DAVE McMURRAY - Grateful Deadication
Blue Note 243570781
Dave McMurray (tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, keyboards, percussion); Ibrahim Jones (acoustic and electric bass); Jeff Canady (drums); Wayne Gerard (guitar); Larry Fratangelo (percussion); Luis Resto (piano); Maurice O’Neil (keyboards, organ); Sowande Keita (percussion); Bettye LaVette (vocals); Don Was (bass); Greg Leisz (guitar); Jay Lane (drums); Jeff Chimenti (keyboards, organ); Herschel Boone (vocals)
I do love a good pun, and the title of Dave McMurray’s latest album brought a smile to my face, as it neatly encapsulates what this record is about: a homage to the music of the American band/phenomenon Grateful Dead. Founded at the start of the 1960s counterculture movement, The Dead (as they are also known) played a heady mix of rock, jazz, folk, bluegrass, gospel and psychedelia. Their concerts were more like major events, with the band playing extended improvisations to legions of ecstatic fans. Grateful Deadication’s album cover artwork echoes this era with its psychedelic theme, and the back cover illustration brings to mind the Corky McCoy quirky graphics that grace the covers of Miles Davis’s In Concert and On The Corner albums.
Dave McMurray is multi-instrumentalist who plays alto sax, soprano sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, keyboards and percussion – he plays the last five instruments on this album. He’s also highly versatile, having played with everyone from Bob Dylan to BB King, and The Rolling Stones to Herbie Hancock. I first came across him on a video of a concert of the Miles Davis tribute band ESP2, and was taken by the sheer power and stamina of his playing (if you visit this YouTube link, be sure check out the opening number, where McMurray plays some blistering alto sax www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzpEfMYXo2o).
In the album liner notes McMurray states that he was unaware of the music of the Grateful Dead until he played at a gig in San Francisco a few years ago and jammed with Grateful Dead guitarist and co-founder Bob Weir. McMurray found the Dead’s long-form compositions, unusual time signatures, complex chords and compelling melodies piqued his interest in the band’s music, which reminded him of the music of Miles Davis, Weather Report and Soft Machine. This album is said to bring together McMurray’s gritty, soulful Detroit sound with the flower power empowered songs of the Grateful Dead.
This isn’t the first time jazz has met the Grateful Dead. Saxophonists such as Branford Marsalis, Ornette Coleman and David Murray jammed with The Dead. Grateful Dead co-founder and lead vocalist Jerry Garcia played on Coleman’s 1988 album Virgin Beauty, while David Murray’s 1996 album Dark Star: The Music of the Grateful Dead featured Weir on one track. Jazz Is Dead is a Grateful Dead jazz instrumental cover band whose members have included jazz-fusion pioneer Billy Cobham on drums, and former Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson.
This is McMurray’s second Blue Note album and the rhythm section of Ibrahim Jones on bass and Jeff Canady on drums also played on his debut album for the label, the 2018 Music is Life. On most tracks, McMurray’s sax takes on the role of Garcia’s vocals, although guest vocalists appear on two tracks. Bob Weir and bassist/producer (and Blue Note president) Don Was play on one tune. The album features ten compositions from The Dead, with new arrangements providing a fresh perspective to the music. The opener, ‘Fire On The Mountain,’ for example, has a suitably psychedelic feel, with an out-of-tempo intro and both guitar and sax saturated with echo and reverb. The tune settles down into a delightful reggae-tinged mid-tempo groove that evoked in this listener the image of someone relaxing on a sunny Caribbean beach. The dramatic ‘Dark Star’ features an extended dialogue between sax and guitar, before the mood changes, and a pounding drum track enters and McMurray’s tenor screams. The sax/guitar duet returns at the coda, and the track comes to a gentle conclusion.
The plaintive ballad ‘Loser’ features Weir on guitar and Was on bass, but the star performer is vocalist Bettye LaVette, who delivers a belting, bluesy performance, accompanied by McMurray’s wailing sax and some inventive playing by Jeff Chimenti on organ and piano – it’s a humdinger of a track. ‘Eyes of the World’ sticks close to the original arrangement, with McMurray’s tenor replacing the lead vocals and Wayne Gerard delivering a brief wah-wah-laced guitar solo. There’s a vibrant version of ‘The Eleven’ (so-called because it’s in 11/8 time) which is given a lovely Caribbean lilt and sees McMurray delivering some ferocious tenor sax – it’s an album highlight.
‘Touch Of Grey’ was The Dead’s only top ten hit, and on this album, it’s transformed into a soul power ballad with Herschel Boone on vocals. The track is followed by a short (two-minute) instrumental version of the song, played at a slightly faster tempo. One wishes it had been extended. ‘Franklin’s Tower’ is a gospel/funk workout, with McMurray’s gutsy sax (he plays both tenor and baritone) blowing on top of punchy organ lines. Added to the mix are a syncopated organ solo, played with abandon by Maurice O’Neil, a lively bass solo by Ibrahim Jones, and a short burst of fire-cracker fills by Jeff Canady. McMurray leads the band towards the finish line with some exhilarating playing, before the track ends with a quirky-sounding synth riff. Cover albums can be hit or miss, and this album definitely belongs in the former category – it’s an interesting and enjoyable exploration of the music of The Grateful Dead.
Reviewed by George Cole
Blue Note 243570781
Dave McMurray (tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, keyboards, percussion); Ibrahim Jones (acoustic and electric bass); Jeff Canady (drums); Wayne Gerard (guitar); Larry Fratangelo (percussion); Luis Resto (piano); Maurice O’Neil (keyboards, organ); Sowande Keita (percussion); Bettye LaVette (vocals); Don Was (bass); Greg Leisz (guitar); Jay Lane (drums); Jeff Chimenti (keyboards, organ); Herschel Boone (vocals)
I do love a good pun, and the title of Dave McMurray’s latest album brought a smile to my face, as it neatly encapsulates what this record is about: a homage to the music of the American band/phenomenon Grateful Dead. Founded at the start of the 1960s counterculture movement, The Dead (as they are also known) played a heady mix of rock, jazz, folk, bluegrass, gospel and psychedelia. Their concerts were more like major events, with the band playing extended improvisations to legions of ecstatic fans. Grateful Deadication’s album cover artwork echoes this era with its psychedelic theme, and the back cover illustration brings to mind the Corky McCoy quirky graphics that grace the covers of Miles Davis’s In Concert and On The Corner albums.
Dave McMurray is multi-instrumentalist who plays alto sax, soprano sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, keyboards and percussion – he plays the last five instruments on this album. He’s also highly versatile, having played with everyone from Bob Dylan to BB King, and The Rolling Stones to Herbie Hancock. I first came across him on a video of a concert of the Miles Davis tribute band ESP2, and was taken by the sheer power and stamina of his playing (if you visit this YouTube link, be sure check out the opening number, where McMurray plays some blistering alto sax www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzpEfMYXo2o).
In the album liner notes McMurray states that he was unaware of the music of the Grateful Dead until he played at a gig in San Francisco a few years ago and jammed with Grateful Dead guitarist and co-founder Bob Weir. McMurray found the Dead’s long-form compositions, unusual time signatures, complex chords and compelling melodies piqued his interest in the band’s music, which reminded him of the music of Miles Davis, Weather Report and Soft Machine. This album is said to bring together McMurray’s gritty, soulful Detroit sound with the flower power empowered songs of the Grateful Dead.
This isn’t the first time jazz has met the Grateful Dead. Saxophonists such as Branford Marsalis, Ornette Coleman and David Murray jammed with The Dead. Grateful Dead co-founder and lead vocalist Jerry Garcia played on Coleman’s 1988 album Virgin Beauty, while David Murray’s 1996 album Dark Star: The Music of the Grateful Dead featured Weir on one track. Jazz Is Dead is a Grateful Dead jazz instrumental cover band whose members have included jazz-fusion pioneer Billy Cobham on drums, and former Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson.
This is McMurray’s second Blue Note album and the rhythm section of Ibrahim Jones on bass and Jeff Canady on drums also played on his debut album for the label, the 2018 Music is Life. On most tracks, McMurray’s sax takes on the role of Garcia’s vocals, although guest vocalists appear on two tracks. Bob Weir and bassist/producer (and Blue Note president) Don Was play on one tune. The album features ten compositions from The Dead, with new arrangements providing a fresh perspective to the music. The opener, ‘Fire On The Mountain,’ for example, has a suitably psychedelic feel, with an out-of-tempo intro and both guitar and sax saturated with echo and reverb. The tune settles down into a delightful reggae-tinged mid-tempo groove that evoked in this listener the image of someone relaxing on a sunny Caribbean beach. The dramatic ‘Dark Star’ features an extended dialogue between sax and guitar, before the mood changes, and a pounding drum track enters and McMurray’s tenor screams. The sax/guitar duet returns at the coda, and the track comes to a gentle conclusion.
The plaintive ballad ‘Loser’ features Weir on guitar and Was on bass, but the star performer is vocalist Bettye LaVette, who delivers a belting, bluesy performance, accompanied by McMurray’s wailing sax and some inventive playing by Jeff Chimenti on organ and piano – it’s a humdinger of a track. ‘Eyes of the World’ sticks close to the original arrangement, with McMurray’s tenor replacing the lead vocals and Wayne Gerard delivering a brief wah-wah-laced guitar solo. There’s a vibrant version of ‘The Eleven’ (so-called because it’s in 11/8 time) which is given a lovely Caribbean lilt and sees McMurray delivering some ferocious tenor sax – it’s an album highlight.
‘Touch Of Grey’ was The Dead’s only top ten hit, and on this album, it’s transformed into a soul power ballad with Herschel Boone on vocals. The track is followed by a short (two-minute) instrumental version of the song, played at a slightly faster tempo. One wishes it had been extended. ‘Franklin’s Tower’ is a gospel/funk workout, with McMurray’s gutsy sax (he plays both tenor and baritone) blowing on top of punchy organ lines. Added to the mix are a syncopated organ solo, played with abandon by Maurice O’Neil, a lively bass solo by Ibrahim Jones, and a short burst of fire-cracker fills by Jeff Canady. McMurray leads the band towards the finish line with some exhilarating playing, before the track ends with a quirky-sounding synth riff. Cover albums can be hit or miss, and this album definitely belongs in the former category – it’s an interesting and enjoyable exploration of the music of The Grateful Dead.
Reviewed by George Cole
