Via https://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu, the UCSB Daily Nexus (and before it, the El Gaucho) has been digitized. Having sniffed around Santa Barbara a fair bit (UCSB being my alma mater), I am happy to see this, and found a few good things.
First, I have found a preview and a review of OAITW 4/12/73 at the Granada, which gave me another piece of evidence in favor of the proposition that the undated set found in shnid-99222 is indeed from this date (the late show).
Second, in addition to a very positive review of the 5/25/74 GD gig, one Stephen Westfall notes to my amusement that the first band was billed as Great American Music Band but announced as Great American String Band --I should just acronymize as GA_B-- and to my surprise that the band featured none other than Cecil Taylor and Archie Shepp collaborator, the great Buell Neidlinger, apparently at this time teaching at Cal Arts in Valencia, on bass. I did not know that. If a tape would ever come into the light, I'd be mighty happy about that.
Third, I found a preview and a review of the 5/19/84 JGB show --a mighty good one-- which both mention DeeDee Dickerson rather than Gloria Jones, and seem to do so reasonably knowledgeably. This has led me to again revise my understanding of DDD's tenure. While we used to think it ended in mid-83, and I have recently extended it through that year, it now seems to have run at least into May of 1984. I would love to learn more about when Gloria Jones actually came in!
There were also various materials around 10/13/74 (JGMS), 6/26/75 (LOM), and 2/5/77 (JGB), now swept into my vortex. Good stuff.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Reading Notes: Greenfield 1996
I have read this book a few times, and it has clearly informed my thinking about a lot of issues without my really being aware of it. So I finally got around to transcribing some notes in the way that I do.
I guess this book was controversial (and maybe still is), but to me it reads like Greenfield was able to get people to be open and honest about a lot of things that generally went unspoken, and for that I am grateful. Too much dark is too much, of course. But more truth, understanding, clarity is very helpful to me as I try to understand this very complicated fellow whose name adorns the banner above.
So, reading notes below the jump.
I guess this book was controversial (and maybe still is), but to me it reads like Greenfield was able to get people to be open and honest about a lot of things that generally went unspoken, and for that I am grateful. Too much dark is too much, of course. But more truth, understanding, clarity is very helpful to me as I try to understand this very complicated fellow whose name adorns the banner above.
So, reading notes below the jump.
Classical Music
I am trying together instances of Garcia engaging classical music, which are few and far between.
Alan Trist reports that ca. 1960-1961 one of their friends "John the Poet" had a great classical recording collection, and they listened to a lot of Bach. "Endless Bach," Trist said. Jerry and Trist and a few others went to see three or four performance by the Vatican organist playing Grace Cathedral (Greenfield 1996, 17).
Of course, there's Beethoven's "Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor", a.k.a. "Für Elise", played by James Booker on 1/9/76.
Nick has hipped me to brief GD engagements with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" over the years, including 55 seconds into the 11/30/73 Dark Star, the last minute of the Other One transitioning into Stella Blue on 3/14/81, @ 5:25 of Space on 10/28/84, 6 minutes into Space on 12/13/90, and @ ca. 9:25 of Space on 2/20/91. Phil dabbled around aplenty, too, I gather.
Any others I should know about?
Related, Heather Garcia Katz, his daughter by Sara Ruppenthal, is a violinist, and ca. early 1993 (according to Greenfield 1996, 285), she and Jerry had been working on a project with the Redwood City Symphony Orchestra. I would very, very much like to learn more about that. If anyone knows Heather, please send her my way!
Alan Trist reports that ca. 1960-1961 one of their friends "John the Poet" had a great classical recording collection, and they listened to a lot of Bach. "Endless Bach," Trist said. Jerry and Trist and a few others went to see three or four performance by the Vatican organist playing Grace Cathedral (Greenfield 1996, 17).
Of course, there's Beethoven's "Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor", a.k.a. "Für Elise", played by James Booker on 1/9/76.
Nick has hipped me to brief GD engagements with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" over the years, including 55 seconds into the 11/30/73 Dark Star, the last minute of the Other One transitioning into Stella Blue on 3/14/81, @ 5:25 of Space on 10/28/84, 6 minutes into Space on 12/13/90, and @ ca. 9:25 of Space on 2/20/91. Phil dabbled around aplenty, too, I gather.
Any others I should know about?
Related, Heather Garcia Katz, his daughter by Sara Ruppenthal, is a violinist, and ca. early 1993 (according to Greenfield 1996, 285), she and Jerry had been working on a project with the Redwood City Symphony Orchestra. I would very, very much like to learn more about that. If anyone knows Heather, please send her my way!
Naturally, Blair is on the case, after narrating spring 1991, he says "Later that year, Jerry and the conductor of the
Redwood [Symphony], Eric Kujawsky, hatched a plan for Garcia to commission
several short works for guitar and orchestra, which he would perform with the
Redwood. With glee he told Sara. 'I let him think I was doing him a favor, but
I've always wanted an orchestra!' … Although Jerry did contact some composers
and Davies Symphony [403] Hall in San Francisco was tentatively booked for the
performance, this was one of the great plans that Garcia never managed to
complete" (Jackson 1999, 402-403).
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Greenpeace 'No Nukes' Benefit at the Old Waldorf: Reconstruction, April 23, 1979
I wanted to love this, but I found very little that moved me. Maybe I was tired.
LN jg1979-04-23.reconstruction.all.aud-composite.126927.flac1644
Reconstruction
Old Waldorf
444 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
April 23, 1979 (Monday) - Early and Late shows
composite auds flac1644 shnid-126927
--early show (10 tracks, 8 tunes, 92:26)--
e-t01. announcement/crowd/tuning [0:52]
e-t02. Get Up And Dance [11:42] [1:10]
e-t03. Nessa [16:55] [1:01]
e-t04. Someday Baby [8:30] (1) [1:35]
e-t05. I Just Want To Stop [4:22] [0:51]
e-t06. Fast Tone [13:15] [0:07] % [0:34]
e-t07. Ain't That Lovin' You [9:29] [1:18]
e-t08. Strugglin' Man [6:16] [1:13]
e-t09. Another Star [12:17] [0:10]
e-t10. announcement [0:47]
--late show (11 tracks, 8 tunes, 79:20)--
l-t01. announcement/crowd/tuning [2:11]
l-t02. What You Won't Do For Love [6:52]
l-t03. Do I Move You? [13:09] [0:43]
l-t04. Fast Tone [17:06] [0:28]
l-t05. band introductions [0:58]
l-t06. When The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game [5:00] [1:15]
l-t07. Tellin' My Friends [4:26] [0:54]
l-t08. The Mohican And The Great Spirit [9:48]
l-t09. Make It Better [6:47]
l-t10. It Ain't No Use [9:15]
l-t11. announcement [0:24]
! ACT1: Reconstruction (January 30, 1979 - September 22, 1979)
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards, synthesizers, vocals;
! lineup: Ron Stallings - saxophone, vocals;
! lineup: Ed Neumeister - trombone;
! lineup: Gaylord Birch - drums, vocals.
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.
LN jg1979-04-23.reconstruction.all.aud-composite.126927.flac1644
Reconstruction
Old Waldorf
444 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
April 23, 1979 (Monday) - Early and Late shows
composite auds flac1644 shnid-126927
--early show (10 tracks, 8 tunes, 92:26)--
e-t01. announcement/crowd/tuning [0:52]
e-t02. Get Up And Dance [11:42] [1:10]
e-t03. Nessa [16:55] [1:01]
e-t04. Someday Baby [8:30] (1) [1:35]
e-t05. I Just Want To Stop [4:22] [0:51]
e-t06. Fast Tone [13:15] [0:07] % [0:34]
e-t07. Ain't That Lovin' You [9:29] [1:18]
e-t08. Strugglin' Man [6:16] [1:13]
e-t09. Another Star [12:17] [0:10]
e-t10. announcement [0:47]
--late show (11 tracks, 8 tunes, 79:20)--
l-t01. announcement/crowd/tuning [2:11]
l-t02. What You Won't Do For Love [6:52]
l-t03. Do I Move You? [13:09] [0:43]
l-t04. Fast Tone [17:06] [0:28]
l-t05. band introductions [0:58]
l-t06. When The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game [5:00] [1:15]
l-t07. Tellin' My Friends [4:26] [0:54]
l-t08. The Mohican And The Great Spirit [9:48]
l-t09. Make It Better [6:47]
l-t10. It Ain't No Use [9:15]
l-t11. announcement [0:24]
! ACT1: Reconstruction (January 30, 1979 - September 22, 1979)
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards, synthesizers, vocals;
! lineup: Ron Stallings - saxophone, vocals;
! lineup: Ed Neumeister - trombone;
! lineup: Gaylord Birch - drums, vocals.
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/19790423-01 (early); https://jerrybase.com/events/19790423-02 (late)
! JGC: http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1979-04-23 (early); http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1979-04-23-old-waldorf-san-francisco-ca-2/ (late).
! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/9609 (Porray MAC shnf); https://etreedb.org/shn/97899 (unknown aud); https://etreedb.org/shn/126927 (this fileset).
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/8qEdy9Xq9cr
! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/old-waldorf-444-battery-street-san.html
! venue: The first two of seven Garcia shows at the Old Waldorf (4/23/79a, 4/23/79b, 5/18/79, 5/19/79, 1/27/81, 1/11/82, 1/13/82).
! historical: Greenpeace No Nukes Benefit, "with special guest Jerry Garcia". Photographer Chris Stone took some amazing pix this night. Follow link via JGMF, "Reconstruction Pix by Chris Stone" http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/11/reconstruction-pix-by-chris-stone.html.
! P: overall, I found this show less compelling than most Reconstruction.
! R: Main Source (SHN_ID: 9609): MAC > DATs > CDs > EAC > SHN; Taped by Eldon Porray, Nak CM-700s > Sony TC-D5; Extraction using EAC, re-tracking using CD Wave, .shn encoding using mkwACT, and sector boundary verification using shntool. Secondary [Patch] Source: MAC > standalone CD > unknown processing > CD-R; Taped by SL, unknown mono cassette recorder with unknown hand held mic. Noise reduction was applied by SL during his transfer to CD-R. Patched and FLAC'ed by PsyKies, March 2013
! R: seeder notes: "The secondary source was converted from CD-R to wave using EAC in secure mode and provides the following patches: Early show: d1t01 announcement/crowd/tuning: all; d1t02 Get Up And Dance: 0:00 - 12.20; d2t01 Fast Tone: 12:23 - 12:36; d2t02 Ain't That Lovin' You: 2:27 - 2:28; d2t04 Another Star: 8:31 - end; d2t05 announcement: all. Late show: d3t02 What You Won't Do For Love: 6:46 - end; d3t03 Do I Move You?: 0:00 - 0:07; d3t06 When The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game: 5:17 - 6:00; d3t10 It's No Use: 5:17 - end; d3t11 announcement: all. Patching was done using Adobe Audition. All individual patches were speed and level matched to the main source prior to patching with crossfades. As the patch source was recorded using automatic level control, level flucuations were present [particularly during the announcement/crowd/tuning sections]. These have been smoothed out as best as possible. In addition, a couple of digital clicks were filtered out: d2t01 Fast Tone: 12.15; d2t02 Ain't That Lovin' You: 1:53. Finally levels were raised by 2.2dB and the entire show retracked. Discs 1 & 2 are seamless. PsyKies - psykies@outlook.com - February 3, 2014.
! e-t04 (1) Eldon or someone close to the taper yells out "How 'bout 'Expressway To Your Heart'? ... Just once!"
! P: e-t06 FT nice bass-led interlude late 11 - John was playing so well in this period.
! song: "What You Won't Do For Love" (l-t02): Ron Stallings on vocals.
! JGC: http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1979-04-23 (early); http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1979-04-23-old-waldorf-san-francisco-ca-2/ (late).
! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/9609 (Porray MAC shnf); https://etreedb.org/shn/97899 (unknown aud); https://etreedb.org/shn/126927 (this fileset).
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/8qEdy9Xq9cr
! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/old-waldorf-444-battery-street-san.html
! venue: The first two of seven Garcia shows at the Old Waldorf (4/23/79a, 4/23/79b, 5/18/79, 5/19/79, 1/27/81, 1/11/82, 1/13/82).
! historical: Greenpeace No Nukes Benefit, "with special guest Jerry Garcia". Photographer Chris Stone took some amazing pix this night. Follow link via JGMF, "Reconstruction Pix by Chris Stone" http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/11/reconstruction-pix-by-chris-stone.html.
! P: overall, I found this show less compelling than most Reconstruction.
! R: Main Source (SHN_ID: 9609): MAC > DATs > CDs > EAC > SHN; Taped by Eldon Porray, Nak CM-700s > Sony TC-D5; Extraction using EAC, re-tracking using CD Wave, .shn encoding using mkwACT, and sector boundary verification using shntool. Secondary [Patch] Source: MAC > standalone CD > unknown processing > CD-R; Taped by SL, unknown mono cassette recorder with unknown hand held mic. Noise reduction was applied by SL during his transfer to CD-R. Patched and FLAC'ed by PsyKies, March 2013
! R: seeder notes: "The secondary source was converted from CD-R to wave using EAC in secure mode and provides the following patches: Early show: d1t01 announcement/crowd/tuning: all; d1t02 Get Up And Dance: 0:00 - 12.20; d2t01 Fast Tone: 12:23 - 12:36; d2t02 Ain't That Lovin' You: 2:27 - 2:28; d2t04 Another Star: 8:31 - end; d2t05 announcement: all. Late show: d3t02 What You Won't Do For Love: 6:46 - end; d3t03 Do I Move You?: 0:00 - 0:07; d3t06 When The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game: 5:17 - 6:00; d3t10 It's No Use: 5:17 - end; d3t11 announcement: all. Patching was done using Adobe Audition. All individual patches were speed and level matched to the main source prior to patching with crossfades. As the patch source was recorded using automatic level control, level flucuations were present [particularly during the announcement/crowd/tuning sections]. These have been smoothed out as best as possible. In addition, a couple of digital clicks were filtered out: d2t01 Fast Tone: 12.15; d2t02 Ain't That Lovin' You: 1:53. Finally levels were raised by 2.2dB and the entire show retracked. Discs 1 & 2 are seamless. PsyKies - psykies@outlook.com - February 3, 2014.
! e-t04 (1) Eldon or someone close to the taper yells out "How 'bout 'Expressway To Your Heart'? ... Just once!"
! P: e-t06 FT nice bass-led interlude late 11 - John was playing so well in this period.
! song: "What You Won't Do For Love" (l-t02): Ron Stallings on vocals.
The Group Probably Will Be Short-Lived, Because Hopkins Has Other Contractual Obligations
The titular line comes from an interview Garcia gave ca. November 22, 1975 to a Twin Cities journalist, Jon Bream, and references JGB #1. It could be that this was true all along, and the plan was just to monetize the Jerry Garcia name in the new Band, as well as Nicky's name, for the couple of tours the band did in October and November 1975, and then to call it quits in the new year. That's not how the conventional narrative, deriving from Blair Jackson's interviews with John Kahn, has it. The conventional narrative has it that Nicky was just too much of a wreck and was cut loose, the implication being that the band ended before John and Jerry had initially planned.
The quote is consistent with either story. It could be that this was always the plan, but no earlier interviews elicit the information. But it's also possible that by Thanksgiving Jerry had had enough with Nicky, and the "contractual obligations" were the musical equivalent of "irreconcilable differences" in marriage settings and "spending more time with the family" in political ones.
Anyway, the November 22, 1975 show at the St. Paul Civic Center Theatre was a very long one, something like three hours of music, and was mostly captured in a totally beautiful recording by Greg Overlid which especially picks, without much beyond air in the way of mediation, the play of Jerry's fingers and strings. The "Let It Rock" shows off Nicky's virtuosity, "Russian Lullaby" benefits from a peppy tempo, and there's a singleton goof with "Blackbird" as well as either a single or rarity, noted in one of the reviews, of "Old Man River", composed by Jerry's namesake Jerome Kern.
But the show, on this listen, doesn't slay me. The closing medley of "Let's Spend the Night Together -> Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder" was the band's big, huge jam vehicle, and as it goes, usually so goes my assessment of a JGB #1 gig. In this case, it never really achieves escape velocity, so I find myself a little disappointed, overall.
LN jg1975-11-22.jgb.161mins.aud-overlid.141918.flac2448
Jerry Garcia Band
Civic Center Theatre
143 W. Fourth Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
November 22, 1975 (Saturday)
Greg Overlid aud, unlineaged cassette copy flac2448 shnid-141918
--set I (8 tracks, 81:43)--
s1t01. //Let it Rock// [taper moves seats]
s1t02. Blackbird tuning jam -> Positively 4th Street [11:55] [0:07] %
s1t03. tuning [1:02], All By Myself [8:45] % [0:02]
s1t04. [0:09] They Love Each Other :10-
s1t05. Pig's Boogie
s1t06. tuning and Nicky Hopkins intro (1), Mississippi Moon
s1t07. Sugaree
s1t08. [0:17] Roadrunner [11:44] (2) [0:11]
--set II (7 tracks, 91:28)--
s2t09. tuning [1:30], How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [6:19] [0:09] %
s2t10. Catfish John [11:07] [0:07] %
s2t11. Russian Lullaby [8:35] [0:40]
s2t12. Friend Of The Devil
[MISSING: Lady Sleeps > Ol' Man River {suspected setlist location}]
s2t13. Mystery Train
s2t14. I'll Take A Melody
s2t15. tuning -> Let's Spend The Night Together ->
s2t16. Edward The Mad Shirt Grinder [11:15] [0:18]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #1
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Nicky Hopkins - piano, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Ron Tutt - drums, vocals.
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/19751122-04
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/nYdwPE5yV8J2
! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/05/st-paul-civic-center-143-west-fourth.html
! venue: Band itinerary calls it "St. Paul Civic Center Theatre". Contract cover page also says that, as does contract p. 1. That satisfies me: I am changing the last word of the venue from "Arena" to "Theatre".
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/20552 (s1p aud shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/138733 (3 source compilation); http://etreedb.org/shn/141929 (this source, flac1648); http://etreedb.org/shn/141918 (this fileset).
! band: Jerry Garcia Band #1 (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html).
! preview: Minneapolis Star, November 7, 1975, p. 9B
! listing: Minneapolis Star, November 18, 1975, p. 4C
! preview: Minneapolis Star, November 20, 1975, p. 6C
! review: Bream 1975, Anthony 1975
! historical: Price $5.50 pre-show/ $6.00 day of show. Cloudy day, high temperature of 37 degrees. JGB guarantee of $5,000 plus $1,250 for lights and sound. Anthony identifies capacity crowd, ca. 2,900, but boxoffice says 2,628, a sellout, gross of $14,454. I had a larger capacity for the room, over 4k, but no source for that info. Promoter John Ballard/Edgewood Agency had taken a bath on the 4/75 Legion gig in Milwaukee, I think, asked for good terms; Zippy didn't want him to cry over spilled milk.
! R: field recordist: Greg Overlid
! R: field recording gear: 2x Shure 545 microphones > Nakamichi 550 cassette deck
! R: field recording location: front row
! R: first digital circulation of 3 songs from set2- CFJ, RL and ITAM (27 mins of new music)
! R: missing first notes of Mystery Train patched with SHNID-138733
! R: taper notes: "The Jerry Garcia Band / Garcia / Hopkins / Kahn / Tutt / St. Paul Civic Theatre / Saturday, November 22, 1975 / Nakamichi 550 w/Shure 545's / Sandy / "Tex" / Joey / Greg / Rhesa / Dikel / S & Ggg get stage passes / get in before general admission crowd / get us front row seats / not 10-15th / pulled out at end of first number by usher / talked to John Ballard, prom. / missed 1 to 1-1/2 min. Let It Rock / 1 to 1-1/2 limbo / Nicky Drunk!! / DUBS: Buddy & Nancy / Stu K. / Rhesa / Jeff S./ Russ F./ Dave P. / Jeff C./ Joe S. / Steve B."
! R: lineage: From the collection of Jeff Knudsen. Recorded by Greg Overlid. Archived & Transferred by Tom Markson. Critical Assistance by John Wenzel, Andrew F. and Joe Jupille. Speed Correction by Jason Chastain. Edited and Mastered by Jamie Waddell, 24 bit 48 kHz.
! R: provenance: Jeff Knudsen has been an avid Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead and San Francisco Sound music fan for over 40 years. From a letter to Dead Relix Magazine asking for help cultivating a tape collection, Jeff developed a relationship with Dick Latvala and many other tapers, building an enormous music collection. He also taped many Jerry Garcia shows at venerable institutions like the various Keystones. Jeff loved to share tapes in a twinkle of an eye. He was a key player in leaking the Betty Boards back in the day. A few years ago, he decided he should pass his collection on to someone who could properly archive and transfer. After a few years of offering it publicly, there were no takers. In 2008, Arizona LL members Jamie and Tom felt the Knudsen collection was too valuable to let go. After a flight so bumpy that we almost cried, and a great visit, albeit too short, with Jeff... 1200 lbs of tapes, gear and cds were lovingly packed at his Florida homestead. The next era of his beloved collection summer camp for the tapes in the desert... an ongoing process of cataloging and transferring the contents to share. Born from decades of Jeff's passion for live music collecting and the archival efforts of many, it's an honor and a privilege to share the Knudsen Tapes with you. Enjoy! originally shared at www.shnflac.net"
! R: this is a really pretty tape. The finger-string interplay is directly audible, and it sounds sweet! Over and over again, strings directly recorded, nothing between them and the mics but air.
! R: s1t01 LIR clips in, cuts out; taper moves seats after the tune. Nicky very prominent - love it! The end cut is a COD.
! P: s1t01 LIR comes in amazing, Nicky truly doing the virtuoso thing right out of the gate. Jerry is filligreeing a lot, matching Nicky who continues to just play some beautiful stuff.
! s1t06 (1) JG: "Nicky Hopkins on piano".
! s1t08 (2) JG "...take a break"
! P: s2t10 CJ some great glassy picking by ol Jer.
! P: s2t11 RL I love this peppy tempo.
! P: s2t15-16 LSTNT > Edward never really achieves escape velocity. Tutt does a little drum feature late 7 of Edward, which is uncommon and neat.
The quote is consistent with either story. It could be that this was always the plan, but no earlier interviews elicit the information. But it's also possible that by Thanksgiving Jerry had had enough with Nicky, and the "contractual obligations" were the musical equivalent of "irreconcilable differences" in marriage settings and "spending more time with the family" in political ones.
Anyway, the November 22, 1975 show at the St. Paul Civic Center Theatre was a very long one, something like three hours of music, and was mostly captured in a totally beautiful recording by Greg Overlid which especially picks, without much beyond air in the way of mediation, the play of Jerry's fingers and strings. The "Let It Rock" shows off Nicky's virtuosity, "Russian Lullaby" benefits from a peppy tempo, and there's a singleton goof with "Blackbird" as well as either a single or rarity, noted in one of the reviews, of "Old Man River", composed by Jerry's namesake Jerome Kern.
But the show, on this listen, doesn't slay me. The closing medley of "Let's Spend the Night Together -> Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder" was the band's big, huge jam vehicle, and as it goes, usually so goes my assessment of a JGB #1 gig. In this case, it never really achieves escape velocity, so I find myself a little disappointed, overall.
LN jg1975-11-22.jgb.161mins.aud-overlid.141918.flac2448
Jerry Garcia Band
Civic Center Theatre
143 W. Fourth Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
November 22, 1975 (Saturday)
Greg Overlid aud, unlineaged cassette copy flac2448 shnid-141918
--set I (8 tracks, 81:43)--
s1t01. //Let it Rock// [taper moves seats]
s1t02. Blackbird tuning jam -> Positively 4th Street [11:55] [0:07] %
s1t03. tuning [1:02], All By Myself [8:45] % [0:02]
s1t04. [0:09] They Love Each Other :10-
s1t05. Pig's Boogie
s1t06. tuning and Nicky Hopkins intro (1), Mississippi Moon
s1t07. Sugaree
s1t08. [0:17] Roadrunner [11:44] (2) [0:11]
--set II (7 tracks, 91:28)--
s2t09. tuning [1:30], How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [6:19] [0:09] %
s2t10. Catfish John [11:07] [0:07] %
s2t11. Russian Lullaby [8:35] [0:40]
s2t12. Friend Of The Devil
[MISSING: Lady Sleeps > Ol' Man River {suspected setlist location}]
s2t13. Mystery Train
s2t14. I'll Take A Melody
s2t15. tuning -> Let's Spend The Night Together ->
s2t16. Edward The Mad Shirt Grinder [11:15] [0:18]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #1
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Nicky Hopkins - piano, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Ron Tutt - drums, vocals.
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/19751122-04
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/nYdwPE5yV8J2
! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/05/st-paul-civic-center-143-west-fourth.html
! venue: Band itinerary calls it "St. Paul Civic Center Theatre". Contract cover page also says that, as does contract p. 1. That satisfies me: I am changing the last word of the venue from "Arena" to "Theatre".
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/20552 (s1p aud shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/138733 (3 source compilation); http://etreedb.org/shn/141929 (this source, flac1648); http://etreedb.org/shn/141918 (this fileset).
! band: Jerry Garcia Band #1 (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html).
! preview: Minneapolis Star, November 7, 1975, p. 9B
! listing: Minneapolis Star, November 18, 1975, p. 4C
! preview: Minneapolis Star, November 20, 1975, p. 6C
! review: Bream 1975, Anthony 1975
! historical: Price $5.50 pre-show/ $6.00 day of show. Cloudy day, high temperature of 37 degrees. JGB guarantee of $5,000 plus $1,250 for lights and sound. Anthony identifies capacity crowd, ca. 2,900, but boxoffice says 2,628, a sellout, gross of $14,454. I had a larger capacity for the room, over 4k, but no source for that info. Promoter John Ballard/Edgewood Agency had taken a bath on the 4/75 Legion gig in Milwaukee, I think, asked for good terms; Zippy didn't want him to cry over spilled milk.
! R: field recordist: Greg Overlid
! R: field recording gear: 2x Shure 545 microphones > Nakamichi 550 cassette deck
! R: field recording location: front row
! R: first digital circulation of 3 songs from set2- CFJ, RL and ITAM (27 mins of new music)
! R: missing first notes of Mystery Train patched with SHNID-138733
! R: taper notes: "The Jerry Garcia Band / Garcia / Hopkins / Kahn / Tutt / St. Paul Civic Theatre / Saturday, November 22, 1975 / Nakamichi 550 w/Shure 545's / Sandy / "Tex" / Joey / Greg / Rhesa / Dikel / S & Ggg get stage passes / get in before general admission crowd / get us front row seats / not 10-15th / pulled out at end of first number by usher / talked to John Ballard, prom. / missed 1 to 1-1/2 min. Let It Rock / 1 to 1-1/2 limbo / Nicky Drunk!! / DUBS: Buddy & Nancy / Stu K. / Rhesa / Jeff S./ Russ F./ Dave P. / Jeff C./ Joe S. / Steve B."
! R: lineage: From the collection of Jeff Knudsen. Recorded by Greg Overlid. Archived & Transferred by Tom Markson. Critical Assistance by John Wenzel, Andrew F. and Joe Jupille. Speed Correction by Jason Chastain. Edited and Mastered by Jamie Waddell, 24 bit 48 kHz.
! R: provenance: Jeff Knudsen has been an avid Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead and San Francisco Sound music fan for over 40 years. From a letter to Dead Relix Magazine asking for help cultivating a tape collection, Jeff developed a relationship with Dick Latvala and many other tapers, building an enormous music collection. He also taped many Jerry Garcia shows at venerable institutions like the various Keystones. Jeff loved to share tapes in a twinkle of an eye. He was a key player in leaking the Betty Boards back in the day. A few years ago, he decided he should pass his collection on to someone who could properly archive and transfer. After a few years of offering it publicly, there were no takers. In 2008, Arizona LL members Jamie and Tom felt the Knudsen collection was too valuable to let go. After a flight so bumpy that we almost cried, and a great visit, albeit too short, with Jeff... 1200 lbs of tapes, gear and cds were lovingly packed at his Florida homestead. The next era of his beloved collection summer camp for the tapes in the desert... an ongoing process of cataloging and transferring the contents to share. Born from decades of Jeff's passion for live music collecting and the archival efforts of many, it's an honor and a privilege to share the Knudsen Tapes with you. Enjoy! originally shared at www.shnflac.net"
! R: this is a really pretty tape. The finger-string interplay is directly audible, and it sounds sweet! Over and over again, strings directly recorded, nothing between them and the mics but air.
! R: s1t01 LIR clips in, cuts out; taper moves seats after the tune. Nicky very prominent - love it! The end cut is a COD.
! P: s1t01 LIR comes in amazing, Nicky truly doing the virtuoso thing right out of the gate. Jerry is filligreeing a lot, matching Nicky who continues to just play some beautiful stuff.
! s1t06 (1) JG: "Nicky Hopkins on piano".
! s1t08 (2) JG "...take a break"
! P: s2t10 CJ some great glassy picking by ol Jer.
! P: s2t11 RL I love this peppy tempo.
! P: s2t15-16 LSTNT > Edward never really achieves escape velocity. Tutt does a little drum feature late 7 of Edward, which is uncommon and neat.
No Sellout on Cape Cod: JGB, May 28, 1983
LN jg1983-05-28.jgb.all.aud-huston.141978.flac2496
I have a bunch of listening notes to catch up on, but I have been holding back maybe because I don't find myself with much to say.
Saturday night, May 28, 1983 at the Cape Cod Coliseum, JGB #15c lays down a characteristically strong show. It doesn't knock my socks off like 5/31/83 does, but is of a piece with its characteristically hot, fluid, dextrous guitar playing from our sweaty hero, over the band's solid groove. Nice tape from a taper I hadn't heard of before, Rudy Huston. Almost $60k gross on 5k tickets in a room that could have held 7,200.
Jerry Garcia Band
Cape Cod Coliseum
White's Path off Route 6
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
May 28, 1983 (Saturday)
Huston MAC flac2496 shnid-141978
--set I (6 tracks, 52:49)--
s1t01. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [8:09] [0:05] %% [0:29]
s1t02. They Love Each Other [8:00] [0:42]
s1t03. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [13:20] [0:10] % [0:10]
s1t04. I Second That Emotion [10:49] [0:02] % [0:10] %
s1t05. /Gomorrah [#5:49] ->
s1t06. Run For The Roses [4:42] (1) [0:11]
--set II + encore (6 tracks, 77:35)--
--set II (5 tracks, 69:36)--
s2t01. [0:06] Rhapsody In Red [9:43] [0:27]
s2t02. The Harder They Come [13:58] [0:07] % [0:06]
s2t03. Don't Let Go [16:33] [0:43]
s2t04. Dear Prudence [13:51] ->
s2t05. Tangled Up In Blue [12:47] (2) [1:16]
--encore (1 track, 7:58)--
s2t06. Midnight Moonlight [7:52] [0:06] %
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #15c
! Lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! Lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! Lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards (Hammond B-3 organ);
! Lineup: Greg Errico - drums;
! Lineup: Jacklyn LaBranch - vocals;
! Lineup: DeeDee Dickerson - vocals.
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.
I have a bunch of listening notes to catch up on, but I have been holding back maybe because I don't find myself with much to say.
Saturday night, May 28, 1983 at the Cape Cod Coliseum, JGB #15c lays down a characteristically strong show. It doesn't knock my socks off like 5/31/83 does, but is of a piece with its characteristically hot, fluid, dextrous guitar playing from our sweaty hero, over the band's solid groove. Nice tape from a taper I hadn't heard of before, Rudy Huston. Almost $60k gross on 5k tickets in a room that could have held 7,200.
Jerry Garcia Band
Cape Cod Coliseum
White's Path off Route 6
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
May 28, 1983 (Saturday)
Huston MAC flac2496 shnid-141978
--set I (6 tracks, 52:49)--
s1t01. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [8:09] [0:05] %% [0:29]
s1t02. They Love Each Other [8:00] [0:42]
s1t03. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [13:20] [0:10] % [0:10]
s1t04. I Second That Emotion [10:49] [0:02] % [0:10] %
s1t05. /Gomorrah [#5:49] ->
s1t06. Run For The Roses [4:42] (1) [0:11]
--set II + encore (6 tracks, 77:35)--
--set II (5 tracks, 69:36)--
s2t01. [0:06] Rhapsody In Red [9:43] [0:27]
s2t02. The Harder They Come [13:58] [0:07] % [0:06]
s2t03. Don't Let Go [16:33] [0:43]
s2t04. Dear Prudence [13:51] ->
s2t05. Tangled Up In Blue [12:47] (2) [1:16]
--encore (1 track, 7:58)--
s2t06. Midnight Moonlight [7:52] [0:06] %
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #15c
! Lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! Lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! Lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards (Hammond B-3 organ);
! Lineup: Greg Errico - drums;
! Lineup: Jacklyn LaBranch - vocals;
! Lineup: DeeDee Dickerson - vocals.
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/19830528-01
! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/show/1983-05-28
! band: JGB #15c (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html)
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/phdAsu6ouRP2
! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/cape-cod-coliseum-whites-path-off-route.html.
! ref: Billboard, June 18, 1983, p. 48. 5,144 tickets sold on 7,181 capacity (no sellout), tickets $11.50, gross $59,829.
! seealso: JGMF, "I sing the blues, where has it led?," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/06/i-sing-blues-where-has-it-led-ln-jg1983.html.
! R: field recordist: Rudy Huston
! R: field recording gear: 2x Beyer M160 > Nakamichi 550
! R: field recording media: Maxell UDXL-XLII
! R: Transfer: Cassette Master > Nakamichi CR-7A > > wav 24/96 - Transferred by Charlie Miller
! R: Lineage: wav 24/96 > Adobe Audition 3 > iZotope RX6 Advanced > iZotope Ozone 5 Advanced > CD Wave > TLH > Flac 24
! R: seeder notes: Tape pauses and flips patched, I also patched on some crowd at the end of each set as they ended rather abruptly. Source used shnid 108657 - Thank Steve Rolfe and Charlie. Thank you Joe B. Jones for help with pitch correction, I used the above mentioned source on which Joe advised to correct this one. Thanks to Rudy Huston for this source. Thanks to Charlie Miller for yet another fine transfer. edited and mastered SIRMick May 2018
! R: this is a truly excellent tape.
! P: s1t01 HSII great enthusiasm. Hard to pinpoint specific moments, but this is just strong all the way through.
! R: s1t05 Gomorrah clips in.
! P: s1t06 RFTR is going a mile a minute. Compare this to the 4/20/94 version I listened to not long ago, which is super sludgy.
! s1t06 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a few minutes. We'll be back a little bit later."
! P: s2t01 RIR voice is already a little shot, but late 4 he leverages some extremely thick guitar tone, and starts shredding 5:20 or so, absolutely piling notes on top of each other e.g., 5:40. Man, this is another strong guitar performance from our hero, who is in bad physical shape but playing like a man possessed. Still making really inventive choices 6:30ff, plenty of vision and power.
! P: s2t02 HTC pretty extraordinary fluidity in this guitar playing - remarkable.
! R: s2t03 DLG brief tape munch near start
! P: s2t03 DLG messes up first verse. Late 4 over 5 is good example of him giving the vocals some oomph, in interplay with his guitar. Contrast 4/20/94. 14:30 Jerry does a totally unique little progression. Very good DLG.
! P: s2t04 DP also messes up first verse of this one. But some very nice guitar work 8ff, among other places. Huge weaving figures over 9, crowd appreciative, moving up the fretboard 9:20, some stellar guitar work here.
! s2t05 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot"
! R: s2t05 somewhere this turns to pre-encore tuning, etc., but it's cross-faded, and I don't care to time it
! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/show/1983-05-28
! band: JGB #15c (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html)
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/phdAsu6ouRP2
! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/cape-cod-coliseum-whites-path-off-route.html.
! ref: Billboard, June 18, 1983, p. 48. 5,144 tickets sold on 7,181 capacity (no sellout), tickets $11.50, gross $59,829.
! seealso: JGMF, "I sing the blues, where has it led?," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/06/i-sing-blues-where-has-it-led-ln-jg1983.html.
! R: field recordist: Rudy Huston
! R: field recording gear: 2x Beyer M160 > Nakamichi 550
! R: field recording media: Maxell UDXL-XLII
! R: Transfer: Cassette Master > Nakamichi CR-7A > > wav 24/96 - Transferred by Charlie Miller
! R: Lineage: wav 24/96 > Adobe Audition 3 > iZotope RX6 Advanced > iZotope Ozone 5 Advanced > CD Wave > TLH > Flac 24
! R: seeder notes: Tape pauses and flips patched, I also patched on some crowd at the end of each set as they ended rather abruptly. Source used shnid 108657 - Thank Steve Rolfe and Charlie. Thank you Joe B. Jones for help with pitch correction, I used the above mentioned source on which Joe advised to correct this one. Thanks to Rudy Huston for this source. Thanks to Charlie Miller for yet another fine transfer. edited and mastered SIRMick May 2018
! R: this is a truly excellent tape.
! P: s1t01 HSII great enthusiasm. Hard to pinpoint specific moments, but this is just strong all the way through.
! R: s1t05 Gomorrah clips in.
! P: s1t06 RFTR is going a mile a minute. Compare this to the 4/20/94 version I listened to not long ago, which is super sludgy.
! s1t06 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a few minutes. We'll be back a little bit later."
! P: s2t01 RIR voice is already a little shot, but late 4 he leverages some extremely thick guitar tone, and starts shredding 5:20 or so, absolutely piling notes on top of each other e.g., 5:40. Man, this is another strong guitar performance from our hero, who is in bad physical shape but playing like a man possessed. Still making really inventive choices 6:30ff, plenty of vision and power.
! P: s2t02 HTC pretty extraordinary fluidity in this guitar playing - remarkable.
! R: s2t03 DLG brief tape munch near start
! P: s2t03 DLG messes up first verse. Late 4 over 5 is good example of him giving the vocals some oomph, in interplay with his guitar. Contrast 4/20/94. 14:30 Jerry does a totally unique little progression. Very good DLG.
! P: s2t04 DP also messes up first verse of this one. But some very nice guitar work 8ff, among other places. Huge weaving figures over 9, crowd appreciative, moving up the fretboard 9:20, some stellar guitar work here.
! s2t05 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot"
! R: s2t05 somewhere this turns to pre-encore tuning, etc., but it's cross-faded, and I don't care to time it
Sunday, July 01, 2018
True Confessions in Hartford
In November 1977 and January 1978, Relix published a two-part interview with Garcia. I am looking for copies of these interviews. Anyone got 'em? Your list gets mine.
Hall, John. 1977, 1978. Jerry Garcia: True Confessions in
Hartford, parts 1 and 2. Relix vol 4, n.6 (November 1977), pp. 20-24 and
January 1978.
While I am at it, I have a long list of sources I am looking for, which follows the jump.
Update:
RoG and LIA have both provided tons of help - thanks gents!
Let me here just ask about a few particular publications.
The Aquarian - anyone familiar with this? Looks like a New Jersey alt-weekly, around since 1969. There must be some Dead and Jerry content in there.
Good Times - this is the Long Island entertainment paper, not the San Francisco Good Times (counterculture newspaper). The New York version looks very promising from the two pieces I list below, both ex post accounts or reviews of Garcia shows. Looks like it has been around since 1970. I'd love to gain access to a trove of these, older than what I find online.
While I am at it, I have a long list of sources I am looking for, which follows the jump.
Update:
RoG and LIA have both provided tons of help - thanks gents!
Let me here just ask about a few particular publications.
The Aquarian - anyone familiar with this? Looks like a New Jersey alt-weekly, around since 1969. There must be some Dead and Jerry content in there.
Good Times - this is the Long Island entertainment paper, not the San Francisco Good Times (counterculture newspaper). The New York version looks very promising from the two pieces I list below, both ex post accounts or reviews of Garcia shows. Looks like it has been around since 1970. I'd love to gain access to a trove of these, older than what I find online.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)