GarciaLive Volume Three Celebrates Legion of Mary

GarciaLive Volume Three: December 14-15, 1974 Northwest Tour, the new installment of the GarciaLive archival concert series, will be released on October 15 by Round Records/ATO Records. The three-CD set, which features more than two-and-a-half hours of previously unreleased music mastered from original soundboard recordings, celebrates one of Jerry Garcia’s most experimental, improvisational and revered projects: Legion of Mary.

As the Grateful Dead hunkered down for hibernation in late 1974, Legion of Mary was officially born when drummer Ron Tutt (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash) joined the fold for a spirited holiday jaunt. GarciaLive Volume Three includes highlights from two Oregon shows, recorded during what is believed to be Legion of Mary’s first tour. The outing featured the core lineup of Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Merl Saunders (Miles Davis, B.B. King, Garcia/Saunders) on keyboards and vocals, John Kahn (Jerry Garcia Band. Al Kooper, John Lee Hooker) on bass, saxophonist Martin Fierro (Zero, James Cotton, Quicksilver Messenger Service) and drummer Ron Tutt.

Garcia’s voice and playing sound inspired and youthful while Saunders drives the soul with the organ and his gruff, husky singing voice, paired with Kahn’s and Tutt’s steady rhythm and Fierro’s perfectly textured brass playing. They pass the musical baton around effortlessly, with leads chasing leads and the musicians following one another gracefully as evidenced on tracks like the hard-driving “Mystery Train,” which is embedded below.

GarciaLive Volume Three: December 14-15, 1974 Northwest Tour – Track Listings

Disc One:

1. Boogie On Reggae Woman

2. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

3. Freedom Jazz Dance

4. Mystery Train

5. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

Disc Two:

1. You Can Leave Your Hat On

2. Neighbor, Neighbor

3. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Disc Three: