Sunday Listening #10 with Jerry Garcia on Side Trips ... After Midnight

Today the key-word is Jerry Garcia. Live performances of the principal songwriter, lead guitarist and vocalist of Gratefull Dead. 

Side Trips, Vol. 1: Howard Wales & Jerry Garcia Live (recorded in 1970, released in 1998)

 

Starting in the early 1970s, Jerry Garcia jammed informally in San Francisco nightclubs with various musicians when he wasn't busy with the Grateful Dead. One of his frequent partners was keyboardist Howard Wales, and the two issued an album of jazzy instrumentals, Hooteroll?, in 1971 (Garcia's first recording not under the aegis of the Dead). A mere 27 years later, Grateful Dead Records released this live album recorded around the same time. Wales and Garcia are joined by bassist John Kahn and drummer Bill Vitt (both of whom would work extensively in Garcia's non-Dead aggregations) for 65 minutes of free-form playing. Occasionally, especially when Garcia is playing, it sounds like the Dead in the middle of one of its extended improvisations, except, of course, that the music never returns to a familiar tune.[allmusic.com, review by William Ruhlmann]

 

After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80 - Jerry Garcia Band (recorded in 1980, released in 2004)

Released in 2004, After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80 is a three-disc offering from a short-lived incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band, featuring Garcia (guitar/vocals), John Kahn (bass), Ozzie Ahlers (keyboards/vocals), and Johnny De Foncesca (drums). The aggregate lasted less than six months, with De Foncesca replaced by former Sly & the Family Stone and Santana percussionist Greg Errico less than a month after this late February show. Opening up for Garcia on a majority of the East Coast run was his lyricist and primary collaborator, vocalist Robert Hunter. He joins the JGB during the second set for readings of his own "Tiger Rose" and "Promontory Rider," in addition to offering up his recollections of the experience in the package's liner essay.

The quartet is exceptionally compact, with an ability to instantly expand and sidetrack into an impressive exchange of improvisations. This is evidenced by the exploratory jam linking "After Midnight" to an incendiary jazz-fused instrumental interpretation of "Eleanor Rigby" before returning for a reprise of the former. With the exception of the lamenting rocker "Sugaree" and the gorgeous Bay Area ballad "Mission in the Rain," the selections may appear short on originals. Hunter's notes point out that many of the "good Garcia solo-band songs hadn't been written yet," adding that on this evening the artist plays as many Bob Dylan tunes as he does from his own non-Grateful Dead repertoire. Speaking of which, "Simple Twist of Fate" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" are each given emotive interpretations, the latter adopting the nimble reggae-influenced gait reminiscent of Eric Clapton's reading. Those familiar with Hunter's interpretations of his own work will find that the versions of the aforementioned "Tiger Rose" and "Promontory Rider" by the JGB are a refreshing change of sonic scenery. While definitely a recommended spin for inclined parties, enthusiasts not familiar with this era or JGB lineup are particularly encouraged to check out After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80.[allmusic.com review by Lindsay Planer]

"Side Trips" of Jerry Garcia, will be here for you to check and enjoy them before or "After Midnight"!!