Pure Jerry: Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974

Critical reception

On Allmusic, Lindsay Planer wrote, "Within this context, Garcia's predilection and underrated jazz leanings are given plenty of room for some stretched-out exploratory excursions.... For the inclined, 2004's Pure Jerry: Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974 is a no-brainer, while the faithful might liken it unto aural manna for the masses. Curious parties won't leave disappointed, either."

In The Music Box, John Metzger wrote, "Granted, the set lists employed by any of the Garcia-Saunders projects didn't vary tremendously from one show to the next, and each was peppered with an organic blend of Bob Dylan-penned, Motown-germinated, jazz, blues, funk, reggae, and rock selections.... Not surprisingly, the end result of such improvisational mayhem could be a hit-and-miss affair, but for whatever reason, September 1, 1974 yielded a truly awesome, mind-blowing experience, one that rivaled the Grateful Dead's own astonishing sojourns.... In essence, the fourth chapter in the Pure Jerry series amounts to being a whirlwind tour de force that far and away surpasses not only the entirety of Jerry Garcia's solo canon, but also many of the Grateful Dead's own releases."

On Jambands.com, Benjy Eisen said, "Like most of his collaborations with the encyclopedic Merl Saunders, this particular Garcia project draws from the music that gave birth to rock n' roll, and really becomes a musical revue in that sense. With the Grateful Dead, Garcia forged new musical boundaries. With this band, he stops to consider heritage. And at a time when rock 'n' roll was young to begin with.... Interestingly, Garcia does not dominate all the jams here. The baton gets passed around frequently from guitar to horns to keyboards, and the game of musical chairs is executed skillfully, with leads chasing leads, and one instrument following the other. Hand-offs are exchanged generously and gracefully, with a true sense of musical conversation. The thrill of this release is in listening to the interplay, because that's where all the action is."

In Glide magazine, Susan J. Weiand wrote, "Martin Fierro's tasteful contributions on sax and flute are clear and true, and combined with the playing of the unnamed trumpet player add so much texture to the songs. Jerry's voice sounds fresh and youthful, his playing inspired and energetic, while Merl really delivers the soul with his organ and singing, and Kahn's bass and Humphrey's drums are steady. It is evident that Jerry loved playing in his side projects as much as he loved to play with the Grateful Dead. The mood is so relaxed and one can almost hear the glasses clinking at the bar, but the music delivers the Pure Jerry fix that Deadheads and other fans can really appreciate."

Track Listing

Disc 1

1. "Neighbor, Neighbor" (Alton Joseph Valier) – 8:46
2. "Keepers" (Merl Saunders, John Kahn) – 11:15
3. "Sitting in Limbo" (Jimmy Cliff, Guillermo Bright) – 12:50
4. "Favela" (Antônio Carlos Jobim) – 13:40
5. "Tough Mama" (Bob Dylan) – 7:14
6. "La La" (Martin Fierro) – 22:43

Disc 2

1. "Someday Baby" (Lightnin' Hopkins) – 9:52
2. "Think" (Jimmy McCracklin, Deadric Malone) – 7:09
3. "Roadrunner" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) – 10:15
4. "The Harder They Come" (Cliff) – 13:21
5. "I Second That Emotion" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) – 14:35
6. "Going, Going, Gone" (Dylan) – 14:25

Disc 3

1. "Soul Roach" (Saunders, Ray Shanklin) – 10:32
2. "Mystery Train" (Sam Phillips, Junior Parker) – 12:51
3. "Wondering Why" (Saunders, Pam Carrier) – 15:53
4. "People Make the World Go Round" (Thom Bell, Linda Epstein) – 3:43
5. "Keystone Jam" (Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders Band) – 15:16
6. "It's Too Late" (Chuck Willis) – 8:55
7. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" – (Robbie Robertson) – 6:26

Musicians

Production