Are the Grateful Dead really a jazz band?

Question

In a very recent interview, Bob Weir was asked what are some misconceptions about the Dead.

His reply regarded the Dead being the Godfather's of jam bands was actually not true. He said that the real source of their inspiration is from the early days of jazz.
Here's the interview.
http://www.bonnaroo.com/

So what do you think?

Also, "Space" is really an avante guard exercise. It's created the same way "free jazz" concerts/recordings are. True?

Answer 1

haha no

Answer 2

I think what Bob was referring to is that many jazz musicians would say improvisation is the essence of jazz. Where jamming is just basically laying down licks and seing what happens, jazz improv requires complete mastery of the music and the instrument, freeing the musician and the group to take the music to new places, and making each performance new and unique. The Grateful Dead embodied this approach more than any other band in the modern era, and this is the reason why fans collect their live performances with such dedication.

Answer 3

Improvision is what jazz wass all about so in that regard yes the Dead were a jazz band. Any one who is a deadhead will tell you that The Dead never played a song live the same way twice they improvised solo's to fit their mood. The musicians never knew where the song was going themselves which is why their live recordings are plentiful and popular.

Answer 4

I think Bob Weir was referring to their freestyle improvisation style incorporated in many of their "jam sessions" was influenced and/or inspired by the early days of jazz. This is the case with many rock and funk musicians.

In response to your question, no they are not a jazz band.

Answer 5

that guy is pretty much a walking pharmaceutical company. lol.

lots of artists are influenced by things that they dont play. the original drummer of KISS grew up with jazz stuff, Ozzy wanted to be in the Beatles, eddie van halen listened to classical and blues music, and the guy from green day listened to van halen but doesnt play anything like that at all.

there were jam bands before the dead, the dead were just the first one with that kind of sound. kinda country-ish, kinda blues-ish.... hard to nail it down. most of the other jam bands back in the day were very southern sounding (think allman brothers).

so, they're not a jazz band, they're a stoned jam band with all kindsa influence sprinkled in. lol.

Answer 6

Garcia played in all blue grass bands and some jazz before the dead. He was the dead. They weren't a jazz band though. They define what a jam band is.

Answer 7

The world used to be a lot better. Miles Davis played at the Fillmore, for instance. Now we are grouped by genres along political lines so that we can be sold products designed for our needs, read news tailored to our interests and vote for candidates organized by the prevailing political demographic.

Signed, Grateful Dead Jazz fan

Answer 8

Na.. the Dead are not a jazz band.. those long jams were probably driven by psychedelic drugs not musical knowledge.. I think Phil Lesh was probably the best musician in the band.. Jerry might have played a little "outside",but I'm sure he wasn't educated in the jazz genre.

Answer 9

They were a "jam band", not a jazz band. They were a rock band who used elements of jazz, blues, country. I saw them live in Chicago years ago.

Answer 10

yes, played some of the tunes they taught me just tonight at my gig. Jazz is a free form music style and so is the Dead.

Answer 11

you can take inspiration from any genre of music, but that doesn't automatically put you into a particular type of genre. the grateful dead were definitely not a jazz band.