Jazz Is Dead
Encyclopedia
Jazz is Dead is an instrumental
Grateful Dead
cover
band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz
influences. Although the group's composition has changed over time, with T Lavitz
being the only constant member, the group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles[]. In March 2006 this line-up set out for a month long tour featuring the music of "Blues For Allah" to coincide with its 30th Anniversary.
In 1999 Billy Cobham was replaced by Dixie Dregs
and Winger drummer Rod Morgenstein and Phil Lesh and Friends
drummer Jeff Sipe
.
In 2001, guitarist Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles
, Joe Cocker
, Crosby Stills & Nash) replaced Jimmy Herring. Little Feat
's Kenny Gradney
also played bass with the group at some shows.
The group went through a few more line-up changes (mostly bassists and drummers) over the years including the addition of Dave Livolsi on bass in 2002 and the reinstated dual-drummer line-up of Sipe and Morgenstein in 2006.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influences. Although the group's composition has changed over time, with T Lavitz
T Lavitz
Terry "T" Lavitz was an American jazz-rock/fusion keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.-Biography:Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey...
being the only constant member, the group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles[]. In March 2006 this line-up set out for a month long tour featuring the music of "Blues For Allah" to coincide with its 30th Anniversary.
Personnel
The band's original line-up consisted of:- Guitar - Jimmy HerringJimmy HerringJimmy Herring is an American guitarist who is currently the lead guitarist in the band Widespread Panic. Herring is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz is Dead...
(Aquarium Rescue UnitAquarium Rescue UnitCol. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit is an experimental rock group originally founded by Col. Bruce Hampton. The band gained popularity in the Atlanta club scene in the early 1990s and went on to tour with the first H.O.R.D.E. Tour. During the initial years, the band was composed of...
, Frogwings, Widespread PanicWidespread PanicWidespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
) - Bass - Alphonso JohnsonAlphonso JohnsonAlphonso Johnson is an American jazz bassist who has been influential since the early 1970s.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Johnson started off as an upright bass player, but switched to the electric bass in his late teens. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, Johnson showed...
(Weather ReportWeather ReportWeather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...
) - Drums - Billy CobhamBilly CobhamWilliam C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
(Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Mahavishnu Orchestra) - Keyboards - T LavitzT LavitzTerry "T" Lavitz was an American jazz-rock/fusion keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.-Biography:Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey...
(Dixie DregsDixie DregsThe Dixie Dregs are an American band formed in the 1970s. Their mostly instrumental music fuses jazz, southern rock, bluegrass and classical forms in an often unique style.-Formation and early years:...
)
In 1999 Billy Cobham was replaced by Dixie Dregs
Dixie Dregs
The Dixie Dregs are an American band formed in the 1970s. Their mostly instrumental music fuses jazz, southern rock, bluegrass and classical forms in an often unique style.-Formation and early years:...
and Winger drummer Rod Morgenstein and Phil Lesh and Friends
Phil Lesh and Friends
Phil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including groups featuring members of Phish, Little Feat, and the Zen...
drummer Jeff Sipe
Jeff Sipe
Jeff Sipe is an American drummer. He is a rock and jazz fusion drummer, however, he is proficient in many other styles which he has demonstrated in his decades of drumming. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit along with Col. Bruce Hampton...
.
In 2001, guitarist Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Crosby Stills & Nash) replaced Jimmy Herring. Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
's Kenny Gradney
Kenny Gradney
Kenny Gradney, a native of New Orleans, is a member of the band Little Feat. He joined after their second album, replacing founding bassist Roy Estrada in 1972....
also played bass with the group at some shows.
The group went through a few more line-up changes (mostly bassists and drummers) over the years including the addition of Dave Livolsi on bass in 2002 and the reinstated dual-drummer line-up of Sipe and Morgenstein in 2006.
External links
- http://vermontreview.tripod.com/Interviews/BCobham.htm — Interview with Billy Cobham about the origins and approach of Jazz is Dead
- http://www.kweevak.com/files-articles/rd_art_2006_03_14_pevar.php — Interview with Jeff Pevar about Jazz is Dead
- [] — Allmusic Guide's review of Jazz is Dead releases