Back in 1993, when famous Marin County bluegrass/jazz/retro mandolinist David Grisman was recording his TONE POEMS, a series of duets with famous acoustic guitar flatpicker Tony Rice, performed on a variety of antique instruments, the two of them packed up their axes one afternoon and went over to Jerry Garcia’s house.
The three spent several hours shooting the shit, trying to remember the chord changes to a variety of old-timey tunes, and jamming together in Jerry’s home studio, with the recording equipment running.
At one point, Jerry ordered a pizza. When the delivery kid came, Jerry asked him to come in while he went to look for some cash. The kid saw the cassettes lying on the counter and, according to myth, helped himself to them when no one was looking.
Somehow, Grisman got the tapes back a year or so ago, and today the CD of The Pizza Tapes should be hitting the record stores. The material ranges from old folk-tunes like “Shady Grove” to Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” to Miles Davis’s “So What.”
I’m relating this as a charming little urban (or suburban) legend, and because I’m a big Grisman/Rice/Garcia fan, and this is the only time these three made music together, and maybe some of the other MPSIMers will be interested.
Review to follow tomorrow. I can tell by the rousing response to this thread (thank you, AW) That all my Doper pals are waiting by their monitors to hear my critique…
i for one am very interested to hear your critique. i’m a life long Garcia fan and spent many years on the road following the DeaD and JGB. one of my all time favorite commercial albums is “not for kids only”, Garcia and Grisman.
thanks for the heads up on the new release
i for one am very interested to hear your critique. i’m a life long Garcia fan and spent many years on the road following the DeaD and JGB. one of my all time favorite commercial albums is “not for kids only”, Garcia and Grisman.
thanks for the heads up on the new release
Uke–as a Dead fan, a bluegrass fan (I’m from Kentucky–what can I do?), and guitar-and-mandolin wannabe, I am anxiously awaiting your review, and will likely proceed to my local record dispensary tomorrow and procure my own copy (unless your review indicates that I shouldn’t).
Just didn’t want you to feel too left out.
On the subject of bluegrass–my girlfriend grew up in the county where Bill Monroe was born and raised and where he lived most of his life. She lived and went to school there from birth until she left for college. I mentioned this when Bill died, and she had no idea he was from Ohio County. In thirteen years of school, no one bothered to mention that one of the most important figures in American music grew up fifteen miles away. I guess that’s how easily we abandon our own culture.
Dr. J
“Seriously, baby, I can prescribe anything I want!” -Dr. Nick Riviera
i for one am very interested to hear your critique. i’m a life long Garcia fan and spent many years on the road following the DeaD and JGB. one of my all time favorite commercial albums is “not for kids only”, Garcia and Grisman.
thanks for the heads up on the new release
i for one am very interested to hear your critique. i’m a life long Garcia fan and spent many years on the road following the DeaD and JGB. one of my all time favorite commercial albums is “not for kids only”, Garcia and Grisman.
thanks for the heads up on the new release
<<It’s an urban legend, but the tapes actually exist? >>
Rilch: I’ll answer this one here, in hopes that dupe thread sinks and dies.
The tapes exist, all right. The urban legend part was the STORY behind them. Bootleg tape-traders aren’t above making up a cute story about the provenance of product.
It seems more devilish to talk about a nebulous and thieving pizza boy than to just say, “Well, this here’s Jer and Tony and David sitting around the front porch pickin’ on a few old tunes.”
Well, you two should nip out immediately a pick up a copy! As should ChiefScott, Frankd6, Democritus, Dirty Devil, and all the other deadheads around here, plus all the bluegrass buffs and anyone who likes fine acoustic performances!
The critic says everything I would’ve said, and it means more coming from him, since professional record critics have been slamming everything Garcia’s done since 1973. Now that Jerry’s been gone for almost five years, it looks like it’s all right for them to come out and admit just how good a player he was.
The between-song patter is a RIOT! The disk opens with a thirteen second clip of the three guys launching into "Man of Contant Sorrow, Garcia snorting with laughter and merrily saying “I done fucked it up ALREADY!”
Another fine addition to my already extensive Grisman collection.
Grisman and Garcia recorded a great disc in '91, but I found the '98 release (called So What) a bit disappointing.
Imagine what might have happened had they been able to get Mark O’Connor in on this one! Thanks for the tip Ike, your taste is impeccable, as always.
Dr. Watson