Customer Reviews

Great Sky River

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This albulm offers some amazing sounds which will appeal to a unique audience....

If you do not like technically intricate music, you need not apply. If you do not like the Greatful Dead, this albulm may not appeal to you. If you like both, especially the Terrapin Station albulm, you're on board.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite album of all time (and I have access to thousands of releases). Great Sky River is the most agressive of the three Jazz is Dead offerings, and with the talent Jazz is Dead demonstrates, the more aggressive the better.

When I say agressive, I don't necessarily refer to speed, I refer more to the individual artists style. In some cases this album is melodic, thundering, soothing, technical, etc...In a live setting.

Jimmy Herring is the quintessential guitar player. He show's pros how to play the guitar, period. I actually find myself consistently overwhelmed by how awesome he really is on this album (and others, I also recommend 'Project Z('s)' new album). If you love guitar, please listen to this album (at least). He really delivers on so many fronts, chords, scales, tone. The critical comment I have is that Jimmy (and maybe the Sound personnel is to blame) drowns out the melody while he's playing the harmony at times (e.g., St. Stephan). But this guy smokes, like no other I've heard, e.g. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, Trey....He is really that awesome! One close listen to 'The Eleven' on this albulm will clearly [at least] show why I make such a bold statement. Future guitarists: Buy any thing Jimmy plays on and take good notes, as far as I can recon., this man is the mecca of guitar performance.

While I drool over Jimmy's playing, the other three players on this album have both chops and soul, they're forces to be reckoned with. Alphonzo (who's a great guy (having (briefly) met him)) can play a bass. And it shows here...The solo following St. Stephan is obvious, but listen for some of his turned down antics. Whether it's the slides on St. Stephan &/or Terrapin or the melody on Morning Dew, this Man is a pro.

As they all are. Rod & T are awesome as well. I've heard some bad reviews on T's choice of tone on the 'Estimated Prophet' track and I vehemently disagree. The tone really suits this song well, T has outguessed his amateur critics on this one.

I am a big Grateful Dead fan. This album appeals to me for reasons other than the Dead. And that is the combination of great song writing (behalf of the Dead) and some of the more amazingly good musicians (you've ever heard) building on their music in an aggresive manner. The two latter qualities are both dramtic departures from the Dead, which I also enjoy, it's a great perspective.

Obviously, I love this albulm. Any one who either likes Jazz Fusion or is an aspiring musician really ought to listen this album (again and again: I'd recommend a daily dose). I have virtually no complaints and hope to find more albulms that strike a chord with me like this one does.

Now don't get me wrong, I dig this CD, the sound is good, the tracks are more or less good, but I cannot put it in the same league as Blue Light Rain or Laughing Water. I think BLR was the quinticensial JID album. Billy, Jimmy, Alfonso, and T. all did a masterful job of capturing the the true jazzy essence of the Dead's music. That album was perfectly executed, no one overplayed and everyone's playing just melted together to form a cohesive body of pure soulful music. Jimmy did not display his mind bending licks on that album, but he did showcase his uncanny ability to create beautiful flowing melodies that rolled along with the music. Herring played some extemely tastey stuff even if he wasn't pushing the envelope of his technical ability. Very rarely have I heard a band so in tune to each other. If you disagree with me just go and give that album a thourough listening, they are so tight and the music is so perfect (not to mention the sound, its hard to tell that it is all live). Laughing Water was another great CD, although I'd rank it just the slightest bit below BLR. LW does feature different drummers (Sipe and Morganstein) and that does really change the sound of the band (not in a bad way at all, just different). The band did lose a little of that Billy Cobham swagger that only Billy can provide, but Jeff and Rod were more than worthy replacements. Herring also switched to a PRS guitar with a ballzier set up which sort said goodbye to the sweet Fender tones of BLR and opened the door for those heavy distorted mind bending crunchy licks that Herring is the master of. I love this album because it takes slighly heavier approach to the music and Herring really steps up to the plate and delivers some amazing stuff while still keeping a lid on it to a certain extent. Great Sky River differs from the first two albums because there is more agressive soloing by Herring. Although I do live to hear this man play guitar I must say that I think he overdoes some of his solos. His solo on Estimated Profit is definitley impressive but seems too detached, too outlandish. I loved the way he would slowley bring up his solos on the first two albums and rely more on harmony than chops. On this album he goes right for the juggular and I think that pushes the music into the realm of Prog. Rock rather than Jazz (as their name implies). I'm not insulting his playing, I just prefer the more toned down approach to this music. Also, Rod Morganstien, although an imensly talented drummer, is a little overbearing sometimes. Billy would just carry a song from start to finish laying down a solid and intoxicating groove. Morganstein, on the other hand, is more rock oriented and does some pretty wild stuff, more wild than his work on LW I feel. Because of this I feel like Alfonso gets a little lost sometimes. He is a very groove oriented player and I liked the pairing of Billy and Alfonso more than I do the pairing of Rod and Alfonso (not to say that Alfoso's playing on this album is bad, I just feel his style better fits Billy's). T's playing also suffers from this overplaying syndrom. His work on BLR was brilliantly tastey, he stepped it up a notch on LW but again he still had a lid on his playing. On this album he blows it right off. Besides the playing I also feel that the sound isn't as good as the first two albums, its a litte raw, but still outstanding considering its all live. Anyway, I hope you all keep in mind that this is just my opinion, if you like a more rowdy version of JID then this is the album for you, no doubt about it. Even if you are skeptical about buying it you still should because the performaces are action packed and when it comes down to it you really can't go wrong with such a fine assembly of musicians. After all I am giving this album four stars, that is still quite a compliment even after this laundry list of opinions. But if you do not have the first two albums (especially BLR) then GET THEM IMMEDIATLEY! I promise you will not be sorry AT ALL. They are NASTY albums that deserve to be in ANY music lovers collection.

And sorry for the sacrilege, but not every Dead album or traded tape is "essential", either. Great Sky River by Jazz is Dead brings joy to this old Deadhead, and I happily recommend that you add it to your own "Vault". The old familiar riffs are there, the changes and bridges are there, and the jams are beautiful, powerful, and perhaps best of all, NEW.

From the initial happy hop-along trills of China Cat Sunflower through the beautifully realized St.Stephen>The Eleven to the conclusion of the spine-chilling Morning Dew, Jazz is Dead never fails to find the musical core of what makes these tunes memorable and beloved. And the superb talent of Herring, Johnson, Lavitz and Morgenstein adds what was sometimes missing from Dead performances - energy, enthusiasm and freshness.

Just as great stories do not suffer from being retold by others than the author, great music does not suffer from being played by new hands in new times. Jazz is Dead shows why this music will survive. Their versions will join the originals as "essential".

Finally the trilogy has been completed. I loved their first 2 CDs so I had to pick this one up right away. Heres my basic critique of the album. Jazz Is Dead crank out hyper extended jam rock versions of Grateful Dead classics. Their albums are definitely a must have for Deadheads if you dont mind an absence of lyrics, but I say, kick back, relax and make up your own. Led by the burning guitar lines of Jimmy Herring (who now plays with Phil Lesh and sat in last summer with the Allman Bros) and held together but the fat grooving bass of Alphonso Johnson (was in Bobby & The Midnites), the bands improvisations are consistently intriguing; itll blow your mind to hear searing renditions of Blues for Allah, China Cat Sunflower and Terrapin Station (Parts I & II). I know some of you may think its blasphemous for anyone to cover GD, but any true fan knows they have to get this CD for one reason only, a beautifully recorded version of the majestic Morning Dew! Its refreshing to finally get a version of that song on CD. I personally think if your looking to whet your appetite with a new tasty flavor of an old recipe then take a leisurely dip in the Great Sky River.

i'm a huge herring fan and for the past 5 years jazz is dead has been one of my personal favorites. the sheer power and grace of jimmy, tlavitz, alphonso johnson and rod morgenstien combine for one of the most formidable quartets ever. i wasn't even a dead fan before jazz is dead. it was their fusion-like takes on such dead classics as terrapin station, st. stephen, and china cat that drew me in and i've been there ever since.

I always felt that the Grateful Dead wrote some great tunes. However --
1. Other than Jerry Garcia, their musical technique wasn't strong enough to give those tunes a proper workout. (Okay, Bob Weir and Phil Lesh fans, flame away. I understand.)
2. The overall Dead aesthetic was just too meandering and laid-back for jazz-rock nuts like me.

That's why this release, like all the Jazz is Dead releases, makes me very happy. No disrespect to the originals, but these are truly great players playing those great tunes, and their technical prowess allows them to reign in some of (what I perceive as) the original band's musical excesses. Other reviewers have covered the highlights, so there's nothing to add there -- I simply want to recommend this disc to other fusion fans who saw the potential as far back as 1967 but secretly yearned for a little more adrenaline and chops.

JID triumphs once again with their third release, "Great Sky Water". The album starts off smoothly with a upbeat version of "China Cat Sunflower". This is a great opener, however, I think it would have really hit home if it had been followed up with "I Know You Rider", as the GD used to do. "Estimated Prophet" can be summed up in two words, Jimmy Herring. He is the song, playing some very mean and inspired rifts. The Dead were always famous for playing certain songs together, and while JID did not hold up the traditional Sunflower>Rider combination, they make up for it by playing the St. Stephan>The Eleven combo. The Stephan>Eleven jam is one of the highlights of the album, especially the bass solo Alphonso plays while seguing the songs. "Terrapin Station" is another highlight, however, they kind of go off on a "Dark Star" spin that really seems forced in there. The song really would have been best left in it's original format. When they stay within the "Terrapin" framework, it's excellent; Jimmy and the gang really kick it into high gear and fire off some amazing sounding licks, which proves why these guys are among the best at their respective instruments. The album ends gracefully with an emotional "Morning Dew" that peaks with beautiful solos by T and Herring.

"Great Sky Water" has a great flow, with the exception of the jam/"Blues For Allah" that follows a great drum solo by Morganstein. That point in the album makes me immeadiately reach for the "next" button on my CD player.

With few exceptions, this album is excellent and is definately a must in your JID collection.

I'm not what you would call a hard core Dead Head. I like most of what the Dead put out but not everything. Same is true for Jazz - I like a lot of jazz, including some electronic jazz, but not everthing. The title is a little misleading because it's not what I would call jazz per se, but it does have those kind of overtones. Regardless, there is just no way escaping the dynamic performances of the musicians and the way they have interpreted and restructured the selected Grateful Dead tunes. If you have familiarity with the Dead and want to see how another group of first rate musicians redefine the songs in a "jazzy," instrumental interpretation, I'd really recommend this disc. It heightens your appreciation of what these guys are doing and why they did it and just elevates the enjoyment of the music all the way around. Give it a try.

I liked the first two discs by these guys better.

There's no denying that this band is totally top shelf, it's just that the songs here seem a little uninspired.

The first three tracks: China Cat, Estimated Prophet, and St. Stephen/The Eleven are worth the purchase price. But the next couple drag on: Drums & Jam and Blues for Allah--what a boring song. Terrapin Station and Morning Dew finish it all off, but for my tastes just weren't burning.

This is an inbcredible CD - Terrapin is the best - I just love all their stuff - long pieces - no vocals - fantasmic!