Cale really has a decent ear, he studied with Leonard Bernstein.
He strips things down a bit because he knows his own musical limitations.
Is John Cale related to J.J. Cale?
Nevermind, I shoulda just gone to Wikipedia. ;o) J.J. Cale was given that nickname by a nightclub owner. His name is John Weldon Cale, so the club owner called him J.J., so folks wouldn’t confuse him with John Cale, of the Velvet Underground.