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The 4th Annual Jammy Awards By Scott Baker
Like the genre it
represents, the 4th Annual Jammy Awards was an evening of
interesting twists, turns, peaks and valleys that showcased a musical
society that likes to stretch it out a bit.
Held in New York City on
Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2004, at the amazing Theatre at Madison Square Garden
(above MSG itself), all styles of improv based rock 'n roll were
represented. Much like the musical industry standard Grammy Awards, the
Jammy's are a who's who of past and present music-culturists. A place
where you'll find members of The Grateful Dead hanging out with
Blues Traveler and Phish, or Allman Brothers —past and
present— mixing it up with Edie Brickell or Dr. John. And
like all great festivals, it was completely under one roof.
Tuned into the songs and
mixing it up real good by having friends sit in, the show kicked off with
the Harlem Gospel Choir who was soon to be joined by the
jazz/neo-groove cats Soulive. Introduced soon afterwards was MC for
the evening, pedal steel guitar whiz Robert Randolph. The award
ceremony began while stagehands re-organized for the next live act. This
routine of music - award - music - awards would last the entire night.
The first award of the
evening for Song of the Year was won by the Allman Brothers Band
for Old Before My Time off of their first studio release in nine
years, 2003's Hittin' The Note. With a quick acceptance speech from
guitarist Warren Haynes, who was joined by guitarist Derek
Trucks and bassist Oteil Burbridge, the winners exit gave way
to former Allman Brother guitarist/vocalist Dickey Betts, who
performed along with Reid Genauer and The Assembly of Dust,
and Edie Brickell as well. The original Allman guitarist led
Genauer's band through Blue Sky’ and Ramblin’ Man’ while
Brickell pulled duet/chorus duties with the two vocalists.
The next award was given
for Archival Live Album of The Year, which was picked up by The
Grateful Dead for The Closing of Winterland: Dec. 31, 1978.
Percussionist Mickey Hart of The Dead who was originally supposed
to be at the show, ended up accepting the award via a video tape thank you
and well wish for the show and fans alike.
Techno-groove jam band
The Disco Biscuits were up next offering their latest trace-jam
workouts. They were joined for a jam with '80s rap-standout Slick Rick
for a twist on one of his early singles. This mirrored the 2002 Jammy's
when Moe brought out Blue Oyster Cult to jam on a reworking of
Don't Fear The Reaper, ’ proving that all music has ties to the
Jammy's.
The New Groove Award for the best new jam band went next to Psychedelic Breakfast (now known simply as Breakfast). The support of these musicians by older acts in this community is surely over-the-top.
The New Orleans
All-Stars, who assembled for this night was next to take the stage.
Dr. John on piano/organ, George Porter, Jr. (of Meters fame) on
bass, Brian Stoltz (Funky Meters) on guitar, Matt Abts
(Govt. Mule) on drums, Jo Jo Herman (Widespread Panic) on piano,
and Toots Hibbert (Toots & the Maytals) on vocals. Giving up some
of the Louisiana boil and bake sound that New Orleans has come to be known
by, was on fire with this All-Star jam crew.
Randolph handed the
microphone over to Phish bassist Mike Gordon to announce the Live
Album of the Year, which went to Gov't Mule for The Deepest
End. Haynes, Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis, and new bassist
Andy Hess were all on hand to accept the award. The Deepest End is
over five and a half hours of music and DVD footage of their show on
5/3/03 at the Saenger Theatre, New Orleans. Bassists at the show paid
tribute to the late Mule/Allman Brother bassist Allen Woody, some
of which included Gordon, Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Victor
Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), Porter, Jr., Jason Newstead
(ex-Metallica), and Les Claypool (Primus).
On deck was the Derek
Trucks Band with special guest, '60s soul king Soloman Burke.
By the end of the set, Trucks rare wide-eyed smile had his band jamming
with Burke, blues singer Susan Tedeschi (Trucks' wife) and Betts,
who made a return jam appearance to play with his former Allman Brother
guitar partner.
The Mimi Fishman
(late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) Memorial Community
Service Award went out to The Conscious Alliance for their work in
helping others through music, but getting food to the needy. With jam
bands having a loyal following, the Jammy's has always made sure that all
the societies that follow bands like Phish, String Cheese Incident,
and The Dead get recognized for making a difference.
The bass duo of this
century was up next featuring the Allman's Burbridge and Wooten throwing
the low end back and forth around drummer Durango Watson. The duo
is arguably the two foremost musicians in the bass field today. Burbridge
scatted his lead lines occasionally around Wooten's thick-funk groove.
Up next was the only award
presenter to do so for all four years of the Jammy's, writer Anthony De
Curtis, to present the Best Album Cover followed by the DVD of the
Year. The String Cheese Incident won album art, which was designed
by Alex Gray, who thanked LSD among his list of inspirations.
DVD of the year was the
only award that was booed very loudly by the congregation as The Dave
Matthews Band won for their recent visual, The Central Park
Concert. Haynes, who also performed on the DVD, took the honor for
Matthews and the band as they were at a studio recording and couldn't make
the event.
The Best Live Performance
was up next before the stage was set for the String Cheese Incident
to perform. Gov't Mule took home the honors for the Live
Performance for their 5/3/03 show once again.
The next act was the first
of the night to get the crowd riled up. Jam band heavy hitters String
Cheese took the stage to an overwhelming ovation. By the end of their set,
the band introduced Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction as
well as Soulives' horn section for a groove-trip through Jane's Idiots
Rule. ’ That alone was worth the price of admission. With the mellow
lead lines from guitarist/violinist Michael Kang, acoustic work
from Bill Nershi and the keyboard shuffle with the horns from
Kyle Hollingsworth, Farrell was all smiles, taking the Jane's classic
where it had never gone.
The next award was for
Studio Album of the Year, which went out to Moe for their Wormwood
disc. The CD was one of last year's most amazing releases. Along side of
String Cheeses' own Untying The Not, these jam band based albums
are truly two of the great studio listens and a document of how to retain
songwriting within the jam.
The Grahamy Jammy (as in
the late Fillmore promoter Bill Graham) for support of the scene
went out to String Cheese's fan base leader Don Strasburg, working
out of the Fox Theater, in Boulder, CO. The Tour of the Year went next to
Phish for their Summer Tour, 2003. Bassist Gordon accepted the award.
With the crowd riled up
again, Gov't Mule came out to perform to another rousing ovation.
After kicking it off with Blind Man In The Dark, the quartet
invited the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson out for a turn on Neil
Young's Southern Man. Surely the most reported part of the evening
came next when Haynes called up the Crowes' keyboardist Eddie Harsh
and Robinson's brother Rich Robinson to have a semi-Black Crowes
reunion (minus drummer Steve Gorman and guitarist Audley Freed).
With their former bassist Hess now with Mule, it made perfect sense. They
ran through the Crowes' Sometimes Salvation with extended solos
between young Rich Robinson and Haynes. The audience couldn't have asked
for more.
As the band filed off the
stage, Jo Jo Herman and Chris Robinson made their way to the
microphone to give the Jammy Lifetime Achievement Award to Steve
Winwood for all his styles of music and eclectic albums over the
years. Winwood, who was also nominated for Song of the Year
Different Light, off of 2003's About Time (an album with
true return to Traffic-style form), was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall
of Fame the night before along with Traffic cohorts Jim Capaldi,
Dave Mason, and the late Chris Wood. Winwood thanked the crowd
by saying, "It's nice to know I've been jamming for the past 40 years."
With that, Winwood took the
stage with his world-class band, Brazil's Jose Neto on guitar and
Edson Café' De Silva on percussion, Cuba/Puerto Rican drummer
Walfredo Reyes Jr., and State-side Georgian
sax/flute/organ/percussionist Randall Bramblett to another standing
ovation.
The band worked through
Different Light’ and Winwood took center stage on guitar for the
Traffic staple Dear Mr. Fantasy. They then invited Haynes out to
play slide guitar on Traffic's The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys.
The song was clocking in around 20 minutes in length with both Neto and
Haynes having a go at pushing the snake-like song.
To end the parade, Winwood
kept Haynes out and invited Dickey Betts, Robert Randolph (both on
guitars), Michael Kang on violin and jazz saxophonist Reggie
Watts for a trip back to when Winwood was 16 years old for the Spencer
Davis classic, Gimme Some Lovin'.
Around 1 a.m. when the
music came to an end, the sell-out crowd filed into the snowy Manhattan
streets for high-fives all around, as the cell phone story telling began.
The show can be found on
four CD's for free or trades on the Internet through fan-based jam
oriented mailing lists. As in true jam band fashion, there was a tapers
section full of microphones to capture each minute for those who couldn't
be there to witness the gig themselves.
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