Garcia Live, Vol. 9: August 11th, 1974, Keystone Berkeley

by Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders

Overview

Captured in the period between the release of the Grateful Dead's From the Mars Hotel LP and their touring hiatus that began in late 1974, this lively set from Jerry Garcia and longtime collaborator Merl Saunders has a comfortable, spontaneous ease to it. Recorded on August 11, 1974 and released as part of the archival GarciaLive series, this release essentially features the Legion of Mary band which would form just a few months later and was the subject of 2013's GarciaLive, Vol. 3 collection. For this set, however, the Dead's own Bill Kreutzmann is behind the drum kit instead of Ron Tutt. By this point, the Saunders-Garcia partnership was already well established and their preferred venue, Keystone Berkeley, provided a relaxed space to try out the various facets of their funk, rock, and R&B repertoire. The set list consists largely of standards, including the Four Tops' "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)," Junior Walker & the Allstars' "(I'm A) Roadrunner," and a nice closing rendition of the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Still young and adventurous, Garcia's solos range far and wide and he nimbly duels with Saunders' B-3 and Martin Fierro's saxophone. As far as the rhythm battery is concerned, it's nice to hear Kreutzmann lock in with a pocket bass player like John Kahn and together, for the most part, they maintain a solid groove as the conversation unfolds among the five players. Fierro brandishes his flute on a few numbers, including the bossa nova-flavored original "La La," expanding the band's tonal palette a bit. The highlights, though, are in the extended jams, particularly the 19-minute "The Harder They Come," which feels like a dynamic zenith of this set. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/28/2017
Label:	Ato
UPC:	0880882302023
Rank:	60369

Tracks

Disc 1

1. That's What Love Will Make You Do
2. La La
3. It Ain't No Use
4. Mystery Train

Disc 2

5. The Harder They Come
6. Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)
7. It's Too Late
8. (I'm A) Roadrunner
9. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jerry Garcia   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Merl Saunders   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Bill Kreutzmann   Drums
John Kahn   Bass
Martin Fierro   Flute,Saxophone

Technical Credits

Gary Bonds   Composer
Lauren Goetzinger   Project Coordinator
Roberto Rabanne   Photography
Ryan Corey   Illustrations,Art Direction,Design
Kevin Monty   Release Production,Coordination
Larry Hulst   Photography
Herman Parker   Composer
Betty Cantor-Jackson   Engineer
Lamont Dozier   Composer
Chuck Willis   Composer
James Banks   Composer
Eddie Marion   Composer
Eddie Holland   Composer
Fred Kevorkian   Mastering
Don Hollinger   Composer
Robbie Robertson   Composer
Jimmy Cliff   Composer
Jerry Garcia   Producer
Jerry Williams, Jr.   Composer
Merl Saunders   Liner Notes
Martin Fierro   Composer
Brian Holland   Composer
Brian Potter   Composer
Marc Allan   Coordination,Release Production
Henderson Thigpen   Composer
Dennis Lambert   Composer
Sam C. Phillips   Composer