Jerry Garcia, A Legacy?


Unfortunately, many years have passed since Jerry Garcia engaged in the art of music making. I've never known of another electric guitarist who could incorporate without clear and cut demarcations the many multitudes of rock and roll, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass, country, explorational real time composition, sustain induced psychedelic developments Be it partially safe to say also that I've yet to know of another electric guitarist whose playing was either loved or scorned to the extent that his was. Throughout my life as a Dead fan and follower of Jerry Garcia and of his various musical projects, I remember verbal battles with musicians who found JG's playing less enlightening than I and often my comments turned into vicious polemics defending the Grateful Dead' artistic integrity. Granted, JG did have many obvious musical hurdles during performances and didn't exhibit a typical so called pristine guitar playing technique but first and foremost consider that he played mainly rock and popular music (to make a point), on mainly an electric guitar, with a pick and 4 fingers, using electronic components on stages inside theaters, OK get real! Does Hiram Bullock posses the same technical polish as Julian Bream? The answer to that is a resounding no, neither did Jimi Hendrix and it's really of no consequence anyhow. What I very much loved about Jerry Garcia was that he placed musicality before entertainment and he took on a sense of risk, even danger, in order to help elevate the other playing musicians around him. Yes, Jerry Garcia's playing often ran hot and cold but when his playing ran hot, the rest of the Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia Band would rise to a whole new level and when he ran cold, it had tenuous effect on the other participating musicians. I have to attribute Jerry Garcia's heightened level of ensemble cooperation to the way he listened intently with creative imagination, to his sensitive and tasteful playing, to his getting out of the way when the band needed space and to the degree of his vast musical knowledge that he gave away freely whenever the opportunity presented itself. From a subjective perspective while disregarding controversy, the music and persona of the Grateful Dead and of Jerry Garcia touched an enormous fan base which exhibited a degree of loyalty and dedication beyond compare. Many of the kids that I grew up with disliked the Grateful Dead and I would make the radical assumption that they still do. I don't mind bucking the trends and I'll even take a little pride in my prophetic wisdoms. How about you??
128x128goofyfoot

Back atcha, brother. I saw The Dead in ’67 (in the Panhandle at Golden Gate Park), with Ron (Pigpen) singing. I liked that first album a lot, and the next few that followed. But when they started trying to sing harmonies (that had became all the rage in the late 60’s/early 70’s, what with C, S, & N and The Band leading the way), they became, and I’m not being hyperbolic, unlistenable to me. American Beauty is painful to listen to, the singing is so bad. The band I’m in now does "Friend Of The Devil", but the two singers are on key!

Here's an illuminating comparison, for those who don't object to that kind of thing: Listen to the live Dylan album with The Band as his band (Before The Flood), then that of him live with The Dead (Dylan & The Dead). Huge difference. Are they just different in kind, or is one just a lot better of a band? I have my opinion.

Along with being a deadhead, I'm also a big fan of Dylan (was a fan of his before the GD) and the Band. I wish they would release Dylan & the Dead on vinyl, I'd like to make that comparison. I was listening to Planet Waves from Dylan & the Band a couple weeks ago. Absolutely beautiful. 
Ah, the Dead...still among the living....*S*

Although not a 'camp follower', I still enjoy and admire what I heard when...and having heard the Wall of Sound live on a 'better day' for the band, it's still a 'high water mark' on the wall of my mind.

I wonder if one of their bits made it onto the records heading out into the galaxy on board the Voyager spacecrafts.  I wonder what an alien will make of that.  Would they prefer that over Elvis?  Beethoven? 

Alien steps off, "I need to talk to Jerry."
"Don't you want to meet our leaders?  Jerry's dead..."
"I know Jerry's Dead.  I need to see him."
"NO, he's f'n dead...demised...long gone..."
"Oh...well, screw y'all..."
Leaves in a huff....blows up planet...

Don't blame me if I'm right...;)
 My understanding is that after Coleman went to see the Dead in 1987 he was impressed and then picked Jerry to be the guitarist on 3 cuts of his next album. 

He he later played with them in 1993, coming out during space and then through the rest of the show. I've never heard where he made that comment but can understand it when it comes to space.

Anyway, I don't think he picked Jerry because he thought he was not a very good guitar player but most likely the opposite.
Branford Marsalis also played with them a few times. His contribution on "Eyes of the world" off their live "Without a net" album, is awesome.