New album of rare Garcia studio scraps
A newly remastered collection of Jerry Garcia studio leftovers, “Front Street Outtakes,” released by his exwife Manasha Garcia this month includes recordings from a 1994 session featuring the Grateful Dead guitarist collaborating with Indian American guitarist Sanjay Mishra.
The songs on the set are culled from one of Garcia’s last recording projects at the Grateful Dead’s Club Front Studios, using recordings left behind during the making of Mishra’s 1995 album, “Blue Incantation,” released the same year Garcia died of a heart attack while in recovery at a drug treatment center.
The meditative music, which incorporates Indian rhythms and New Age tones played on his custombuilt “Eagle” guitar, represents yet another creative left turn for Garcia, who worked with a variety of side projects during his time in the Dead, including the SaundersGarcia Band, the Jerry Garcia Band, Old & in the Way, Legion of Mary, and New Riders of the Purple Sage.
“Jerry had an allconsuming curiosity about almost everything, music especially, combined with a profound love of adventure,” Grateful Dead publicist and historian Dennis McNally told The Chronicle. “I’m not sure how he connected with Sanjay, but once he heard his music, it was no surprise that he was happy to record with him.”
The three songs that make up “Front Street Outtakes” — titled “Loving Sky,” “Dancing” and “Pranam” — were mastered
Audio is “in pure form, with just the guitars and percussion, all unedited.” Guitarist Sanjay Mishra, collaborator
by Grammy Awardwinning audio engineer David Glasser to retain the raw feel of the original studio sessions.
“These mixes consist of the recordings in pure form, with just the guitars and percussion, all unedited, including the tape reel running out on the first track,” Mishra said in a statement.
Physical copies of the release include a booklet of liner notes featuring rare instudio photos from the recording session along with Garcia’s musicthemed penandink drawing “Uncorrected Manuscript.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the “Front Street Outtakes” project, released by the Jerry Garcia Music Arts label set up by Manasha and Garcia’s youngest daughter, Keelin, will benefit SelfRealization Fellowship, a spiritual organization founded by yogi Paramahansa Yogananda.
“There’s an interesting circularity to this project, as my grandfather gave me his copy of ‘ Autobiography of a Yogi’ to read when I was a teenager,” Manasha Garcia, coproducer at Jerry Garcia Music Arts, said in a statement accompanying the new release. “Later, when I began singing in the SelfRealization Fellowship choir, Jerry would listen to the choral practice tapes and play guitar to help me follow the sheet music for the holiday recitals.”
But for Garcia, the project was most likely another avenue to feed his restless spirit.
“I do recall that he was a very happy camper when Sanjay came to the Dead’s studio, Front Street,” McNally said.
“The music was new, and that’s the way he liked it.”