Jerry Garcia is without a doubt, one of my favorite and one of the most influential musicians to play in the last 100 years. The Grateful Dead essentially invented the jam band genre, which is continued to this day by surviving members of the Grateful Dead (minus Phil Lesh) with the addition of John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti as Dead & Co, and with other hugely popular jam bands such as Phish, Widespread Panic, and String Cheese Incident to name just a few of many who have continued that spirit. David Grisman frequently played with Garcia in acoustic projects, other solo endeavors, bluegrass side projects, and was even featured in some studio albums by the Dead such as American Beauty (1970), which features some beautiful mandolin by Grisman on “Friend of the Devil” and “Ripple”, two of my favorite songs of all time.
This album features a couple of Miles Davis songs, namely “So What”, from the best selling jazz album of all time by Davis, Kind Of Blue (1959), and “Milestones”, from the Miles Davis album, Milestones (1958). “So What” is played three times on the album, all different takes on different dates, and I’m honestly excited to hear Garcia and Grisman’s take on this. It’s important, I think, to note is was released three years after Garcia’s passing, but it was recorded between 1990 and 1992.
The first “So What” has that quietness that Miles Davis’ version started with, and honestly it’s absolutely sweet. Garcia and Grisman play in tandem for a bit at the beginning before breaking off on their own separate parts that really play off each other well, with Garcia seemingly taking lead on the acoustic. The bass is really awesome to follow and bop along with while Garcia and Grisman dance circles with you. There’s been some debate on the internet about whether Garcia was indeed a jazz improviser, and I think this album shows he easily could be considered one. It’s such a casual, easy, intricate, and relaxing experience so far, I could listen to this all night. Garcia’s playing is somewhat recognizable to me; I recognize a few licks here and there that I’ve heard in some jams, but it’s pretty different than his playing with the Grateful Dead to a certain extent.
“Bags’ Grove”, a cover of jazz artist Milt Jackson’s original composition, has an almost jazzy Western swing sort of vibe. Jim Kerwin lays out some great baselines that the song really builds on. I really dig Grisman’s solo in it. Very relaxed, but there’s still quite a bit of trickery with where he’s going with the line he’s playing. Jim Kerwin’s bass solo is super sick too. I really enjoy jazz bass a lot, and he’s swinging for the fences on this one: building off of Grisman’s solo and making it his own. Joe Craven’s percussion solo just came on, and all I can say is what the heck is going on, I absolutely love it. That was so unique and unexpected, and the song just jumps back into the refrain flawlessly.
“Milestones”, another Miles Davis original, is up now. I can say I’ve never heard Davis’ version, but look forward to doing so soon after I finish this album, because this one is so sweet to listen to. Wow, Garcia really comes in with some tasty playing for his solo, which is beautifully complemented by Grisman’s work in the background as they slowly shift between Garcia soloing and Grisman soloing. It almost gets a little folky at times, but that just adds another layer to the whole experience. Wow, Garcia is soloing again and he just gets you with something so unexpected and trades off with Grisman again and again, it’s a spectacle to listen to. Honestly the interplay between the two is so genuine and unique sounding to me; it’s making for a great album so far. By the way, Kerwin and his bass are absolutely subtly ripping behind the two featured artists.
“16/16”, an original composition by Grisman, is up now. Very smooth, very relaxing acoustic jazz. I haven’t mentioned Craven’s percussion much yet, which is unfair. He’s keeping such nice simple, steady, rhythm, and playing only to add to the track and not to take away from anything else, which can be incredibly difficult to do. Once again, the interplay between Garcia and Grisman is something to behold. I really recommend this album for anyone, and especially those who thoroughly enjoy jazz, the Grateful Dead, folk music, or all of the above. Garcia and Grisman each take turns gently galloping the track along as the other solos on top of the Gallop: a shining example in musical camaraderie.
“So What” just came on again, with some much unexpected though short lasting vocals, really grabbing my attention even more than it already had. Garcia takes this one out there a little bit at times, and really goes in on the track. And Grisman really plays a great complementary solo to Garcia’s, further building on it, and the two really start making fireworks happen, as if the music weren’t already like a Fourth of July show. The jam coalesces back to the classic, unmistakeable line from Davis’ “So What”, and I’m just sitting in amazement at this point. The album is just past the midway point, and time has absolutely flown by.
“Bags’ Grove” is up again, and it starts with some casual studio talk between the artists, really giving an authentic feel to it all. It’s still got that jazzy western feeling to it all, maybe even a bit bluesy in a certain way. It sounds like Garcia is having a lot of fun with this one, and the interplay between all the artists is absolutely superb. Garcia and Grisman are doing such job of being the midpoint between the other and that steady bopping bass by Kerwin, while Kerwin delicately adapts to their playing as well; they’re all truly some improvisatory experts. I want to grab my guitar and jam along, honestly. Kerwin’s solo really builds on Garcia and Grisman’s solos again, and he’s really letting things breathe even more this time, but it’s awesome – especially when you hear it all fall back into that refrain of the song. That was awesome.
“Milestones” is back, and the album gets a little quicker in tempo, and a little more subtle in terms of who is playing the lead at times. All it makes me think is that they really have some great musical chemistry. Garcia is soloing, but Grisman is really driving what he’s playing and it’s surreal to hear to me, and they seemingly trade between these two roles as well. Craven is keeping that intricately simple steady rhythm going, and it’s so impressive to hear those little bongo bops filling seemingly just the right amount of space – once again, only adding to the composition so impressively. Grisman and Garcia are still going at it, trading blows and serving as somewhat of a bridge to Kerwin’s bass. That final jam they had before dropping back into the main line is killer.
“So What” is up for the third and final time, and sounds a little weightier than before to me, but the unmistakeable line from Davis’ composition is always a pleasure to hear. This version sounds a little less intricate in how the layers are being woven together at the moment, and a bit even more exploratory in nature. Garcia is an expert in really taking a jam far out and bringing you right back home, as if you never left, and with trading off with Grisman, the two of them successfully perform such a daunting task with ease. The playing is infectious. Even though I haven’t grabbed my guitar I can’t help tap along on my desk. Kerwin really brings out the jam too while Craven keeps things moving steady with the percussion, and you think it’s completely chaos until it falls perfectly back on that main line to the track.
Simply stunning. That hour and four minutes went by like nothing at all, so enjoyable to hear. This is a great album for acoustic fans, jazz fans, and folk fans in my opinion.
-A