Speaking of Garaj Mahal and John McLaughlin, this is pretty cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsuYOg-KS3A&feature=related
 
when I was at Berklee with Kai, he would practice out on the sidewalk, unplugged, and still draw a crowd.
 
I also like this one a lot. Until I saw this, I couldn't figure out from the record how he got such a crisp slap tone from a fretless bass. Too bad the audio is so messed up.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4RWt_dyba4&feature=related

I always thought that Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros deserved more attention.  The stuff Joe Strummer did with The Clash always seemed to overshadow his later works.  I guess I'm a bit unusual in that I prefer those albums to his earlier work.

Thanks Edwin!  Kai is a great player and Garaj Mahal is a cool band.

Porqupine tree foe me as well.For that matter ,anything Steven Wilson related.Second on Marillion and how about Riverside?Aside from the prog bands I think Neil Finn is gold.Check out anything from Neil Finn and Friends on youtube.He's a terrific (much copied/covered)song writer.

I'll throw in another Percy Jones vehicle (not his band - he was a guest )- NOVA, an italian prog/fusion band. I've only ever been able to find one of their albums - VIMANA which is only available on vinyl (if you can find it). It also features 3 great percussionists, Zakir Hussein, Phil Collins and Narada Micheal Walden. Great music from the mid 70's.  
 
Graeme

Graeme; I just ran a check and it appears that Vimana was released on CD in 2005 on both Arista and BMG.  And if you're really desirous, there is currently a used CD of Vimana for sale on Amazon for $99.49.
 
Further reading suggests that Percy Jones was one of two bassists credited on Nova's Sun City album (the only other Nova album I found with a Jones credit); but that one does not appear to have been released on CD.

Thanks dave. My vinyl copy is still in great condition so I'll forego the pleasure of spending almost $100 on the CD ;-)  I will have to keep an eye on the used LP market for Sun City - percy is easily my favourite fretless player, achieving a unique sound. I remember once reading an interview with Jeff Berlin where he was asked why he didn't play fretless. He said he didn't want to sound like another Jaco clone - seems to me like Percy managed ok ;-)
 
Graeme

Mark Egan is no slouch in that department either...

Yes , Mark Egan ,an awesomely  great player and cool person. I took two clinics from him in the 1990's.  
  Another great  player who really gets around.

I used to get to see Mark quite a bit in the early 80s in Boston. It would seem that he would have been a serious Jaco clone, given that he studied with Jaco and then took over his gig, but he's got his own voice. What's weird is that Jeff, a great bassist as well, doesn't even have to play fretless to invoke the voice of Jaco. He is a pugnacious SOB, but that's part of his charm.
 
Edwin
Who is on Jeff's killfile for protecting free speech.

I don't know if this belongs in an under-rated bands thread... but I'll go out on a limb, having hijacked threads before and never been punished severely...
Last night I saw the Tedeschi Trucks Band in Colorado Springs, with Oteil on bass. A ten-piece band that really brings the shizzle!!! Highly recommended.

I think this belongs in the under-rated category, so at worst, 40 lashes with a wet noodle, aka Thomastik Jazz Flat E string.

Ben, I love watching Derek Trucks play.  Here's an absolutely wonderful of him with ABB.

Here's a pretty good of the Tedeschi Trucks Band from what looks to be the current tour that Ben saw last night.  Very good band!  Cool tune; very good solo by Derek; and Susan finishes it off with a nice solo of her own.  Yeah, this would be a nice band to go see.

Very nice clips. Thanks for the links, Dave. Derek is a monster player. His tone reminds me of that of a certain (late) slide player from the Allmans years ago... but his style is his own.