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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, but not their best effort., September 10, 2001
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.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique Audience, December 7, 2001
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not every Grateful Dead cover is worth buying..., October 5, 2001
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".
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