GarciaLive Volume 18: November 2nd, 1974 Keystone Berkeley presents the complete & previously uncirculated two-set Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders performance originally recorded to 1/4” analog reels by Betty Cantor Jackson.
Is there a more iconic venue for Garcia/Saunders than the Keystone Berkeley? The Bay Area haunt was the setting for the performances contained on the legendary Live at the Keystone releases & yielded at least a half-dozen other celebrated official live releases. Be it the quaint, unassuming setting or the proximity to home, magic never seemed to be in short supply — and this evening in November was no different. In addition to the ever-present John Kahn on bass, the rhythm section this evening was bolstered by one of the most in demand session drummers of his day, the great Paul Humphrey whose credits range from Marvin Gaye & Joe Cocker to the Lawrence Welk Show. Future Legion of Mary bandmate Martin Fierro rounds out the ensemble. The performance itself is nothing short of exceptional, particularly the monstrous first set combination of “Valdez in the Country,” The Harder They Come,” & “You Can Leave Your Hat On” which destroy any notion of genre as Garcia, Saunders & co somehow fuse seemingly disparate originals by Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff & Randy Newman into a sound all their own. After a brief set-break, the group returns for a super-charged second set highlighted by extended versions of “Freedom Jazz Dance” & Merl’s own “Wondering Why” before closing the evening with a fiery “Mystery Train.” Always ones to stretch the bounds, you get the sense they would’ve gone all night if not for the venue’s pesky 2am curfew.
Click Additional Details for setlist.
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GarciaLive Volume 18: November 2nd, 1974 Keystone Berkeley presents the complete & previously uncirculated two-set Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders performance originally recorded to 1/4” analog reels by Betty Cantor Jackson.
Is there a more iconic venue for Garcia/Saunders than the Keystone Berkeley? The Bay Area haunt was the setting for the performances contained on the legendary Live at the Keystone releases & yielded at least a half-dozen other celebrated official live releases. Be it the quaint, unassuming setting or the proximity to home, magic never seemed to be in short supply — and this evening in November was no different. In addition to the ever-present John Kahn on bass, the rhythm section this evening was bolstered by one of the most in demand session drummers of his day, the great Paul Humphrey whose credits range from Marvin Gaye & Joe Cocker to the Lawrence Welk Show. Future Legion of Mary bandmate Martin Fierro rounds out the ensemble. The performance itself is nothing short of exceptional, particularly the monstrous first set combination of “Valdez in the Country,” The Harder They Come,” & “You Can Leave Your Hat On” which destroy any notion of genre as Garcia, Saunders & co somehow fuse seemingly disparate originals by Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff & Randy Newman into a sound all their own. After a brief set-break, the group returns for a super-charged second set highlighted by extended versions of “Freedom Jazz Dance” & Merl’s own “Wondering Why” before closing the evening with a fiery “Mystery Train.” Always ones to stretch the bounds, you get the sense they would’ve gone all night if not for the venue’s pesky 2am curfew.
Click Additional Details for setlist.
Out of stock? Get notified when this item is restocked.
I really enjoy listening to all of Jerry Garcia's projects away from the Dead. But some of my favorite performances were those he did at the Keystone in Berkeley. I was able to attend quite a few of those performances in the 1970s and have many fond memories. This was a great recording of an amazing period in Garcia's musical journey.
Dino
February 14, 2023
Love it, I saw this band (w/ Paul on drums) in Boston at Paul Mall club for 3 or 4 nights they player there. Just like I remember it!
Brett Robert
February 12, 2023
GarciaLive Volume 18 is basically a great jazz-rock fusion show from less than 2 weeks after the Grateful Dead's "Last Show Ever". This is a period where Jerry's musical future was completely up in the air and he could go in any direction that he wanted to, and this was him doing what he wanted. He had been working with Merl Saunders and John Kahn for several years playing in local venues and they were really tight. The addition of Paul Humphrey on the drums in this show just adds to the musical excellence. Phil Lesh played the bass like a lead instrument in the Grateful Dead, and Paul Humphrey played drums during this show in a similar way, with an artistic intent that makes him as big of a part of the creativity of that night as Jerry, Merl, and Martin Fierro, who played the wind instruments. Nothing mattered to the people on stage that night but the quality of the music and it shows. I really enjoyed this one!
Steve G
September 23, 2022
Excellent release - these Garcia releases are such a brilliant compliment to the Dead music showing the range of styles and improve Jerry had. They always end up in high rotation. Keep then coming
Ron
July 18, 2022
A great piece in the puzzle of Jerry/Merl collaborations. Setlist contains an unusual selection of tunes that demonstrates a wider reach of Jerry's tastes and talent than most releases in the series, from the most well known Live at Keystone to some of the more obscure Pure Jerry and Garcia Live material. I was fortunate enough to catch several Southern California dates of this and similar lineups and this is great to have this release in hand at last!
Craig Fuller
June 30, 2022
This is a great quality recording and the energy of the performance is very high. Drummer Paul Humphrey really bumps up the tempo on a few of the LOM standards, providing some rocking takes. This show was just a week or so before LOM went on an East Coast tour. I’m hoping Garcia Provisions will find and release some of those shows too. Paul’s Mall in Cambridge has got to be some of the best, and rarest shows ever. Thanks Folks! Keep ‘em coming!
Ken Polakowski
June 29, 2022
This concert is a wonderful addition to my collection. The wide variety of music is pretty amazing. It showcases the incredible talents and versatility of every member of the band. There is a wide range of music from Rock: Neighbor, Neighbor and Mystery Train (rockin) Jazz: Valdez in the Country and Freedom Jazz Dance (unexpected and very cool) Garcia Band Classics: The Harder They Come (one of the best renditions of this) Blues: You Can Leave Your Hat On (very funky) I could comment on the rest but will just say great listening.
Jay Kerley
June 29, 2022
This is an excellent release which brings back many memories. I saw Garcia and Saunders two nights before at a Halloween show at USF, and this Keystone show is bit more mellow than the USF show.(I'd sure love to get a tape of the USF show...) Speaking of mellow, the "Wondering Why" might have the most laid-back Garcia I have ever heard. I saw Jerry MUCH more during the "Retirement" than at other times. I would haunt the Keystone Berkeley. I saw Kingfish, NRPS, and others there as well.Garcia and Saunders were important to me. I can still visualize Merle grinning over the top of his organ. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" had a particularly satyr-ish grin. I can't get enough of Jerry & Merle. Bless them both. Please release more! Peace, Jay Kerley
Patrick McCavanagh
June 29, 2022
I have all 18 releases & love them all
Sam Greyson
June 29, 2022
Great because: totally different music than the usually boring “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” etc. lineup. The other albums tend to have the same 6 or so songs. This is a completely different experience and showed another side of the band.
lee
June 29, 2022
A major piece in Garcia’s musical legacy.
David Wenzel
June 27, 2022
My favorite of all the JG/Saunders recordings. Cool jazz aplenty, but enough rock n roll too. Never enjoyed Martin Fierro quite like this. May he rest in peace. Truly love this record.
SH
June 26, 2022
Love this one. This is my favorite period/lineup for Jerry's bands. Let's see more like this. Skip the 90's stuff.
Dr Dave
June 26, 2022
Best damn release to come out of Garcia Estate in a while. Stop reading and "add to cart". The shirt on the other hand, poor choice of colors. You can hardly see the green print on the lt blue background. It will very quickly wind up in the "everyday t-shirt drawer" instead of the "Garcia" shirt drawer.
Greg Arevian
June 23, 2022
Just 2 amazing sets of music. Keep the quality coming and I have no problem continuing my purchases. Thanks