Some general points for the good of the order:
First, RIP's are due for both Bill Vitt, who powered the first classic Garcia/Saunders lineup, and Art Neville, co-founder of the Meters, one of my all-time favorite groups and a huge cornerstone of my musical taste. I have a lot more I could say about both, but don't know where to begin. Vitt was a consummate drummer and a monster player who, moreso than any of the drummers in Garcia's orbit besides Kreutzmann, could move effortlessly from bedrock funk to the outer reaches of jazz exploration. When I first heard Art Neville and the Meters as a teenager, it took a few listens for what they were doing to sink in -- and then my sense of what music could sound like was pretty much rewired. [requisite Garcia connection: Just Kissed My Baby].
Also, thanks to continued input from JGMF and Light Into Ashes, I made a substantial update to my run-down on the Mickey & the Hartbeats shows. Spoiler: I now hear Jack Casady playing on exactly one jam with Garcia and the drummers. If that got you curious, then dive in:
https://deadthinking.blogspot.com/2018/04/oct-68-hartbeats-run-down.html
Also, if you're a fan of Beull Neidlinger's playing in the Great American String/Music Band (and, really, what red-blooded fan of great American music isn't?), then you may find this intriguing: a link to an interview I added as a comment to this older post. Nine years -- and lord knows how many A-level studio session dates -- after the three tiny club gigs he he played with Garcia, Greene, and friends, and he sounds like he's defending himself in light of his free jazz street cred!? Amazing.
https://deadthinking.blogspot.com/2018/03/rip-buell-neidlinger.html
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Friday, July 19, 2019
to the moon, Jerry!
Hi! I know, I know.
A good excuse to break the silence is to repost this list, which I'm sure my four devoted readers have seen me post elsewhere. But in honor of everyone's nerd-buzz around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, here is a handy list of Moon Landing Dark Stars.
Apollo 11 launched on 7/16/69 and landed on the Moon on 7/20. The Dead's closest gig was a few days earlier in New Yor (7/12), where they did play Dark Star, although you may find it a stretch to connect the two events. However...
Apollo 12 landed on 11/19/69. The GD nearly played Dark Star at their next show, 11/21, but pulled up short, likely because of time constraints. They played a full-blown monster version at the following show, 12/4/69.
Apollo 13 lifted off on 4/11/70. Dark Star was played that night, with the GD in the unenviable position of following Miles Davis. Sadly, there is no tape.
Apollo 14 landed on 2/5/71. Dark Star, with the classic "Beautiful Jam," was played at the next GD show, 2/18/71.
Apollo 15 landed on 7/30/71. Dark Star was played at at the next GD show, 7/31/71.
Apollo 16 landed on 4/21/72. That night, the GD played an abbreviated set for German television, but played one of the true all-timer Dark Stars at the next proper show on 4/24/72.
Apollo 17, the final manned moon mission, landed on 12/11/72. Dark Star was played that night. If you missed it, Lemieux posted the only uncut sbd copy of it at the Taper's Section a few months ago:
https://www.dead.net/features/tapers-section/march-11-17-2019
There you go. That should make a nice little playlist for you.
A good excuse to break the silence is to repost this list, which I'm sure my four devoted readers have seen me post elsewhere. But in honor of everyone's nerd-buzz around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, here is a handy list of Moon Landing Dark Stars.
Apollo 11 launched on 7/16/69 and landed on the Moon on 7/20. The Dead's closest gig was a few days earlier in New Yor (7/12), where they did play Dark Star, although you may find it a stretch to connect the two events. However...
Apollo 12 landed on 11/19/69. The GD nearly played Dark Star at their next show, 11/21, but pulled up short, likely because of time constraints. They played a full-blown monster version at the following show, 12/4/69.
Apollo 13 lifted off on 4/11/70. Dark Star was played that night, with the GD in the unenviable position of following Miles Davis. Sadly, there is no tape.
Apollo 14 landed on 2/5/71. Dark Star, with the classic "Beautiful Jam," was played at the next GD show, 2/18/71.
Apollo 15 landed on 7/30/71. Dark Star was played at at the next GD show, 7/31/71.
Apollo 16 landed on 4/21/72. That night, the GD played an abbreviated set for German television, but played one of the true all-timer Dark Stars at the next proper show on 4/24/72.
Apollo 17, the final manned moon mission, landed on 12/11/72. Dark Star was played that night. If you missed it, Lemieux posted the only uncut sbd copy of it at the Taper's Section a few months ago:
https://www.dead.net/features/tapers-section/march-11-17-2019
There you go. That should make a nice little playlist for you.
 |
| "Houston, do we have a setlist from last night yet?" |
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