|
Legend has it that a pizza
delivery boy lifted Jerry Garcia's cassette tape of two evenings worth
of very special music from his kitchen counter, thus paving its way into
underground tape trading circles and giving a handle to these incredible
performances. Now at last, from the vaults of Dawg Studios comes the sonically
superb official release of this historic jam session, the only meeting
of guitar greats Jerry Garcia and Tony Rice, introduced to each other
by their mutual friend and musical associate, mandolinist/ producer David
Grisman. The Pizza Tapes capture these virtuosos at a rare moment in time,
free of pressure, hassles or any given agenda other than making music
and having plenty of fun.
Jerry sings several
tunes not only unique to his repertoire but captured here for the first
and only time: "Long Black Veil," "House of the Rising Sun," and "Man
of Constant Sorrow." Along with the folk/country classics "Rosa Lee McFall,"
"Little Sadie," and "Louis Collins" are jazz-infused versions of "So What,"
"Summertime" (a Garcia/ Rice guitar duet) and several free-form extended
trio improvisations. Emotional renderings of "Amazing Grace" and Bob Dylan's
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" add the final topping to this already spicy
pie; and with the tape left rolling, the listener is literally right in
the studio with the guys as they let it all hang out in between tunes-it's
like getting extra toppings for free! The Pizza Tapes is a landmark recording
and one of Acoustic Disc's best sounding releases. Get it while it's hot!
|