Drums and space grateful dead2/22/2024 ![]() ![]() Some of the most lively space segments occurred during Hornsby's tenure in the band, when he would egg Garcia, in particular, on to unparalleled flights of fancy (check out, for example, Boston 9/20/91). Usually Jerry and Bob were out most of the time, with Phil and the keyboardist(s) of the moment participating more rarely. Because this was usually seat-of-the-pants stuff, the group improv misfired, or failed to inspire, nearly as often as it succeeded. The practical role that drums and space provided in giving potty breaks to the various band members in succession does not negate the exquisite beauty and awesome power of some of these passages. It was not until the late seventies, after the drum segment became a ritualized part of a Dead performance that 'Space' assumed its now-traditional position as the bread surrounding the drums sandwich, so to speak. In the heart of nearly every Dead show after 1967 was found transitional passages that bridged conventional songs, or appeared in the center of exploratory vehicles like "Dark Star" and "Playing In The Band (see the separate essays on these pieces). During the first two years after the 'retirement,' drum solos were relatively frequent, but generally concise, and in the middle of tunes like "Let It Grow" (Boston 6/10/76) or as a transitional bridge between tunes like "Slipknot!" and "Wharf Rat!" (Oakland 10/9/76). On 10/20/74, Mickey Hart returned and the multiple drum duels in sets two and three showed that the chemistry between the two percussionists was still there. More often, he would just settle in and create the fluid, often furious, underlayment for the memorable space jams of this era. Short by post-77 standards, these nonetheless are some of the most exciting examples of Kreutzmann's work. ![]() ![]() By 1972 (8/22/72 3/31/73), these had evolved into full blown, Buddy Rich-style show stoppers. ![]() On pieces like "The Other One" on 7/2/71, the bridge between "Dark Star" and "The Other One" from the Harding Theater on 11/7/71, he tended to take off from the familiar confines of the melody into free form flights of rhythmic fancy. The solo drum passages from 1971-74 exhibit Kreutzmann's extraordinary fluidity, and his ability to switch tempos and styles in mid-stream. Hart's departure at the beginning of 1971 certainly made things a bit tamer in the "Drums" department, but it did allow Kreutzmann to shine on his own, starting with his first 'solo' show at the Capital on 2/19/71. ![]()
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