Grateful Dedication
Blue Note, 2021
8/10
The saxophone extraordinaire Dave McMurray turns in an interesting concept, as he interprets songs from The Grateful Dead’s catalog, and he’s bringing his gritty Detroit background to the San Francisco tunes that enlists some esteemed help to flesh out the atypical time measures and meticulous chord progressions.
“Fire On The Mountain” starts the listen with McMurray’s dizzying saxophone skills alongside warm keys from Maurice O’Neai and soothing guitar lines thanks to Wayne Gerard, and “Dark Star” follows with precise upright bass courtesy of Ibrahim Jones to complement the glowing melodies and playful interaction.
At the halfway point, “Eyes Of The World” flows with a timeless spirit as McMurray’s soulful brass flows amid Jeff Canady’s agile drumming, while “The Eleven” highlights the moody keys and the quivering sax, though the drumming acrobatics certainly don’t disappoint, either. The album’s best tune actually lands early in the disc, where Bob Weir And Wolf Bros and Bettye LaVette contribute their sublime talents to the soulful and richly textured “Loser”.
Arriving near the end, timeless jazz nods and bluesy ideas enter “Franklin’s Tower”, and “The Music Never Stopped” exits the listen with all the players working together dynamically as they add pop, rock and many other ideas to the classic finish.
One doesn’t need to be a fan of The Grateful Dead to enjoy this record, so long as pop, rock, jazz, blues. gospel, soul and R&B appeal to your musical palette. If you are a Deadhead, though, well, you’ve probably heard many other tribute albums, but none quite like this, as McMurray and company interpret with an inimitable vision that you can’t help but admire.
Travels well with: George Benson- Weekend In London; Wayne Shorter- Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis