Beloved by Zappa fans as the “Indian of the group,” Jimmy Carl Black provided “drums, vocals, and poverty” for the first eight Mothers of Invention albums and also acted in the cult film 200 Motels. After Zappa disbanded the band, Black participated in a wide variety of blues-based, Zappa-esque, exploratory projects, including the Jack and Jim Show, a duo with avant-weirdo Eugene Chadbourne. Known as an in demand improviser, maverick interpreter of pieces by free jazz and avant-classical composers and absurdist protest-singer with a unique love for American rural music, Chadbourne’s irreverent, Dadaist sense of humor and nimble skill with guitar, banjo and electric rake made the union particularly thrilling (most notably on their second album, Pachuco Cadaver, A Tribute to Captain Beefheart.) Catch the Jack and Jim Show at Soundlab next Thursday (Sept. 20) at 9pm. Performing an opening set— and likely joining Black and Chadbourne for a few pieces—is cellist, vocalist and performance artist Audrey Chen.