Grateful Deadication 2 Dave McMurray

• 1 Playing in the Band 07:07
• 2 China Cat Sunflower 07:50
• 3 Bird Song 08:56
• 4 To Lay Me Down 08:30
• 5 Truckin’ 06:14
• 6 The Other One 08:54
• 7 If I Had the World to Give 04:26
• 8 Scarlet Begonias 05:45
• 9 Crazy Fingers 07:04
• Total Runtime 01:04:46

Info for Grateful Deadication 2

Saxophonist Dave McMurray returns with Grateful Deadication 2, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2021 tribute album which once again finds the saxophonist reimagining the songs of the Grateful Dead with his gritty and soulful Detroit sound which draws upon jazz, pop, rock, soul, reggae, R&B, gospel, and more. Grateful Deadication 2 features special guests Jamey Johnson, Oteil Burbridge, Bob James, and Don Was on a collection of Dead favourites including “Truckin’,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “China Cat Sunflower.”

"Two years after Grateful Deadication, his initial journey into the music of the Grateful Dead, saxophonist Dave McMurray digs even deeper. Once again, he's supported by his killer Detroit band -- bassist Ibrahim Jones, guitarist Wayne Gerard, keyboardist Maurice O'Neal, and drummer Jeff Canady -- with longtime friends and colleagues in percussionist Larry Fratangelo and keyboardist Luis Resto. The nine-song set also features a star-studded guest list.

Opener "Playing in the Band" is performed by McMurray's quintet, along with Fratangelo and Resto. They get funky almost immediately thanks to Canady's syncopated breaks before a gritty tenor delivers the melody, and they play the hell out of the vamp and handle the middle eight with elegance. Framed by a lilting B-3, upright bass, and drum kit, McMurray's solo weds post-bop to contemporary soul jazz. The last two minutes offer skittering organs, punchy guitars, and drums, with McMurray soaring up top. The minimal blues guitar intro on "China Cat Sunflower" echoes Jerry Garcia's original, with McMurray employing tenor and a lilting flute. While the GD opted for exploratory psychedelia, McMurray delivers danceable jazz-funk adorned with a killer tenor solo and exceptional modal piano from O'Neal. "Bird Song" is introduced by a flute before sparse, rumbling kick drums, poetic guitar, and guest Don Was' upright bass open the gate to jazz. The band is economical, as a two-chord piano vamp frames McMurray's tenor working the lyric vamp before paving the way for solos, including a beauty from Gerard. Criminally under-recorded country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson sings highlight "To Lay Me Down." A short, rippling piano intro, reedy tenor, and sparse percussion that offers a subtle nod to Pharoah Sanders, before Larry Campbell's fingerpicked acoustic guitar introduces the singer. Convicted and tender, he has never appeared with such vulnerability before. Was' upright, Gerard's electric, and guest Greg Leisz's pedal steel wrap the resonant singer as McMurray frames him in modal soloing. The funky read of "Truckin'" quotes from Booker T. & the MG's' "Green Onions" with Resto's organ the star component. Bob James lends his piano to both "The Other One" and "If I Had the World to Give." The former offers a three-minute post-bop intro with striking interplay between pianist and saxophonist. When the jamming begins, rock and funk inform Jones' smoking bass line, and Gerard's careening guitar and O'Neal's keyboard stack. "Scarlet Begonias," sung by Oteil Burbridge, employs a danceable, NOLA second line groove. The band gels behind the singer, propelling the tune into winding jazz-funk with overdubbed tenor saxes adding color and texture, illustrated by Canady's taut breaks. Closer "Crazy Fingers" is delivered by the quintet with a languid, melodic intro before shape-shifting into rocksteady reggae and transforming again into a rock anthem with transcendent soloing from McMurray. Grateful Deadication 2 easily equals the quality of its predecessor. Taken together, they create one of the more spirited, musically adventurous jazz-funk portraits of the Grateful Dead's music." (Thom Jurek, AMG)

Dave McMurray, saxophone
Wayne Gerard, guitar
Maurice O’Neal, keyboards
Luis Resto, piano
Ibrahim Jones, bass
Jeff Canady, drums
Larry Fratangelo, percussion
Guests:
Jamey Johnson, vocals (track 4)
Greg Leisz, pedal steel (track 4)
Larry Campbell, guitar (track 4)
Don Was, bass (track 4)
Bob James, piano (tracks 6-7)
Oteil Burbridge, vocals (track 8)

Dave McMurray
Held in high regard, Detroit Dave McMurray is multi-instrumentalist, who combines his mastery of the tenor, soprano and alto saxophones with his talents of the flute, keyboards, and percussion to producee an ideal blend of musical genius.

With five (5) CD's to his credit, McMurray is currently a mainstay as musical director and featured solist with Motown R&B artist KEM. He is also currently touring as featuring saxophonist with Kid Rock. He has toured with the like of Bob James, Was (Not Was), Chuck Loeb and toured Europe with Geri Allen's electric band. He has recorded with Gladys Knight, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, and Bootsy Collins. His truly a musician's musician.

Dave's first CD under his own name was released in 1996. The Dave McMurray sho on Warner Bros. US. It was an adventure in the playground of R&B, Hip Hop and Jazz. The pivotal point in McMurray's musical development arose when he joined the group Was (Not Was), whose freestyle approach enabled McMurray to cross genres with inspired vision. McMurrays work with the group led to performances on the Don Was produced Backbeat soundtrack; The B-52's Good Work; and the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge.

McMurray released and produced his second album entitle Peace of Mind on the Hip Bop Label in 1999. It contains eleven original compositions with include contributions from special guests Bob James, Don and David Was and guitarist Mark Whitfield. The Peace of Mind project allowed McMurray to fully demonstrate his talents as a writer, producer, and musician following many years of working with artists such as Iggy Pop, Bob James, Nancy Wilson, Patti Smith, Cheb Khalib and Freddie Jackson to name a few.

This album contains no booklet.