It” (another J.B.’s smash) for “Talking Sense”:

Some basic background on the JB’s from Allmusic:

The J.B.’s were the legendary supporting cast of musicians behind James Brown, earning a well-deserved reputation as the tightest, best-drilled instrumental ensemble in all of funk. The name J.B.’s is most often associated with three hornmen in particular — saxophonists Maceo Parker and Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, and trombonist Fred Wesley, all of whom originally joined Brown‘s backing band at various points during the ’60s. As a recording entity unto themselves, however, The J.B.’s enjoyed a distinctly defined heyday from 1970-1975, under the musical directorship of Wesley (though Brown, naturally, remained a strong presence). The J.B.’s were billed under a variety of alternate names on their own singles and albums —Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s, Maceo and the Macks, Fred and the New J.B.’s, the James Brown Soul Train,the Last Word, the First Family, and more. The core group of personnel, despite some turnover on the periphery, remained fairly steady from 1971 on, at least until Brown‘s creative downturn precipitated several important defections.