We did our next show in Seattle at a similar type of hall. The band [Miles Davis's band] had picked up a new member in Portland, a guitarist named Pete Cosey. Pete was a strange one: He was a big man, with a large afro and a huge beard that ended in little braids, like Blackbeard the pirate. He wore long, flowing robes and Wellington boots, and he played a Les Paul cherry top, using a guitar tuning that I never quite figured out. Whatever it was, it sounded unearthly. He had a rather unusual set-up, too--he played through a Leslie J-145 with a Combo pre-amp and a separate straight guitar amp, in this case an Acoustic 360 bass rig.

I loved the sound he got out of it. The Leslie is designed for use with Hammond organs, with a 15-inch woofer in the bottom of the wooden enclosure and a flat disc laced with holes over it. Up top are two treble horns. When the player hits a switch, the disc and the horns rotate at two different controlled speeds, creating the throatiest tone imaginable. You can hear it on Cream's "Badge" and on Clapton's work with Blind Faith--it's a rich, full, almost pleading sound, and Pete used it well.