The Third Mind is a group of musicians that qualifies as a supergroup but would probably resist such an accolade and its accompanying trimmings, preferring instead to revel in the joy of improvising. It worked for their 2020 self-titled debut, so the gang is back for Third Mind 2. Led by co-founders, The Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin and bassist Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Monks of Doom), the group features drummer Michael Jerome (Richard Thompson, Charlie Musselwhite), guitarist David Immerglück (Counting Crows, John Hiatt), and acoustic guitarist/vocalist Jesse Sykes (Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter). The concept of the group is to use no preconceived arrangements, just reach a consensus on key and maybe chord progressions, and let the music roll. Alvin spoke about using the electric Miles Davis period of albums such as Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew as a model.
Yet, despite the inherent spirit of jazz improvisation, the group focuses on songs originally written in the 1960s with the notable exception of “Tall Grass,” which was specially written by Sykes and Alvin for this record and is the only one with a structured arrangement. Like the debut, their choices were popular among the ‘underground’ listeners of the folk/rock/blues scene, reflective of bands such as Mike Bloomfield’s Electric Flag (“Groovin’ Is Easy”), Doug Dillard and Gene Clark (“Why Not Your Baby”), Paul Butterfield Blues Band (“In My Own Dream”), and folk singer Fred Neil’s “A Little Bit Of Rain.” The only tune that was a major hit is “Sally Go Round The Roses,” originally recorded by the Jaynets in 1963 reaching #2 on the Billboard Top 100. That makes it a bit of an odd choice but this group prides itself on being unpredictable and unconventional.
Apart from the stellar guitar work and propulsive rhythm section and perhaps the psychedelic tinge, Sykes’ haunting one-part beautiful (Grace Slick “White Rabbit”-like)/one-part disturbingly enchanting vocals set this group apart from other improvisers. To be fair there are others like The Third Mind in the avant-garde jazz space, considering the likes of Ava Mendoza, Brandon Seabrook, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline, and others. While the vocal element makes The Third Mind rather unique this writer can’t help but hear the melancholy approach of Sykes’ take on “Morning Dew” from the debut in most of these cuts too. Arguably she makes the tunes more interesting, but the instrumental excursions and interplay have a more lasting impact because Sykes’ approach to a tune rarely wavers from one to the next.
In “Groovin’ Easy” Alvin’s soaring, shattering bluesy guitar lines mingle with Immerglück’s wah-wah enhanced chords and later his own blistering statement with Jerome and Krummenacher driving the intensity. “Why Not Your Baby” is mellower, leaning more ethereally psychedelic with its drenching feedback, and Sykes’ vocal slightly reminiscent of Sandy Denny’s Fairport Convention stylings. As expected, “In My Own Dream” with its slow shuffle is bluesy, rife with scintillating guitar interplay. Like when dual guitarists Dickey Betts and Duane Allman played, Alvin and Immerglück are easily individually distinguishable: They grow explosively in the last few minutes.
The single “Tall Grass,” released as a single this past summer, with its guitar strums has a more folk-like vibe, akin to “Why Not Your Baby” but is more spacious with its swirling, hazy guitar jamming that color the latter half. ‘Sally Go Round the Roses,” the deepest cut, takes some time to develop with the band slowing down the tempo of the original, and Sykes, per her wont, makes the original vocal treatment even more haunting, this is her strongest vocal on the album. There’s plenty of controversy and ambiguity about the lyrics of this 1963 hit, some claiming Sally is pregnant and her boyfriend has left her for another girl while others point to a lesbian relationship gone bad. Given those interpretations, it’s rather stunning that it was an AM radio hit. Here, it becomes a launching pad for Alvin who inspires his bandmates to add a muscular component to their free-form excursions. The band eases out quietly, cruising into calmer territory, closing with the hypnotic “A Little Bit of Rain.”
The Third Mind has landed on a formula that works without formularizing. Like the best music, one can get lost in their sonic world.
