Pure Jerry: Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974 | ||||
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Live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders Band | ||||
Released | December 28, 2004 | |||
Recorded | September 1, 1974 | |||
Venue | The Keystone Berkeley, California | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 220:17 | |||
Label | Jerry Made | |||
Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia chronology | ||||
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Merl Saunders chronology | ||||
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Jerry Garcia chronology | ||||
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Pure Jerry:Keystone Berkeley,September 1,1974 is a three-CD live album by the Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders Band. It contains the complete concert performed at the Keystone in Berkeley,California,on September 1,1974. The fourth in the Pure Jerry series of archival concert albums,it was released on December 28,2004. [1] [2] [3]
Pure Jerry:Keystone Berkeley features Jerry Garcia on guitar and vocals,Merl Saunders on keyboards and vocals,Martin Fierro on saxophone and flute,John Kahn on bass,and Paul Humphrey on drums. At this show,a trumpet player whose identity is no longer known sat in on some of the songs. [1] [2]
Some earlier sources referred to this band as Legion of Mary. [4] However,later research showed that the name Legion of Mary was only used from December 1974 to July 1975,after Ron Tutt replaced Paul Humphrey as the band's drummer. [5] A recording by that band is Legion of Mary:The Jerry Garcia Collection,Vol. 1 . Released in August 2005,it contains selections from various concerts,recorded from December 1974 to July 1975,on two CDs. [6] A second LOM album is Garcia Live Volume Three ,released in October 2013 and recorded at two concerts in December 1974.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Music Box | [2] |
On Allmusic,Lindsay Planer wrote,"Within this context,Garcia's predilection and underrated jazz leanings are given plenty of room for some stretched-out exploratory excursions.... For the inclined,2004's Pure Jerry:Keystone Berkeley,September 1,1974 is a no-brainer,while the faithful might liken it unto aural manna for the masses. Curious parties won't leave disappointed,either." [1]
In The Music Box,John Metzger wrote,"Granted,the set lists employed by any of the Garcia-Saunders projects didn't vary tremendously from one show to the next,and each was peppered with an organic blend of Bob Dylan-penned,Motown-germinated,jazz,blues,funk,reggae,and rock selections.... Not surprisingly,the end result of such improvisational mayhem could be a hit-and-miss affair,but for whatever reason,September 1,1974 yielded a truly awesome,mind-blowing experience,one that rivaled the Grateful Dead's own astonishing sojourns.... In essence,the fourth chapter in the Pure Jerry series amounts to being a whirlwind tour de force that far and away surpasses not only the entirety of Jerry Garcia's solo canon,but also many of the Grateful Dead's own releases." [2]
On Jambands.com,Benjy Eisen said,"Like most of his collaborations with the encyclopedic Merl Saunders,this particular Garcia project draws from the music that gave birth to rock n' roll,and really becomes a musical revue in that sense. With the Grateful Dead,Garcia forged new musical boundaries. With this band,he stops to consider heritage. And at a time when rock 'n' roll was young to begin with.... Interestingly,Garcia does not dominate all the jams here. The baton gets passed around frequently from guitar to horns to keyboards,and the game of musical chairs is executed skillfully,with leads chasing leads,and one instrument following the other. Hand-offs are exchanged generously and gracefully,with a true sense of musical conversation. The thrill of this release is in listening to the interplay,because that's where all the action is." [7]
In Glide magazine,Susan J. Weiand wrote,"Martin Fierro's tasteful contributions on sax and flute are clear and true,and combined with the playing of the unnamed trumpet player add so much texture to the songs. Jerry's voice sounds fresh and youthful,his playing inspired and energetic,while Merl really delivers the soul with his organ and singing,and Kahn's bass and Humphrey's drums are steady. It is evident that Jerry loved playing in his side projects as much as he loved to play with the Grateful Dead. The mood is so relaxed and one can almost hear the glasses clinking at the bar,but the music delivers the Pure Jerry fix that Deadheads and other fans can really appreciate." [8]
Disc 1
Disc 2
Disc 3
Martin Fierro was a saxophonist who played with the Sir Douglas Quintet,Quicksilver Messenger Service,Jerry Garcia,and Zero. He is the father of actor David Fierro.
Merl Saunders was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards,favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ.
The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975;it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly toured and recorded sporadically throughout its twenty-year existence,generally,but not always,during breaks in the Grateful Dead's schedule.
Legion of Mary was an American rock band,formed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and his friend and musical collaborator Merl Saunders. The band existed from July 1974 to July 1975,and played about 60 live shows. Its members were Garcia,Saunders,John Kahn,Martin Fierro and Ron Tutt (drums). The previous lineup of the band,with Paul Humphrey on drums,is sometimes also referred to as Legion of Mary,but later research has shown that they did not use the Legion of Mary name.
Garcia Plays Dylan is an album composed of various live performances featuring Jerry Garcia playing covers of Bob Dylan songs. It is culled from performances from 1973–1995,and features Garcia playing with Grateful Dead,Legion of Mary,Jerry Garcia Band,and Garcia-Saunders. Garcia takes lead vocals on all tracks.
Legion of Mary:The Jerry Garcia Collection,Vol. 1 is an album by Legion of Mary,a jazz influenced rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. It was recorded live on various dates from December 1974 to July 1975,at the Keystone in Berkeley,California,the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco,California,and the Paramount Theatre in Portland,Oregon. It was released on August 23,2005.
Reconstruction was a band formed in 1978 by John Kahn initially to occupy him while Jerry Garcia,his long-time musical collaborator,was busy with the Grateful Dead. The band's original guitar player was Jerry Miller,best known for performing with Moby Grape. In March 1979,Garcia took over guitar duties officially.
Pure Jerry:Theatre 1839,San Francisco,July 29 &30,1977 is an album by the Jerry Garcia Band. It was the first release in the Pure Jerry series of live recordings by Jerry Garcia and his various solo bands. As the title suggests,it was recorded on July 29 and 30,1977,at Theatre 1839 in San Francisco,California. It was released on June 1,2004.
Hooteroll? is a jazz-rock fusion album by Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia.
Live at Keystone is an album by Merl Saunders,Jerry Garcia,John Kahn,and Bill Vitt. It was recorded live at the Keystone in Berkeley,California on July 10 and 11,1973,and released later that year as a two-disc vinyl LP. It was re-released in 1988,with additional tracks,as two separate CDs,called Live at Keystone Volume I and Live at Keystone Volume II.
Keystone Encores is an album by Merl Saunders,Jerry Garcia,John Kahn,and Bill Vitt. It was recorded live at the Keystone in Berkeley,California,on July 10 and 11,1973,and released on CD by Fantasy Records in 1988. It was also released,with additional tracks,as two separate LPs called Keystone Encores Volume I and Keystone Encores Volume II.
Keystone Companions:The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings is a four-CD album by Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia. It was recorded live at the Keystone in Berkeley,California on July 10 and 11,1973,and released by Fantasy Records on September 25,2012.
Bill Vitt was an American drummer and keyboardist. He worked extensively as a live performer and as a session musician. In the 1970s he played with Brewer &Shipley,Jerry Garcia,Merl Saunders,and the Sons of Champlin.
Garcia Live Volume Three is a three-CD album by Legion of Mary,a band led by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It was recorded live on December 14 and 15,1974,at the Paramount Theatre in Portland,Oregon and the EMU Ballroom in Eugene,Oregon. It was released by ATO Records on October 15,2013.
Garcia Live Volume Six is a three-CD live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It was recorded on July 5,1973,at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo,California. It was released on June 24,2016.
Garcia Live Volume Nine is a two-CD live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It contains the complete concert recorded on August 11,1974 at the Keystone in Berkeley,California. It was released on July 28,2017.
Jerry Garcia was an American musician. A guitarist,singer,and songwriter,he became famous as a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead,from 1965 to 1995. When not touring or recording with the Dead,Garcia was often playing music in other bands and with other musicians.
Garcia Live Volume 12 is a three-CD live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It contains the complete concert recorded on January 23,1973 at the Boarding House in San Francisco. It was released on December 20,2019.
Garcia Live Volume 15 is a two-CD live album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It was recorded on May 21,1971 at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. It contains the complete concert from that date except for the encore,which was "Deal". It was released on December 4,2020.
Garcia Live Volume 18 is a two-CD album by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. It contains the complete concert recorded on November 2,1974 at the Keystone in Berkeley,California. It was released on June 10,2022.