|
  When David Grisman and Jerry Garcia first met at a bluegrass festival back in the 1960's, the sparks of what would become an intense musical friendship were set into motion. Jerry and David's paths crossed again several times throughout their individual careers. Garcia, of course, helped form The Grateful Dead-- a band that blended folk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedellic improvisation. Grisman managed to blend the bluegrass sound of Bill Monroe (one of his heroes) with his love for the music of Django Rheinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Chuck Berry-- along with many others-- to make a unique sound that defied the music business's need to place all music in convenient categories. In fact, Grisman's sound was so unique and so innovative it essentially inspired a generation of musicians. His unique blend of styles brought about the arrival of New Grass [a blending of bluegrass with other genres of music (such as rock and roll, jazz, blues etc.)]. Grisman formed his now famous David Grisman Quintet in 1975, and, through many years of shifting band members (including acoustic luminaries such as Tony Rice, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Rob Wasserman, and Mark O'Connor), developed his own unique "Dawg" sound [Jerry Garcia gave Grisman the nickname "dawg" when they played together in Old and in the Way]. When The Grateful Dead returned to the roots of American Folk Music for the albums and Garcia did not have to dig too far into his own roots. After all, Jerry had been a banjo player-- and the original synthesis of The Grateful Dead was a variety of jug bands. For , Garcia brought in David Grisman to play on "Ripple" and "Friend of the Devil." Indeed, Grisman's playing breathes life into the pieces. On September 20, 1970, Grisman joined The Grateful Dead on stage during their acoustic set and played some very tasty mandolin throughout-- including a blistering solo on "Big Railroad Blues."
 In 1973, their paths crossed again. They formed what would become one of the most famous bluegrass bands ever-- Old and in the Way. They only played for a year and released one record, the self-titled live release , but their impact on the poularity of bluegrass is indisputable. The Old and in the Way record is more responsible for new bluegrass converts than any other bluegrass album. The band, consisting of Garcia on Banjo and vocals and David Grisman on mandolin and vocals, also included Peter Rowan on guitar and vocals, long-time Garcia sidekick John Kahn on bass, and three different fiddle players Richard Greene, Tex Logan, and eventually Vassar Clements. They built their repertoire from a variety of different musical styles, including old standards, Bill Monroe tunes, some originals penned by Peter Rowan (including a few Rowan classics-- "Land of the Navajo," "Midnight Moonlight," and "Panama Red"), and a few rock and roll songs-- including The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and The Platters' "The Great Pretender." Since the release of the first record back in 1975, Acoustic Disc, Grisman's privately-owned acoustic music label, has released two additional cd's of Old and in the Way-- and . Both of these releases help to further illuminate the magic of this band's sound. 
|
  In 1974, Grisman formed the Great American Music Band-- a band which Grisman used to further explore bluegrass with an added dose of jazz (including some of his own compositions). Garcia sat in frequently, once again playing the banjo. There are no official releases of this music available, but there are a few tapes floating around-- including a nice show from the Keystone Berkeley that finds the band tackling Django Reinhardt and Stephanne Grappelli tunes and a variety of other musical directions-- including the Grisman penned acoustic stage-jam classic "Dawg's Bull." Garcia switches to the acoustic guitar for a lovely version of Irving Berlin's "Russian Lullaby." Garcia also worked in the studio with members of Old and in the Way on some tunes with Merl Saunders. These tunes can be found on .  Great American String Band - Santa Barbara 1974 After this group, however, Garcia returned to his pursuits with The Grateful Dead and his own solo bands. Garcia and Grisman did not record or play live together again for quite some time. The Grateful Dead, of course, grew to cult status. Garcia, of course never veered too far from his folk roots. It was always evident in his playing with the Grateful Dead and his various incarnations of the Jerry Garcia Band. In 1982, Jerry was talked into performing a solo acoustic set at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ. Garcia, always suffering a bit from stagefright was visibly uncomfortable the whole night, but he did not entirely let go of the idea. He added John Kahn to the lineup, and they toured as a duet from 1982-1986. In 1987, Garcia formed a much larger acoustic band with Kahn and David Kemper (from the JGB) as well as old pals Sandy Rothman and David Nelson (New Riders of the Purple Sage). While his shows with Kahn had been mostly Dead and Garcia Band tunes, The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band focused heavily on Old Timey, folk, and bluegrass tunes. Garcia even brought the band to Broadway, at the insistence of Bill Graham, for a two week stint at the Lunt Fontaine Theatre. Grisman, on the other hand, while earning a deserved reputation as one of the most innovative mandolin players of his time, never acheived the popularity Jerry ended up with. The David Grisman Quintet, however, metamorphisized into many different variations and explored the blending of various musical styles with the same eagerness and desire to improvise as The Grateful Dead. And, while the Dead always had a wall of sound to hide their mistakes behind, the DGQ played honest acoustic music and only amplified their instruments with stage microphones-- never "plugging in." David, like Garcia, also pursued a variety of side projects, including playing with other mandolin greats like Sam Bush and Andy Statman, touring with legendary musicians such as Stephane Grappelli and Doc Watson, and forming his own bluegrass band in 1989 with such acoustic luiminaries as Jim Buchanan on fiddle and Herb Pederson on banjo. Grisman also ended up in countless jam sessions and guest appearances at a wide variety of Bluegrass Festivals and concerts. Indeed-- Grisman pursued the essence of the pure acoustic sound and developed a career which was every bit as rich as the tapestry of sound that Jerry Garcia came up with whether with The Grateful Dead or his own solo projects. In 1983, When I was but a teenager I had the opportunity to talk with David Grisman during dinner at a high school friend's parent's house. When I asked him about Jerry Garcia (I was, after all, a sparkly-eyed young deadhead at the time) he smiled and explained that their paths had gone different directions, and with the popularity of the Dead, he did not talk with Garcia anymore. |
  In 1990 Garcia and Grisman's paths crossed yet again and they soon rediscovered their love of playing traditonal music together. But now they had years of exploring their own personal sound to bring to the table, and part of what made their music so intriguing is the ways they managed to fuse their styles-- creating an infectious and melodic sound. Grisman was the more structured musician of the two, but one could see him loosening up a bit on stage with Jerry, taking more risks with his improvisation. Jerry on the other hand tightened up and made a concerted effort to bring everything he had to his music. It always amazed may how his tone transferred so well to the acoustic. He bent and pushed the strings with great dexterity and precisio, always finding the heart of the melody. The music was also suited his wavering voice-- especially the sea shanties and old timey numbers-- not to mention the wonderfully sweet covers of the great Mississippi John Hurt. Just listen to him sing "Louis Collins!"
 Jerry also decided to pick up the banjo again (and David joined him), which, naturally, excited the audience everytime. Jerry did not return to his days of fancy bluegrass picking on the five string banjo, however. His approach was far more rhythmic-- unlike his fluid, fat and dense guitar work. Didn't matter really-- it was just fun to see Garcia return to his bluegrass roots. I went to nearly every show-- and most featured, at worst, some interesting playing-- while some others swung with authority! When Garcia died in 1995, I was saddened the Grateful Dead would no longer be, but somewhere deep inside I was even more heartbroken that I would no longer have the opportunity to watch these two great musicians get to know each other even better. Fortunately the taping community was there to dicument the concerts-- and David taped everything he could (in studio and in concert) and has released several studio recordings-- with more to come. And now you can see the wonderful movie, made by Grisman's daugther Gillian. She captures, both on stage and in Grisman's home studio, the spirit of what so obviously was a great friendship. You can even buy a copy on DVD or VHS! Which I heartily recommend you do! Read on for a closer look at both the live perfomances and the handful of recordings released on Grisman's label Acoustic Disc
|
||