Jerry Garcia and John Kahn: Lonesome Prison Blues
at Oregon State Penitentiary, 5/5/72
CD466
- 1 CD
Jerry
Garcia and John Kahn - Lonesome Prison Blues
Live at Oregon State Penitentiary, 5/5/82
The album Garcia was released in 1972 and was Jerry s first official solo release outside of the Grateful Dead. Although Garcia is credited with performing all of the instruments himself on the release, besides the drumming (handled by Grateful Dead drummer Billy Kreutzmann), it was around this time that he would embark on a two-and-a-half decade-long collaboration with bassist, John Kahn. Garcia and Kahn first began playing together in 1970 through free-form improv nights at the historical San Francisco jazz club Keystone Korner, and during the recording sessions for the funky Howard Wales/Garcia jazz-rock album Hooteroll? From then on, Kahn became Jerry s primary musical cohort outside of the Dead, being involved in just about every solo venture that the legendary guitarist took, including projects like the bluegrass supergroup Old & In the Way and Legion of Mary, Garcia s collaboration with organist Merl Saunders. Unfortunately, there were some destructive aspects within their partnership, and many fans (somewhat unfairly) blame the bassist for being a major contributing factor to Garcia s continued narcotics usage. In fact, John Kahn overdosed on heroin in 1996, less than a year after Garcia passed away from a fatal heart attack in a rehabilitation centre. This recording was from a show that has often in the past been simply referred to as Oregon State Pen or Jerry in the Big House and features the duo, with Garcia on acoustic guitar and Kahn on upright bass, playing for a small group of prisoners at the Oregon State Penitentiary on Cinco de Mayo in 1982. The 11 song set includes a nice mix of Grateful Dead tunes, Jerry solo tracks, traditionals, and covers. One of its greatest strengths is how intensely personal the recording sounds. That direct quality really seems to pierce through to the core of a lot of people and make it easy to connect with, even for those who have no history with the music that s being played or the people playing it which may well have been the vast majority of the audience. There is not a lot else known about this gig except that it was broadcast internally within the prison walls, and that allegedly author/acid test pioneer/Merry Prankster Ken Kesey himself was in attendance.
TRACKS:
1 Deep
Elem Blues 2:32
2 Friend of the Devil 5:46
3 Jack-a-Roe 4:42
4 Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie 6:30
5 It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry 5:13
6 Run for the Roses 3:47
7 Ripple 4:17
8 I've Been All Around This World 4:08
9 Valerie 5:29
10 Dire Wolf 5:06
11 Rubin & Cherise 5:28