First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume II - #9

Shall We Call it by a Name? Jazz is Dead & JGB Band
by J.D. Edwards (October, 1999)

As we enter year five in the post-Jerry phase of civilization, two special tribute bands came to remind us of his ongoing influence on live music. An naturally, the Ziggy's big top played host to both burgeoning monsters in recent weeks to the apparent approval of the many in attendance.
First, a revamped Jazz is Dead stormed into Winston-Salem for another dazzling display. The first two times I saw this ensemble, their sheer talent propelled them through an intriguing instrumental interpretation of Dead music. The virtuosity of Billy Cobham's drums, the vibrancy of Alphonso Johnson's bass and the versatility of Jimmy Herring's guitar created a distinct whole that was at times a little dry and sterile but never failed to pack a wallop.

But their new line-up seemed supercharged by the new material (they just released their second album, Laughing Water, in tribute to The Dead's Wake of the Flood.) Billy Cobham's fierce drumwork, whose solos highlighted the previous shows, has been replaced admirably by the doubly dangerous tandem of Dregs anchor Rod Morgenstein and the incomparable journeyman Jeff Sipe.

The extra-sensory interplay between Jimmy and Alphonso still dominated although even tighter now due to their increasing familiarity with the music and each other. However fellow Dregs keyboardist T. Lavitz stepped up his role several notches. The first two shows he favored a dispensable synthesizer sound that seemed more like background accentuation to the other musicians. This time he jumped right into the mix and made his presence felt with a fat Leslie organ foundation ideally suited to the older material.

And then there's the material itself. The first set consisted of a song-for-song rendering of Laughing Water with favorites "Here Comes Sunshine," "Eyes of the World" and "Let it Grow" taking center stage. These jazzy excursions helped the band develop their improvisational prowess as they completely delineated from the song structure and stamped it with their own personal signature in true Dead fashion. The second set exploded with gargantuan versions of "Help/Slip/Franklin's," "China Cat Sunflower" and "Ship of Fools." But it wasn't until they tore apart versions of "St. Stephen," "The Eleven" and the "Blues for Allah" encore that I realized this was no longer a novelty act but a viciously tight touring machine.

A week and a half later, JGB came to pay their respects. Many Deadheads mistakenly disregard this conglomeration because of their use of the original band's moniker, perceiving it as some sort of moneymaking ploy en route to the top of the pop charts. Honestly, who truly believes that this seven-member unit is getting rich by sweating it out in smoky clubs night after night?

They seem more concerned with keeping those precious songs and that special chemistry intact. and if in the meantime they put a little bread in the breadbox (both literally and figuratively,) then who are we to begrudge them that? Twenty-year JGB veteran Melvin Seals was developing a musical rapport with Jerry when many of us didn't know him from Santa Claus. And he still retains a deep admiration for Senor Garcia and his music that registers in his knack for elevating entire audiences out of their corporeal confinements and into the folds of the heavenly choir.

And speaking of Jerry, all those negative Nellies need simply consider how he would have reacted. And if anyone truly thinks that he would have not smiled and given his wholehearted thumbs up, then they didn't know the same warm-spirited, generous philanthropist that I knew. so if it makes the cynic inside a little less self-righteous, then add an apostrophe s to the end of his name and call them Jerry Garcia's Band. Or don't call them anything at all. The Bard of Avon taught us the utter uselessness of names and labels half a millennium ago so just judge them based on their magical on-stage interaction.
Which is what I did for the fifth time in the post-Jerry era, and for the first time they failed to up the musical ante. Each succeeding show represented mammoth strides in band cohesion, but this time a few things were missing. The band still featured its incendiary interplay fueled by Melvin's piercing organ swirls, a rock-solid, fusion-ready rhythm section and rarities like and acoustic "Ripple" and Gloria Jones' soulful gospelization of The Eagles "Take it to the Limit." But the guitar configuration suffered greatly from the loss of Peter Harris on lead guitar and vocals. His and Judah Gold's interlocking leads gave new dimension to many songs that this time appeared very thin and overpowered by the beefy rhythm section.

Additionally the reformed band's greatest asset was their spontaneity in terms of song selection. They rarely repeated, mixing up Jerry Band favorites, obscure nuggets, a healthy dose of Dylan and some tasty Dead treats, which the original line-up rarely did. The glory of Melvin's redemptive notes on "Wharf Rat" or "Bertha" is a sound for soaring ears. But this time they waxed a bit predictable with many repeats such as overplayed staples "Tangled Up in Blue," "That's What Love Will Make You Do," "Not Fade Away," "Don't Let Go" and "Franklin's Tower," Even the Dead Medley was remarkably similar to previous versions. But hey Jerry himself was not immune to occasionally going through the motions, and they are working to carry his entire legacy.

And lastly the show was quite short with two sets that both clocked in under fifty-five minutes. But that can likely be attributed to the sweltering heat and humidity inside Ziggy's, only exacerbated by the thronging hordes of true believers gathered to attest to the gospel truth. And that reality is that performers have off-nights as they are only human and subject to the elements and loss of personnel. However both bands, despite whatever random appellations announce their coming, still bear watching because of their ability to keep the elusive spirit alive in every note they offer heavenward for the approval of their mentor.