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Jazz Is Dead
Jazz is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazzy influences instrumentally. There have been different line-ups over time with T Lavitz being the only mainstay off all of them.
Three years after the Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia died, the first line-up of Jazz Is Dead released their first album, Blue Light Rain, which is in fact the first lyrical line from the song "Unbroken Chain". This album features "Crazy Fingers", "Scarlet Begonias", "Dark Star", "Red Baron" by Billy Cobham, the Phil Lesh classic "Unbroken Chain", and the Blues for Allah tunes "King Solomon's Marbles" and the epic "Help on The Way / Slipknot! / Franklin's Tower>Spiral Staircase" medley.
The band's first line-up consisted of: Jimmy Herring (guitar), Alphonso Johnson (bass), Billy Cobham (drums) and T Lavitz (keyboards). In 1999 Billy Cobham was replaced by Dixie Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein and Phil Lesh and Friends drummer Jeff Sipe. Their second album, Laughing Water, was released in 1999; it was a track-for-track cover of Wake of The Flood. Great Sky River, the band's 2000 live release, includes "China Cat Sunflower", "Estimated Prophet", "St. Stephen>The Eleven, Blues for Allah", "Terrapin Station", "Dark Star", "Morning Dew" and "drumz".
In 2001 guitarist Jeff Pevar replaced Jimmy Herring. Little Feat's Kenny Gradney also did a stint with the group on bass. The group went through a few more line-up changes over the years eventually regaining its dual-drummer line-up in 2006 with the addition of bassist Dave Livolsi.
In March of 2006 this line-up set out for a month long tour featuring the music of Blues For Allah to coincide with its 30th Anniversary. Currently, Jazz is Dead has no plans for further album releases or tours. But they are still interested in jazz.
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Jazz Is Dead: Great Sky River
by Todd S. Jenkins
One of America's hottest jam bands continues to mine the bottomless repertoire of the Grateful Dead. On their third album, Jazz Is Dead breathes new life into classics that Deadheads haven't ever gotten enough of. The intuition between guitarist Jimmy Herring (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends), bassist Alphonso Johnson (Miles Davis, Weather Report, Billy Cobham, The Other Ones), and keyboardist T Lavitz and drummer Rod Morgenstein of the Dixie Dregs has become more uncanny over ...
read moreJazz is Dead: Laughing Water
by Dave Hughes
On their sophomore release, Laughing Water, Jazz is Dead continues their mission of presenting the catalog of the Grateful Dead in sort of a country-rock context, with occasional classical, gospel, and jazz flavoring. It's unpretentious, infectious jamming by musicians with virtuoso chops to burn. The exuberant “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" (not a vocal) alternates hard-driving edgy guitar choruses with fleet-fingered, grooving organ. “Row Jimmy" has a laid-back country-rock feel. The next tune, “Stella Blue," begins with an almost-classical ...
read moreJazz is Dead: Laughing Water
by Dave Hughes
On their sophomore release, Jazz is Dead continues their mission of presenting the catalog of the Grateful Dead in sort of a country-rock context, with occasional classical, gospel, and jazz flavoring. It's unpretentious, infectious jamming by musicians with virtuoso chops to burn. The exhuberant "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" (not a vocal) alternates hard-driving edgy guitar choruses with fleet-fingered, grooving organ. "Row Jimmy" has a laid-back country-rock feel. The next tune, "Stella Blue," begins with an almost-classical fugue, ...
read moreJazz Is Dead: Laughing Water
by David Adler
Essentially a Grateful Dead repertory ensemble, Jazz Is Dead boasts a fusion dream lineup: T. Lavitz on keyboards, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Rod Morgenstein (or Jeff Sipe) on drums, and rising star Jimmy Herring on guitar. If you like the Grateful Dead and know their songs, you'll probably warm to this disc. If you don't, you might still find it rewarding. The musicianship is top-notch and the recording sounds sharp (it was taken from live shows in Colorado and California). ...
read moreJazz Is Dead: Laughing Water
by Ed Kopp
On Laughing Water, the fusion ensemble Jazz Is Dead one-ups the band that it sets out to honor. Laughing Water is a superior remake of the Grateful Dead's rather ordinary rock album Wake of the Flood.Jazz is Dead's core musicians Jimmy Herring (guitar), T Lavitz (keys) and Alphonso Johnson (bass) trade melodic licks as they reinterpret the Dead's modal tunes from 1973. Fortunately you don't have to be a Deadhead to appreciate this album. Laughing Water not only ...
read moreJazz Is Dead: Laughing Water ("Wake Of The Flood - revisited")
by Glenn Astarita
Grateful Dead fans or “deadheads” who demand only the finest from those who cover Dead tunes or in this case, a complete rendition of the Dead’s classic “Wake Of The Flood” LP should find much to get excited about here. Jazz is Dead, touted as one of the best “jam bands” on the globe have carved out a nifty if somewhat deeply personalized stylization of this – crossroads – LP from those rock icons of year’s past. Laughing Water was ...
read moreJazz Is Dead: Laughing Water
by Paula Edelstein
Now that you know the group’s name is an announcement of their respect for the vast collection of Grateful Dead compositions and not a proclaimation of the death of jazz, you are in for more flawless musicianship and wicked jazz-rock fusion. On their second release for Zebra Records, the critically acclaimed jazz-rock fusion quartet Jazz Is Dead interprets the entire 1973 Grateful Dead, WAKE OF THE FLOOD album. LAUGHING WATER, “WAKE OF THE FLOOD REVISITED” features eight tracks filled to ...
read moreJazz is Dead. Long Live Jazz!
Source:
All About Jazz
The music may never again be a popular force, but it is still swinging if you know where to listen.
Put yourself in this jazz musician's shoes for a minute. Your record label just dropped two of its most acclaimed acts from the roster in order to aggressively pursue pop artists. Still, you think you have a sound that's relevant to the moment and to prove it, you need a stay of execution from what's starting to look inevitable.
So ...
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Jazz is Dead. Long Live Jazz.
Source:
Michael Ricci
The music may never again be a popular force, but it is still swinging--if you know where to listen. Put yourself in this jazz musician's shoes for a minute. Your record label just dropped two of its most acclaimed acts from the roster in order to aggressively pursue pop artists. Still, you think you have a sound that's relevant to the moment--and to prove it, you need a stay of execution from what's starting to look inevitable. So you pick ...
read more
