tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post3510522483949356568..comments2024-03-15T18:58:45.318-06:00Comments on Jerry Garcia's Middle Finger: Merl Saunders and Friends: May 31 – June 1, 1974, Inn of the Beginning, CotatiFate Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-1033457101960969662021-07-12T13:24:56.886-06:002021-07-12T13:24:56.886-06:00Some random quotes from Tony’s social media.
“When...Some random quotes from Tony’s social media.<br />“When my Dad started Aunt Monk it was a testing ground for new songs and a group for me to play in with him. I was 18 and needed direction. I got to sit in at the end of gigs with Merl/Jerry on a song and that just wasn't enough. I remember the gig I finally subbed for John Kahn when he and William Robert Vitt went to play in Brewer and Shipley. The Inn of the Begining in Cotati. Its funny on You tube or in Dead head or songs jerry played the will say that this song was only played once at a certain gig. Thats because Jerry would come and sit in with Aunt Monk and then want to play the songs with Jerry Merl. Cucumber Slumber and All Blues were perfect examples of songs I played with them that John Didin't know, Weather Report played Cucumber Slumber and All Blues was a Miles Davis song that I loved. So over the years other people became experts on my Dads career but really don't know that much. “<br />“ My Dad had a regular gig at the Sand Dunes on Monday nights. He played there so I had some place regular to play. He named that Group Aunt Monk after my Grandmother. So every Monday night we would play all these tunes that were eventually played by Merl and Jerry because Jerry would just show up on Monday nights and play with us. No Steve Parish just Jerry and his twin amp. He liked the chords and the space that this tune allowed. I got to meet Alphonso some years later while playing with Neal Schon. He told me he wanted to make the bass the main point of the song. Making it something people in the group he was playing in Weather Report have fun with and fun to blow on. So this recording was made one night when I subbed for John Kahn....Its kinda fun to listen to now. https://youtu.be/OYYqfctLgRE<br /><br /><br />It all started like this. From left to right Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, Tony Saunders, Tom Dollinger, Martin Fierro and Peter Welker. The gig was at the Inn of the Beginning Cotati California. This wasn't my first gig because I have a speaker in my bass rig that Steve Parish gave to me. This was when I would stand by my dads left hand so if I got lost i could always check out his left hand to make sure I was playing the right thing. My dad was a teacher and I remember sessions with him downstairs at the house of teaching me about music. He always made me feel good about the music that I played. That evolved years later to me getting to help him on projects. I played on most of his studio projects and that is where we had a special bond. He liked the sound that I could get and I even produced his solo piano cd because he respected what I thought about what he played. Getting to be his assistant when he did the Twilight Zone Tv show was a great time because we were together 20 weeks a yera for three years with Jerry, Brent, Michael D Hinton and the gang at Front street pounding out the music for this CBS television show. I was lucky to have been around such a high level of musicians. My Dad was a master musician and Jerry knew that fact. I remember watching Jerry practice to get back to playing when he got sick. He really learned a lot about music from my Dad. I remember when Jerry would show up at the Aunt Monk gigs and play songs with us in that band. Then a month or 2 later those same songs would be played in Merl/ Jerry or reconstruction or legion of Mary. ”David Kramer-Smythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17068958765621590452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-47991971075831622552021-07-12T13:19:50.459-06:002021-07-12T13:19:50.459-06:00https://www.facebook.com/TonySaundersBassistProduc...https://www.facebook.com/TonySaundersBassistProducer/photos/basw.AbpFdLYdWARiTWDYwuB8RDHhFGM7l8Cgxj_0tQKl3XnTtHrUfFd2Oj_g18D9JQJSlGKM5YIs6BBfc5emvZC2z46GhY2BPuELSOFn-7iZCY-PJZOD-S3ek7ydOn3B-yCyMcA9jI6aX9nPAx6JysbA6Hobkcn2JU-7CByzMlAeEeUXIg/2286140961432220/?opaqueCursor=Abp1JxfEuDtgPyROE8DDk_u_AI2qnYkMnIfR-V9mv-ZYcL9_Lm9sQem5hAjQYPlOOHts18gYjp2PV5A01TaSL8fF8qNbsMK5vpWW0tKY39FaPNQq2fkI2q5zKI3o-lCyqBTwE01HyM89zip7EjQb7-6HybH-4AB21H29YbhXarD7iHsu_Jn7hwyrqXpTQAtWjAdKXPfjlIP2_ypGR9HrfotA6mNfqelV2DUEIXe1w-n6gUbm8V0yQ43gUjvw6vp2XYgw17Xnf9c4ndS4o1fnYp9IJy_-WbUTv1hLJBNGUZCzRTNuAD2FJtlzZkCNbwDmJZdEPVz2to3NQnnyxc-kd6-xJoQhQeP1sgyHVRp7VXgb_kx-QlcJFElQqKVSZxASyvcE1W3tZZgk6sF5O7wv8PBjnTLdape2746FkMYfGiktsfx3iZuQObFimu0LTBaNukE7I8KcGnNe-gE-1OdSKMmgGl5weQhH9-nx_sO0mU1fokRBFM2j2LCf_yrXVCEA47Mr9P4UiQpoLn52PPCvwuFMwc925HQrI78cSc8N391elnftLBGEe8FpBRtHKRwnceIuWRI8S5BpE1nuM0Z4qKzYhWjDU7j5nGL3onO0dMGsa14vdZyAeQyCHh1b-6Bch8k<br />David Kramer-Smythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17068958765621590452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-35269142725534795942021-07-12T11:14:29.441-06:002021-07-12T11:14:29.441-06:00Does the Jerry picture look contemporary to this p...Does the Jerry picture look contemporary to this period?Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-947483077736346252021-07-11T22:14:10.735-06:002021-07-11T22:14:10.735-06:00There is photo on Facebook that Tony Saunders post...There is photo on Facebook that Tony Saunders posted. It is captioned “ The Inn Of The Beginning one of my first gigs. Jerry, Merl, Me, Tom Dolinger, Martin Fierro, and Peter Welker”David Kramer-Smythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17068958765621590452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-5337703363096272032014-01-12T15:27:18.171-07:002014-01-12T15:27:18.171-07:00So, after recording at Heider's, did Ron Tutt ...So, after recording at Heider's, did Ron Tutt perform at Inn Of The Beginning on 6/1/74? If not, who did play drums?<br /><br />"I have the album release party for Compliments as May 1."<br />Do you have any info on where this party took place?Jerry's Brokendown Palaceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06451361448230329754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-43446553280488218332011-08-19T09:28:50.558-06:002011-08-19T09:28:50.558-06:00Thanks for the Elvis data. I'll try to poke ar...Thanks for the Elvis data. I'll try to poke around them this weekend.<br /><br />The earliest known (to me!) Tutt-Garcia sighting is ca. 12/15/74 at the EMU Ballroom, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. An attendee who had seen JGMS in the Bay Area, with Paul Humphrey and confirms that not only was the guy white (clue #1), but had "Ron Tutt" stenciled on his drum set. Clue #2. :)<br /><br />This is all tied up with the name Legion of Mary, of course, which remains shrouded in mystery.<br /><br />I may have some resources that might help me identify Humphrey's drumming style, which I think is rather distinctive and which might help me say when he's playing, though I am not too confident about my musical ears serving as a basis for any solid inference.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-51154157818843559712011-08-18T20:08:07.595-06:002011-08-18T20:08:07.595-06:00Other than speculation about May 31/June 1, do we ...Other than speculation about May 31/June 1, do we have any idea of when the first confirmed sighting of Ron Tutt with Jerry would be? Disregard TheJerrySite in this case, as I can definitively state that the source material (Deadbase IX) was based only on educated guessing. For that matter, when is the first confirmed sighting of Paul Humphrey?<br /><br />Those of you who want to compare Elvis's touring schedule at http://www.elvisconcerts.com/concerts/dbsearch.php.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-62427457816272029702011-08-18T16:33:42.528-06:002011-08-18T16:33:42.528-06:00I just checked the Elvis Presley concert database ...I just checked the Elvis Presley concert database for 1974, and the May 31-June 1 window was one of the few where both Ron Tutt and Garcia were available at the same time. Elvis would have just finished an extensive engagement at the Sahara Tahoe on Sunday May 26 (the last show was actually the 3am show on Monday May 27), and an extensive tour began in Fort Worth, TX on June 15. <br /><br />Given that the Grateful Dead were playing Oakland on June 8, and given the extensive touring schedules of both Elvis and the Dead after that, this weekend would have been one of the few where Garcia and Tutt could have met and played together during the Summer.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-4163133573129941822011-08-18T16:18:02.057-06:002011-08-18T16:18:02.057-06:00Awesome, Corry, thanks.
I had thought about the o...Awesome, Corry, thanks.<br /><br />I had thought about the oddness of the studio session. I have the album release party for Compliments as May 1. While it might have been delivered a little later than that, it struck me odd that they'd still be doing studio work a month later. <br /><br />This is indeed, fascinating. So the Heider session was a "tryout"/"get to know ya", which may have been driven up north for the evening's sets in Cotati. Absolutely fascinating.<br /><br />I wish there were good Elvis calendars online so I could find Tutt's whereabouts on different dates, but alas I have searched to no avail.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-7069014868463449172011-08-18T15:54:09.423-06:002011-08-18T15:54:09.423-06:00Michael O'Martian is an interesting guy. As hi...Michael O'Martian is an interesting guy. As his own website says<br />"Michael Omartian has contributed his talents to over 350,000,000 albums and CD’s sold worldwide as a producer, composer, arranger, artist or musician."<br />http://michaelomartian.com/Biography.html<br />O'Martian has not only been a successful rock player and producer, but also has been an important producer of Christian music since the 1960s, so he's no hippie buddy of Jerry's. Obviously he would be a tolerant guy or he wouldn't work in the studios, but the purpose of his Heider session would have been musical, not social. <br /><br />It's interesting to note that in O'Martian's huge discography at<br />http://michaelomartian.com/Discography.html<br />the first item listed is Compliments by Jerry Garica, when he has been on dozens of better selling albums. I guess Jerry lends a sort of cred to a Hollywood guy that Loggins and Messina or Billy Joel do not, however many more records they have sold.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-67599497182806550272011-08-18T15:50:07.360-06:002011-08-18T15:50:07.360-06:00This is fantastic research, but I have been contem...This is fantastic research, but I have been contemplating another line of thought--what was Jerry Garcia doing recording in Wally Heider's on June 1, 1974? Consider the following facts:<br /><br />>The "Compliments" album was complete and would be released in a few weeks<br /><br />>Recording at Wally Heider's was hardly free. It wasn't like recording in Mickey's Barn. Round Records had to pay real money for the session<br /><br />>Ron Tutt and Michael O'Martian (piano) were LA session men, who would have been not only session fees, but travel and hotel expenses<br /><br />>"Some Enchanted Evening" is a jazz standard that everyone knows. Why fly guys up from LA and pay cash money at Wally Heider's to record a standard?<br /><br />>Even if Tutt and O'Martian were doing it for fun, union rules would prevent them from working unpaid in a recording studio, and for session men that was a serious issue<br /><br />So the question becomes, "why did Garcia (through Round) finance a session at Wally Heider's for no apparent recording purpose?"<br /><br />A close look at the Jerry Site seems to show that there was no functioning Garcia/Saunders Band after March 1974. Merl booked some gigs at IOTB, but he couldn't be certain that Jerry would play partially because they may not have had a band. Sure, Kreutzmann could fill in as needed, but if Garcia had wanted Billy as a permanent member, he would never have sought out Tutt.<br /><br />The sessions for Compliments were held around February 1974, possibly earlier (without Jerry), and O'Martian and Tutt had both played on those sessions, along with many other musicians. Kahn was the producer who hired the musicians, not Jerry. Jerry may never have met most of the players on the album.<br /><br />My working hypothesis is that Garcia and Kahn were looking to reconfigure the Garcia/Saunders band. I think Kahn picked the two players who seemed the most likely fit and invited them up to jam with Jerry. Paying them to play at Wally Heider's was a way of making it worth there while to miss a session in LA. <br /><br />Remember, Jerry had probably never met Ron Tutt prior to this, as he wasn't present at the sessions for Compliments. I think they had a jam, and invited the musicians to play some club gigs afterwards, or at least sit in. My guess is that Ron Tutt took Jerry up on the offer, and Michael O'Martian didn't. That doesn't mean O'Martian didn't sit in one night at IOTB anyway.<br /><br />Keep in mind also that Garcia was a big fan of The Band and possibly of Procol Harum (another topic entirely), and a two keyboard setup would have been very much on his mind. Several years later, Garcia indeed went that route with Melvin Seals and Jimmy Warren (much less Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick, too), so Merl wasn't being cut out. <br /><br />Just a hypothesis, I admit, but does anyone have a better explanation as to why there was a paid session at Heider's for no discernible project? I think they played standards and jammed so O'Martian and Tutt could get a feel for the sound and see if they wanted to continue, which Tutt at least must have done.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.com