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Various Artists: The Wheel – A Musical Celebration of Jerry Garcia

Rex Foundation

After several ex-colleagues and friends of Jerry Garcia got together at San Francisco’s Fillmore in December 2010 to pay tribute to their fallen comrade, someone suggested that they make the music available for those who couldn’t be at the gig. This was a great idea because The Wheel is one tribute that Garcia would have loved. Among those leading the way are NRPS mainstay David Nelson, mandolinist Jesse McReynolds and Peter Rowan, who shared a band with Garcia in Old & in the Way in the ‘70s. The track listing includes several tracks that one might expect in a acoustic-electric hybrid session similar to those the Grateful Dead were doing in 1970—including “Friend of the Devil,” “Dark Hollow,” “Cumberland Blues” and “Deep Elum Blues.” But some of the surprises are also among the highlights: the opening “Black Muddy River,” “Alabama Getaway” and “Franklin’s Tower.” And, best of all, your purchase helps support the Rex Foundation, a charity launched by the Dead. Digital downloads are available at nugs.net and iTunes, and the disc is only available at nugs.net.