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Phil Lesh & Friends' Live at the Warfield (recorded May 18 and 19, 2006) follows a carload of live recordings issued on the Instant Live label a month previously. On these dates, the band consisted of Lesh on bass and vocals, the divine Ms. Joan Osborne on vocals, guitarists Larry Campbell and John Scofield, saxophonist Greg Osby, drummer John Molo, and Rob Barraco on keyboards and vocals. The program is Grateful Dead material (what else?) and the performance is stellar. (One interesting and necessary side note: the brief elegy Lesh offers for Ramrod, the then recently deceased equipment manager for the Dead, is deeply moving and beautiful.) Osborne is the perfect vocalist for this troupe; she is soulful and adds a degree of funkiness to the proceedings -- especially on the more R&B and jazz-oriented material like "Shakedown Street" and "Turn on Your Love Light." (If only she'd find a producer who could bring out this voice on a studio recording. Perhaps this should be her backing band next time out!) Mostly, the backing vocals add nothing, and could have been left out of the arrangements altogether (the two exceptions are "Cosmic Charlie" and "I Know You Rider"). Other than this small complaint -- it is live, after all -- this band is rehearsed, tight, and focused. Scofield and Campbell work well together, complementing each other's fills and grooves seamlessly. On the jam material like the "Dark Star" and "The Other One" medley, "The Wheel," and "Scarlet Begonias," the rhythm section is unshakable inside the grand improvisation that takes place.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Shakedown Street 13:13
2 Mr. Charlie 5:28
3 Pride of Cucamonga 6:57
4 Cosmic Charlie 8:50
5 Scarlet Begonias 16:33
6 They Love Each Other 5:35
7 Turn on Your Lovelight 11:30
8 Donor Rap 1:14
Disc 2
1 The Wheel 12:42
2 Dark Star 11:43
3 Morning Dew 12:25
4 I Know You Rider 7:42
5 The Other One 10:57
6 Dark Star 5:10
7 The Other One 6:27
8 Box of Rain 6:16
Disc 3
1 Conversation with Phil Lesh, John Scofield, and Greg Osby Bonus Track / DVD
2 Jazz Jam Bonus Track / DVD
3 Backstage Rehearsal Bonus Track / DVD
4 All Along the Watchtower Bonus Track / DVD
5 Passenger Bonus Track / DVD
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