The Dead

[Greg]

I know. I know. DM saw this months ago....

When Bob Weir appeared with guitarist Buddy Miller for a brass-driven version of the lesser-known Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter ballad “Days Between,” the Swan Stage was already crowded with Grammy-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s quintet, the gospel-powered McCrary Sisters and alumni from Was (Not Was), the funk-rock band bassist/producer Was co-founded in late 1970s Detroit.

For former Was (Not Was) saxophonist/flutist Dave McMurray, “Days Between” sparked an ongoing creative sojourn through the Grateful Dead’s expansive songbook. That jazz-meets-Americana journey now brings him to the heart of the sprawling Deadiverse on Saturday, Aug. 14, when he plans to celebrate the release of his Blue Note album “Grateful Deadication” at Terrapin Crossroads’ outdoor Beach Park.
While Bettye LaVette and Weir deliver a searing version of “Loser” and veteran Detroit background vocalist Herschel Boone croons “Touch of Grey,” McMurray’s album focuses on instrumental arrangements of other Grateful Dead favorites, including “Dark Star,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Estimated Prophet.”

McMurray is not the first musician to put an instrumental spin on the Grateful Dead’s music. The jazz fusion band Jazz Is Dead (not to be confused with the recent Los Angeles jazz/hip-hop record label and concert series of the same name) has toured and recorded with a deep repertoire of Dead covers. For Was, who produced the new album, what sets McMurray’s “Grateful Deadication” apart isn’t so much his wide-open sensibility as his commitment to direct expression.
“The Motor City is an honest, unpretentious working-class town, and the music that comes from there … is raw, real and honest,” explained Was, president of Blue Note Records. “With Dave, you’re hearing these familiar songs filtered through the lens of the Motor City, and nobody’s done that before.”