Go Ask Alice: JGMS at the Share, June 5, 1974

LN jg1974-06-05.jgms.s2.sbd.8062.shnf

Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Lion's Share
60 Red Hill Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960
June 5, 1974 (Wednesday)
sbd set II shnid-8062

--set II (7 tracks, 76:57)--
s2t01. ambience [0:27]
s2t02. La-La [20:30] [3:22]
s2t03. Finders Keepers [7:43] [1:44]
s2t04. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [5:58] (1) [1:31] %
s2t05. //Kansas City Blues [6:54#] [1:32]
s2t06. Harder They Come [13:52] (2) [0:30] % repeated section [0:19]
s2t07. That's Alright, Mama [12:26] (3) [0:07]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - flute, saxophone;
! lineup: Tony Saunders - el-bass [confirmed];
! lineup: ?Bill Kreutzmann? - drums;
! guest: Alice Stuart - el-g, vocals (last four songs).

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19740605-01.  There is a first set setlist, from Eaton's transcriptions: That's What Love Will Make You Do; Instrumental -> Space -> Instrumental; I Second That Emotion. Gaaaahhhhhh.....

! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/8062 (this fileset). There are no other sources in circulation, though a complete recording exists from the third batch of Betty reels. Per Eaton: "06/05/74 The Lion Share, San Anselmo Ca - complete; 4.9, 154min, Sbd, A0D0, Reel M->Dat 1, 44k; 10inch Master Reels @ 15ips 1/2trk -> 3700 x 0 -> 3800 x 1." There were probably recorded by Betty on her Nagra machine ... and at 15ips, I bet they sound unbelievable!

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/uTCwRCdomAUSS1zC6

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/lions-share-60-red-hill-avenue-san.html

! R: unknown sbd recording > CD; "Extraction (EAC), slight re-tracking (WavMerge
and CD Wave), sector boundary verification (shntool), and .shn encoding (mkwACT) by jupillej@mediaone.net." The story behind the entry of this tape into the lossless realm (on 12/13/2001) is one of a million such stories in the history of tape collecting. An obsessive is scouring the internet for Garcia recordings to trade for. Unceasingly. 6/5/74 II figures on the list of a Japanese trader, who agrees to a trade of CDs. The material is distinct, special, and has still never turned up in any other collection. I am sure there's an interesting story behind how our Japanese friend got it, too. It's very nice soundboard recording. I don't guess it's as clean as the previous night's tape, but it's not far from it.

! P: The material is quite good, more clean than adventurous (which is OK). I would love to hear the first set instrumental(s). I also hear Garcia hint at "The System" before a tape splice here, which would have been interesting.

! Historical: The main thing of interest here is the guest shot by Alice Stuart, which has been long-established and is confirmed by the tape. See my brief notes on her below. She brings with her the setlist oddity of "Kansas City Blues", which is real nice. Jerry exclaims after in considerable satisfaction. Right on.

! Personnel: Tony Saunders on bass, Bill Kreutzmann on drums.

! Personnel: Alice Stuart is an interesting guest. She also sat in the night before (JGMS, Tuesday, June 4, 1974), also at the Lion's Share. I will revisit that tape in light of this one [edit: Done], but here she shows herself to be really talented musician, both picker and singer. She gets a nice, almost hollow-body sound on her rhythm playing and is always super tight and tasteful. She leads a time or two and, again, girl can play. I won't write up a ton about her here, but she's an old folkie. Here's how the program for the 1964 Berkeley Folk Festival describes her: "a 22-year old girl from Seattle, is the most important young artist to come out of the folk music movement in years, and the Berkeley Festival represents her first major appearance anywhere. Heavily influenced by blues, country music, ballad singing and the contemporary songwriters, she sings in a unique and beautiful style, accompanying herself on guitar and banjo." Ms. Stuart is all over the Bay Area club listings in around 1974, often billed as "Alice Stuart and Snake". I don't know where Snake is on this night, but Alice is in the house and she plays very, very well. Wonder if any of the mystery guitar players from '74 (2/16, 7/12) are her?

! R: s2t01 Kansas City Blues cuts in, not much missing?

! (1) JG: "Alice Stuart sitting in on guitar, here." Alice: "Merl, can you give me an 'E'? 'E' as in 'elephant'."

! s2t04 @ 7:05 Jerry hits the notes for "The System". I wonder if they played it before "Kansas City Blues", because those two numbers are in, shall we say, rather different spaces.

! setlist: s2t05 Kansas City Blues is a singleton, as far as is known. I can't identify one blues style from another (e.g., how many bars is this? How would one describe the blues subtype?). It's a nice performance, and Jerry seems to enjoy himself with it.

! P: s2t06 Alice Stuart's chunka-chunka rhythm is really nice, and she ain't shy. Then she takes a nice lead in the 5-minute mark. Nicely done! She is really good.

! s2t06 @ 14:10 (2) JG offstage: "One more easy one." He mumbles more stuff, but it would take a very close listen to discern it. Anyway, a neat tidbit. "That's Alright, Mama" certainly fits the bill for this group of people.

! s2t07 (3) JG: "See y'all ... later."