A converted supermarket that still bore the signs of its former occupation, Sophie’s was [in 1976] a mainstay of the Garcia Band, a comfortable, funky venue that welcomed the band four times that year… And for Garcia, it was also familiar turf, a return to the town where he had first made his commitment to music.

-Nicholas G. Meriwether, liner notes

Today marks two years since I moved to Northern California, and what better way to celebrate than with a Jerry show? This recording of the Jerry Garcia Band in 1976 in Palo Alto was largely forgotten until the tapes were found in Donna Jean Godchaux’s storage in the 2010s. This lineup of JGB featured Donna on vocals, Keith Godchaux on piano, John Kahn on bass and Ron Tutt on drums. A familiar and winning quintet, they strike a nice contrast to later JGB lineups, which generally featured non-GD related keyboardists.

In 2021 I covered the slowness of ’76 Dead for my post on their 6/18 and 6/21 shows, and that rings true for most of this set as well. You can hear the “Row Jimmy” reggae tempo in “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” early on. The Godchaux’s presence is felt strongly (as it was with their tenure in the Grateful Dead) – Keith complements the expansive Garcia workouts on his piano and Donna adds another dimension to the vocals. She even takes lead, as on the highlight “Stir It Up”, a Marley classic that she does proud service to.

“Who Was John?” is a super bluesy turn from Jerry, and a jammer’s delight at over fourteen minutes. Speaking of which, this “Don’t Let Go” is a twenty-two minute beast. Jerry is given that floor around four minutes in, and what follows is the most deliberate, unhurried and collective improvisation of the night. Kahn has a bass solo around fourteen minutes that Jerry and Keith gently push up against before the whole group comes together at full volume. Rounding things out is a smoking “Mighty High”. This release is one of my absolute favorites of the GarciaLive series and an easy recommendation for a Garcia fan of any level.

Listen to GarciaLive Volume Seven here.