Each successive release in the ongoing GarciaLive archival series has its own particular distinction(s), and in the case of Volume 21, it’s twofold. First, this exhumation from the vault derives from the comfortable confines of the Keystone in Berkeley, the site of the late titular leader of the Grateful Dead’s first solo shows in 1972 (with Merl Saunders).
Then there’s the presence of the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile.” An inclusion in JGB setlists in only eleven instances during the spring of 1976, this cull from 1971’s Sticky Fingers is of a piece with the other extended tracks of the total eleven in this two-CD set: the band imbues it with a genteel feel, the tone of which the bandleader sets with his otherwise probing lead guitar.
The vulnerable character of Garcia’s singing is ideal for the yearning intrinsic to the composition as are the twinkling of notes he and pianist Keith Godchaux play. Timing in at 10:27, this rendition of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ greatest ballad resides comfortably within a selection of otherwise familiar numbers from the JGB repertoire.
There’s the easygoing amble of “Catfish John,” a deceptively leisurely trip through Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come” and a painfully elegiac interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (after which a perky run-through of Ray Charles’ “Talkin’ ‘Bout You” is ideal).
Through it all, the bandleader sets the tone of quiet authority with his probing lead guitar, thus rendering ideal the image of his Travis Bean instrument placed on the back cover of the enclosed twelve-page booklet. Meanwhile, the vulnerable character of Garcia’s singing is equally ideal.
Mastered to great effect by Fred Kevorkian, Betty Cantor-Jackson’s recording of the performance is missing only the opening of “How Sweet It Is (To Be Love By You),” a loss mitigated by the curating team’s generous inclusion of a pair of numbers taken from two nights later at Sophie’s in Palo Alto.
Ratifying the impression(s) of band unity apparent in what’s preceded over the course of nearly two-hours, a seamless not to mention logical addition of the aforementioned Marvin Gaye number, along with “My Sisters And Brothers,” are appended to the main content at the end of disc two,.
The presence of Donna Godchaux reinforces the gospel feel in the latter reading of a Bible-based song composed by Charles Johnson (a member of JGB from the Seventies to the Nineties). As do the twinkling of notes Jerry and her husband play: even more so than with the Grateful Dead, the interplay of those two epitomizes the bond within a five-piece lineup that coalesced early in the bi-centennial year to include erstwhile Elvis Presley drummer Ron Tutt in the rhythm section along with perennial bassist John Kahn.
Rare as it is for its level of detail, the personal nature of Ed Perlstein’s essay hardly precludes his passion for his subject. Along with Greg Gaar’s photographs, the author’s stage shots are among those capturing the quintet on stage; like the muted color scheme of Chris Capotosto’s illustration on the front cover and elsewhere in the package, these action shots communicate the combination of concentration and tranquility that permeates the musicianship throughout GarciaLive Volume 21.
