Mickey Hart's Mystery Box

Last updated
Mickey Hart's Mystery Box
MickeyHartsMysteryBox.jpg
Studio album by Mickey Hart
Released June 11, 1996
Genre World music
Length54:17
Label Rykodisc
Producer Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart chronology
Planet Drum
(1991)		Mickey Hart's Mystery Box
(1996)		 Supralingua
(1998)

Mickey Hart's Mystery Box is an album by former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. It was released on CD and cassette by Rykodisc Records on June 11, 1996. The album combines Hart's percussion-based world music with the vocal harmonies of the British singing sextet the Mint Juleps. Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics for all the songs. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Grateful Dead American rock jam band

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, modal jazz, reggae, experimental music, psychedelia, and space rock, for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams, and for their devoted fan base, known as "Deadheads". "Their music", writes Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists". These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world". The band was ranked 57th by Rolling Stone magazine in its The Greatest Artists of All Time issue. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and a recording of their May 8, 1977, performance at Cornell University's Barton Hall was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.

Mickey Hart American musician

Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until the group disbanded in August 1995. He and fellow Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann earned the nickname "the rhythm devils".

Rykodisc was an American record label. Its catalog is owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.

Contents

The song "Only the Strange Remain" was later performed live by the Other Ones, and appears on their album The Strange Remain .

The Other Ones was an American rock band formed in 1998 by former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, along with part-time Grateful Dead collaborator Bruce Hornsby. In 2000, Bill Kreutzmann, another Grateful Dead alumnus, joined the group, while Phil Lesh dropped out. In 2002, Lesh rejoined the band, and Hornsby left. At different times the shifting lineup of The Other Ones also included Mark Karan, Steve Kimock, John Molo, Dave Ellis, Alphonso Johnson, Jimmy Herring, Rob Barraco, Jeff Chimenti, and Susan Tedeschi. In 2003, The Other Ones changed their name to The Dead.

<i>The Strange Remain</i> 1999 live album by The Other Ones

The Strange Remain is a live album by the rock band the Other Ones. It was recorded live on the Furthur Festival tour in 1998 and released in 1999. The album reached number one on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and number 112 on the Billboard 200.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Music BoxStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

On Allmusic, Lindsay Planer said, "Mickey Hart's Mystery Box harks back to [ Rolling Thunder ] with [Hart's] first album of pop-oriented material in nearly a quarter-century. He combines the seemingly disparate world of percussion-based rhythms with traditional 'Western-style' structures containing lyrics by Grateful Dead wordsmith Robert Hunter. All the more diverse are the contributions of the Mint Juleps.... Their paradisaical harmonies support Hart's occasional leads, while they're effectively incorporated as primary participants on the infectious groove..." [1]

<i>Rolling Thunder</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Mickey Hart

Rolling Thunder is the first solo album by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

Robert Hunter (lyricist) American musician

Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his work with the Grateful Dead.

In The Music Box, John Metzger wrote, "Overlaying the rhythmic sounds created by Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, Babatunde Olatunji, and Airto Moreira are the sweet, soulful vocals of the Mint Juleps. What ensues is an album with more of a rhythm and blues feel than many Hart fans may be accustomed, but... persistence will pay off with tremendous rewards. Robert Hunter penned the lyrics to all of the songs on Mickey Hart's Mystery Box, and as with all of his poetic creations, the lyrics contain multiple meanings that will shift depending upon one's mood.... The Mint Juleps handle the Hunter-penned lyrics so skillfully that the ensemble essentially becomes a rhythm track of its own.... In short, Mickey Hart's Mystery Box is a multi-dimensional album that contains many subtle rhythm and vocal textures." [2]

Giovanni Hidalgo Percussionist, music educator

Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" is a Latin jazz percussionist.

Zakir Hussain (musician) Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer

Zakir Hussain is a tabla virtuoso, composer, percussionist, music producer, film actor and eldest son of legendary tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha.

Sikiru Adepoju Percussionist and recording artist

Sikiru Adepoju is a percussionist and recording artist from Nigeria, primarily in the genres of traditional African music and world music. He plays a variety of instruments and styles.

Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant called the album "a surprising and enjoyable new direction that marries [Hart's] complex sense of rhythm with the naturally appealing sound of contemporary soul.... Just about the furthest thing from tie-dyed guitar-rock nostalgia as could be imagined, Mystery Box pulses with life and zings with harmonious energy." [5]

<i>Hartford Courant</i> Connecticut newspaper

The Hartford Courant is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is often recognized as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury, its headquarters on Broad Street is a short walk from the state capitol. It reports regional news with a chain of bureaus in smaller cities and a series of local editions. It also operates CTNow, a free local weekly newspaper and website.

Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.

Track listing

  1. "Where Love Goes (Sito)" (Robert Hunter, Mickey Hart, Mint Juleps, Babatunde Olatunji, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo) – 5:25
  2. "Full Steam Ahead" (Hunter, Hart, Dave Jenkins, Vince Welnick, Mint Juleps, Hussain, Hidalgo, Sikiru Adepoju) – 5:18
  3. "Down the Road" (Hunter, Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Hidalgo) – 5:59
  4. "The Sandman" (Hunter, Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Mint Juleps, Hussain)– 4:09
  5. "The Next Step" (Hunter, Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Jeff Sterling, Hussain, Hidalgo, Adepoju) – 5:23
  6. "Look Away" (Hunter, Hart, Mint Juleps, Adepoju, Hidalgo) – 5:58
  7. "Only the Strange Remain" (Hunter, Hart) – 6:24
  8. "Sangre de Cristo" (Hunter, Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Hussain, Hidalgo) – 4:14
  9. "John Cage is Dead" (Hunter, Hart, Jenkins, Welnick, Hidalgo, Hussain) – 6:02
  10. "The Last Song" (Hunter, Hart, Mint Juleps, Adepoju, Hidalgo) – 5:15

Personnel

Musicians

Drum type of musical instrument of the percussion family

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a percussion mallet, to produce sound. There is usually a resonance head on the underside of the drum, typically tuned to a slightly lower pitch than the top drumhead. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the thumb roll. Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.

Percussion instrument Type of musical instrument that produces a sound by being hit

A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater ; struck, scraped or rubbed by hand; or struck against another similar instrument. The percussion family is believed to include the oldest musical instruments, following the human voice.

Singing act of producing musical sounds with the voice

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists. Singers may perform as soloists or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Different singing styles include art music such as opera and Chinese opera, Indian music and religious music styles such as gospel, traditional music styles, world music, jazz, blues, gazal and popular music styles such as pop, rock, electronic dance music and filmi.

The Mint Juleps

Additional musicians

Production

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Planer, Lindsay. Mickey Hart's Mystery Box at Allmusic. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Metzger, John (November 1997). Mickey Hart's Mystery Box, The Music Box. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ Mickey Hart's Mystery Box at the Grateful Dead Family Discography. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ Mickey Hart's Mystery Box Archived 2013-04-13 at Archive.is , mickeyhart.net. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  5. ↑ Catlin, Roger (July 4, 1996). Mickey Hart's Mystery Box, Hartford Courant . Retrieved March 10, 2013.
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