''Blue Light Rain'' is the debut album by the instrumental

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

cover band

Jazz Is Dead Jazz Is Dead may refer to * Jazz Is Dead (band): a Grateful Dead instrumental cover band * Jazz Is Dead (record label): a Los Angeles record label and recording series {{Disambiguation ...

. It was released in 1998 by

Zebra Records Zebra Records is an American independent jazz/fusion record label originally based on Encino, Los Angeles. In 1985, it reached a distribution agreement with Enja Records to distribute their music in the United States, including the music of David ...

. The album features guitarist

Jimmy Herring Jimmy Herring (born January 22, 1962) is the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh a ...

, keyboard player

T. Lavitz Terry "T" Lavitz (April 16, 1956 – October 7, 2010) was an American keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead. Biography Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey. He s ...

, bassist

Alphonso Johnson Alphonso Johnson (born February 2, 1951) is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock and ...

, and drummer Billy Cobham. The album title can be found in a line from the song "Unbroken Chain": "Blue light rain, whoa, unbroken chain / Looking for familiar faces in an empty window pane".

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, Jim Newsom wrote: "Longtime Dead listeners will recognize most of the melodies, but the arrangements and solos by this amazing quartet transform the originals... it is one of the most remarkable studio recordings to fall under the often-maligned jazz-rock fusion banner in many a year... Through this project, they and their bandmates bring musical adventurousness, rhythmic complexity and instrumental virtuosity to a whole new generation, while rekindling the spark in those who were around for fusion's heyday 25 years earlier. With ''Blue Light Rain'', Jazz Is Dead affirms that this music anything but." John M. Moran of the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'' called the album "a mildly pleasing but ultimately unsatisfying collection of jazz-tinged instrumentals," and noted: "Jazz is Dead falls short by sticking too closely to the Dead's original melodies and arrangements." However, he concluded: "While their studio work could use a lot more spark, it wouldn't be surprising to find Jazz is Dead delivers a fireball of a live performance on these tunes."

Track listing

# "Crazy Fingers" (

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

Robert Hunter Robert Hunter may refer to: Arts * Robert Hunter (painter) (died 1780), Irish portrait painter * Robert Hunter (encyclopædist) (1823–1897), British editor of the ''Encyclopædic Dictionary'' *Robert Hunter (author) (1874–1942), American sociol ...

) – 8:39 # "Unbroken Chain" (

Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...

, Robert Petersen) – 6:32 # "

Scarlet Begonias "Scarlet Begonias" is a song by the Grateful Dead. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music by Jerry Garcia. The live debut of "Scarlet Begonias" came on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. The song begins in ...

" (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 5:00 # " Dark Star" ( Bill Kreutzmann,

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

, Jerry Garcia,

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

, Phil Lesh, Robert Hunter, Ron McKernan) – 9:08 # "Red Baron" (Billy Cobham) – 7:39 # "King Solomon's Marbles" (Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh) – 7:50 # " Blues for Allah Medley: Help on the Way" (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 4:19 # "Blues for Allah Medley: Slipknot!" (Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Keith Godchaux, Phil Lesh) – 3:56 # "Blues for Allah Medley: Franklin's Tower" (Bill Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 0:50 # "Blues for Allah Medley: Spiral Staircase" (Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham, Jimmy Herring, T. Lavitz) – 2:47

Personnel

Jazz Is Dead *

– guitars *

– keyboards *

– bass * Billy Cobham – drums Production * Produced by Michael Gaiman * Executive producers: Ron Rainey, Ricky Schultz * Recording: David Vanderhaden * Mixing: Bill Cooper

References

{{Reflist 1998 debut albums Jazz Is Dead albums