Jazz is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazzy influences instrumentally. The band's first line-up consisted of: Jimmy Herring (guitar), Alphonso Johnson (bass), Billy Cobham (drums) and T Lavitz (keyboards). There have been different line-ups over time with T. Lavitz being the only mainstay off all of them. In 1999 Billy Cobham was replaced by Dixie Dregs and Winger drummer Rod Morgenstein and Phil Lesh and Friends drummer Jeff Sipe and in 2001 guitarist Jeff Pevar replaced Jimmy Herring. Little Feat's Kenny Gradney also did a stint with the group on bass. The group went through a few more line-up changes (mostly bassists and drummers) over the years including the addition of Dave Livolsi on bass in 2002 and the reinstated dual-drummer line-up of Stipe and Morgenstein in 2006. In March of 2006 this line-up set out for a month long tour featuring the music of "Blues For Allah" to coincide with its 30th Anniversary.

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History

Three years after the Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia died, the first line-up of Jazz Is Dead released their first album, Blue Light Rain , which is in fact the first lyrical line from the song "Unbroken Chain". This album features "Crazy Fingers", "Scarlet Begonias", "Dark Star", "Red Baron" by Billy Cobham, the Phil Lesh classic "Unbroken Chain", and the Blues for Allah tunes "King Solomon's Marbles" and the epic "Help on The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower>Spiral Staircase" medley.

Their second album, released in 1999, was "Laughing Water", a track-for-track tribute to Wake of the Flood in its entirety.

Great Sky River , the band's 2000 live release, includes "China Cat Sunflower", "Estimated Prophet", "St. Stephen" > "The Eleven", "Blues for Allah", "Terrapin Station", "Dark Star", "Morning Dew" and "drumz".

Currently, Jazz is Dead has no plans for further album releases or tours. They are no longer interested in jazz, stating "jazz, is in fact, dead." although this should be looked at as somewhat of a joke seeing as almost all of the musicians ever involved with the band have come from jazz backgrounds.

Members

Jazz Is Dead #1 (1998)

• Jimmy Herring (guitar)
• Alphonso Johnson (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Billy Cobham (drums)

Jazz Is Dead #2 (1999)

• Jimmy Herring (guitar)
• Alphonso Johnson (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Rod Morgenstein (drums)
• Jeff Sipe (drums)

Jazz Is Dead #3 (2001)

• Jeff Pevar (guitar)
• Alphonso Johnson (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Rod Morgenstein (drums)

Jazz Is Dead #4 (2002)

• Jeff Pevar (guitar)
• Kenny Gradney (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Billy Cobham (drums)

Jazz Is Dead #5 (2002)

• Jeff Pevar (guitar)
• Dave Livolsi (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Rod Morgenstein (drums)

Jazz Is Dead #6 (2006)

• Jeff Pevar (guitar)
• Dave Livolsi (bass)
• T Lavitz (keyboards)
• Rod Morgenstein (drums)
• Jeff Sipe (drums)

Discography

• Blue Light Rain (1998)
• Laughing Water (1999)
• Great Sky River (2000)