James Booker with Jerry Garcia - Slowly But Surely

[@ravinfilmsinc.8444]

Here is the real story: Booker was stranded in LA. Jerry heard this and suggested that they get him to SF to play some Jerry dates. Garcia was a big fan of his, and figured this would be a good way to help out a great musician who was down on his luck. Booker was brought to the bay area, but frankly had no idea who the hell Jerry was. Booker misunderstood that someone had booked some date for him and these rehearsals were for him to break in a local band to his act, not for him to learn his parts for some Jerry Garcia shows. When the rehearsals began Booker, thinking he was the band leader, took control. The entire tape is quite funny, Booker explaining to the band where he'll introduce everyone, where they can take a break, etc. Jerry, being the sensitive soul he was, didn't have the heart to tell Booker any different, and the shows went on that weekend at the Keystone clubs with Jerry basically backing Booker. Deadheads were confused, to say the least.

[@d27ii]

HA HA THAT"S GREAT! That is one of the best Booker stories I've heard and there are many.

[@ryanbridwell9358]

Thanks! Great story.

[@stevenanthony6223]

John Kahn gave an interview to Blair Jackson where he said Booker called him from a pay phone sayin the CIA was following him. He didnt have a change of clothes. Just a briefcase full of eye patches.

[@colopats]

Steven Anthony Unbelievably great story. Thanks!

[@cwd243]

Ravin' Films, Inc. dude, that backstory made me fall in love. Much props from an old head.

[@orionp8242]

They need a super like button for this video. Jerry is shredding and Booker is just about the funkiest piano man on the planet. Pure fire!

[@crgruverjr]

Two of the most influential musicians of my life: Jerry Garcia pointed me in the musical direction of improvisational groove music. James Booker set the bar for what one man can do on a piano. Here they are together, this is what my heaven sounds like, they know what heaven really sounds like. RIP Jerome John Garcia, and James Carroll Booker III. The world is better because y'all were in it. Thanks for posting this! Made my day/week/month/year!

[@hamunderhill2062]

word

[@baileyfurio2327]

Words cant explain how happy this Jam makes me! RIP Jerry, James and John...

[@mountainwoodie9816]

Saw Booker many many times at the Leaf in the Seventies.The Original Wild Man..........having him "backed" by Jerry Garcia is like an alternate universe........good for the Dead....in the presence of genius! RIP BBooker. Now you got Earl King, Dr John, Charles and Art.heaven is swinging. I hope.

[@funky-frogie2091]

yea! Oak Street in the 1970's making laundry and listening to James on a Tuesday or Wednesday, can't get any better Fa-Sura

[@gregbrown8832]

This is truly epic. This is some of the hippest stuff ever! "Slowly But Surely"... thank you so much for posting this! Thank goodness for KZbin! Whoever has the rights to this, pleeeeeze make it available!

[@Pad_See_Ew]

"...Well dead and gone, I may be dead and gone Just helping the ground rotting Yeah but the truth will live on It'll never be forgotten Oh but the birds and the ants I know the trees and plants They're gonna bring me all the news It won't be no use, it won't be no use Because the world still be going on around and round And slowly getting back together..." Brilliant.

[@juliadixon4810]

I love both these guys. Booker saved my life in 2012. I remember where I was when I heard Jerry died. Damn, I wish they were here.

[@stevesewall]

great quote, thanks

[@grtflmark]

Dude - you are SOOOO wrong! Jerry "eases" into Booker's world and THIS is one of the Jams of The Century!

[@cjb761]

My two all time favorite musicians.

[@maazvdo]

James Booker with Jerry Garcia - Slowly But Surely - Great!!!!!!!!!!!Special!!!!!!! Thanks for posting, Erik Schothans

[@stevenanthony6223]

Great jam. I wanna hear everything Booker played with JGB. What great talents at work here.

[@rothcam2]

I've heard many Garcia collaborations and must say that James Booker more than shares the limelight here

[@baileyfurio2327]

This never fails to put me in a good mood.

[@louisbyron]

An amazing piano player and a wild and crazy New Orleans hip cat. Openly gay at a time when this was almost unheard of in the Black community and a notorius and open "user of narcotics" at a time when this could get you 20-Life doing hard labor in Louisiana. This is the cat who taught Harry Connick Jr. how to play piano. His dad, Harry Connick Sr., used to "fix things up" when Booker would get popped for smack or coke. Then Booker in gratitude would tutor young Harry on piano and New Orleans music. And he could play all kinds of piano music--jazz, blues, classical--with fluid ease and amazing speed. Notable European pianists of the day (e.g. Arthur Rubenstein) were blown away when they sought him out to hear him play when visiting the U.S. Unfortunately, Booker was notoriously unpredictable, and at times, unreliable (i.e. drugs, flamboyance, and other assorted craziness). Evidently when Garcia and Khan were waiting for Booker for an initial rehearsal, various Booker family members and then finally his preacher called the hall claiming that Booker was either missing or, more concerning, may have hurt himself. He eventually showed up several hours late (after he had successfully copped, no doubt) but it was not an auspicious start to say the least. Ultimately, other craziness like refusing to learn Garcia's tunes led Jerry to replace him with Keith on piano in the Jerry Garcia Band. As for Booker, in the mid--late 70's he had some success touring Europe but little in the U.S., and died penniless, slumped over in a wheelchair, in the lobby of Charity Hospital, waiting for medical assistance for his failing kidneys that most likely would have only delayed his inevitable demise anyway. Still, a musical genius gone too soon...R.I.P. James Carroll Booker, III December 17, 1939 -- November 8, 1983 Junko Partner...Didn't He Ramble...6 Months Ain't No Sentence...1 Year Ain't No Time...They Got Boys Up There In Angola...Doing Nine To Ninety-Nine. God Bless.

[@felixgreenburg3373]

+Louis Byron Drugs would have given him a sentence if he didn't mess with the corrupt DIA officer in Louisiana He gave the DIA's son free piano lessons XD

[@andrewr3969]

Why was that all crossed out?

[@HerrHeuschreke]

Why isn't this recording widely available (e.g. on Spotify and more on KZbin)? What a beautiful chaos they have going together there! This needs to be preserved!

[@stevehaas9515]

That is just amazing.

[@GorZart]

Priceless!

[@Chesterton7]

Holy cow! Tremendous! Thanks for posting this, Erik! :)

[@1blastman]

The "Duke of Tchopoulis" from WWOZ has a one hour tape of the rehearsals that Booker and Garcia did before they did the shows. It's great music and even greater Booker. I taped it pre-Katrina, but haven't been able to locate it since. But it's out there and a classic.

[@stevenanthony6223]

Droppin Flight of the Bumblebee. Bad Ass

[@nath909]

How can you complain about this. I'm certainly no fan of Jerry Garcia, but this is awesome.

[@michaelgard9683]

Are you sure you're no fan?!

[@TonyFranciosi]

that's one dangerous group!!!!

[@frankkirbyiii2368]

Are there any more Booker/Garcia recordings of this quality out there? Please post them. This is one of my favorite recordings.

[@manni62]

cant miss that Booker piano!!!

[@jeffriley2218]

Jerry is dope on this !

[@bzfgt1]

Indeed.

[@LibertyLynch]

Thanks for posting this!

[@baldheadtim02]

Lucky enough to see Booker 3 times

[@benzuckerman]

First of all, I would like to say that I think that this recording is both interesting and enjoyable. Thanks for posting it! Regarding a bit of the "conversation" below regarding how "difficult" Booker was to work with - I think that it is important to keep in mind that he was not accustomed to playing in a group, since the vast majority of his career was as a solo artist. Jerry Garcia, on the other hand, spent most of his musical career performing and recording with other musicians, and this definitely can be heard in the dynamic between the two. There are also some cultural differences that need to be taken into account, specifically regarding being the "center" of the show, and the way one interacts with the other people on stage.

[@davidrubien9673]

Actually, Booker did a ton of studio work in his day. But by the time of this Garcia session he was pretty far gone into bi-polar.

[@IndependentGeorge76]

Booker spent all his life up to around the mid 70s playing in pick up bands and studio work. He played parts for Fats Domino on his records, and on countless recordings in Cossimo Motassa's studio in New Orleans. He was entirely used to band work, it was only after his first solo album that he became known as a solo act...

[@baldheadtim02]

@@davidrubien9673 True -- Booker did 100s of sessions and was more than capable of "fitting in" - Mulduar - Aretha etc etc.

[@devynsevean5383]

Who would give this a thumbs down?

[@stevesewall]

9:04 "This song here - Slowly But Surely - I dedicate this to my aunt Donna Bae [Saint Louis Jesse ?] ... I ain't messin'. She inspired this, you know? ... She inspired the [?] 'cause she used to say that all the time, slowly but surely - and she used to say this, she said, Dead and gone I may be dead and gone, and just [hard to hear] ... ... .... the birds and ANTS. I know the threes and plants ... ... ... because world's going all round and around, it's gonna to GET BACK, baby - I know it's gonna get back, baby, slowly but surely, right back baby now. [best I could do. Man listened to his aunt!]

[@FreePercussion]

Amazing!

[@stevearle]

Regarding this meeting of styles, certainly the groove is a hybrid and I think Garcia found his own pocket and sounds real good here (albeit mixed too high on rhythm). The title says it all.

[@hamunderhill2062]

new aunts nuance

[@cynthianaslim]

I agree. It really is symbiotic. Very complementary.

[@schothans]

thanks 1blastman for the comment. You might find more music from this session at the "Lossless Legs" archives...

[@MrsUjify]

Great !!! Thanks for postin' such a jewell... ;)

[@kathleenandreson]

I've been looking pretty hard to find an audio version of this so I can add it to my collection. Any help would really be appreciated.

[@greyskydawg5284]

Jerry having a Santana sound.

[@bwolfe8516]

like that Ron Tut shuffle

[@johnpowell7927]

i'm a great fan of Booker. He was a genius. But there's a reason few cared to play with him regularly. And there's a reason many played with Garcia regularly. And there's no reason to imagine that Garcia was playing either unhappiy or incompetently this night.

[@thatguy8554]

GNARLEY

[@petedako]

wow… thanks Erik what a find of two of my greatest heroes playing together -and I never knew it happened. despite the kooky comments from fans below there's no question jerry and james were both geniuses - and this recording is pure joy does anyone know if theres more tracks or an official release available now? is that LET IT ROCK image an actual cover photo or did somebody just switch out Nicky Hopkins for Booker?

[@baileyfurio2327]

Pete Dako its just a switch out my friend, I dont believe these sessions were ever released, officially or otherwise.

[@zivkovicable]

Honestly i'm first to throw shade, bur Jerry is pretty ok on this. Of course Booker is on another dimension completely.

[@baileyfurio2327]

zivkovicable Jerry stayed in that dimension friend

[@stacyoneill4218]

What CD did you get this from? One of bookers or garcia? Thanks, just love james booker!!

[@KenHammondMusic]

jerry sounds scared lol

[@1blastman]

Erik - Do you have any more music from these sessions? Booker was and still is a New Orleans legend. Pre-Katrina, I had a tape of the Garcia\Booker sessions that the Duke of Tchoupitoulas played on WWOZ very late one Friday night\Saturday AM. But I've never heard a finished copy of those sessions. This tune is a spin off of "One Hellava Nerve." - very similiar phrasng. But this is a rare gem, thanks for posting and I put it on my Booker playlist.

[@funky-frogie2091]

DUKE OF PADUKE HA.

[@1blastman]

@@funky-frogie2091 The "Duke A Paduka" was a WWOZ dj back in the early days of the station. The Duke of Tchoupitoulas came later.

[@ahuramazda1745]

So many times

[@blanebryant6742]

¡BAILÈ!

[@dreamkane]

John Kahn, who played base. Jerry claimed it was his idea

[@peterbetts858]

docc75 other than Booker , who in your opinion makes good improvisational music ? is your opinion on psychedelic music as obvious as it seems?

[@peterbetts858]

kaythlen zaworski burke so school me here a lil , who exactly was likely to upstage Jerry ?

[@juliadixon4810]

jerry didn't know what to do with jcb....two geniuses, gone way way way too soon.

[@1blastman]

Do you have any more Garcia\Booker recordings?

[@PhishinTesuque]

Love this. Do you know approximately when it was recorded? I am a huge fan of New Orleans music and Jam Bands. The tour probably lasted 2 dates because the ran out of H...just sayin...

[@baileyfurio2327]

Jerry, James and John were all addicted to heroin.

[@HerrHeuschreke]

This, exactly this, is why AI can't beat humanity.

[@acmeoyster]

you're judging garcia v booker on a first play through of a booker composition?

[@hamunderhill2062]

not judgin but enjoyin but datz me

[@thatguy8554]

#supertight

[@macoliver6539]

ignore the costanza troll bots that say the opposite of what is

[@johnpowell7927]

that's a really odd telling of the story. booker was impossible to deal with on any practical level. getting him to show up was a struggle. garcia was very happy doing with many musicians what he did here... play complementarily. bookers no more in charge here than merl saunders was at many sessions.

[@bipanadangol7209]

😋😋

[@jahtom]

Is this not a nice surprise.

[@MultiKZB]

Have you heard the entire rehearsal? Regardless of what shape he was in, once Booker sat down at the piano he mastered it...and ole Jerry is pedantically following with James trying to coax him into the correct keys..yes, Booker was incredibly difficult, but also incredibly gifted...Garcia is not a complement, but a distraction...even as a Californian I must admit that Garcia here is simply embarrassing...and that is all I am going to say on the subject...

[@vaperjeff]

You're a fool.

[@treehouserecords]

​@@vaperjeff Why, because she has an opinion? I might not go so far as to call Jerry’s playing embarrassing, but he IS a distraction and not in the same league as Booker. Then again, who was?

[@andrewr3969]

I know this is 9 years later 😂 but I just wanted to say that I really like the rhythmic pocket jerry found on this groove, so to each their own! Although it was a bit high in the mix

[@doccw75]

Jerry's rhythm guitar is way off time. That kind of New Orleans music needs to be tight & Jerry sounds lost & sloppy.

[@andrewr3969]

I know this is 9 years later but I quite like the way jerry hybridized the New Orleans style with his own, he found a pocket that feels more laid back, I definitely wouldn’t say lost or sloppy: I like it a lot

[@MultiKZB]

Sorry, but Garcia is pathetic...if you have heard any of the practice sessions, it is obvious who is in charge...Booker...that is probably that is why James lasted all of two nights on the "tour"...Jerry never liked being upstaged...

[@vaperjeff]

Get bent. Garcia was a genius.

[@treehouserecords]

Be a nice boy and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. I’m a Dead fan, and Jerry could be psychedelically innovative or painfully inept, depending on a variety of factors. Booker is miles beyond Garcia on Jerry’s best day. The Dead’s biggest attributes were Robert Hunter’s lyrics and Garcia’s presence, but “genius” doesn’t enter into the discussion. @@vaperjeff​