Well Matched: The Best of Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia

Critical reception

On Allmusic, Steve Leggett said, "[Saunders and Garcia led a band] specializing in a graceful mix of jazz, R&B, blues, gospel, and light funk with hints of bop, fusion, and even reggae. Aside from the two-volume Live at Keystone (1973), most of the group's recorded output appeared on various Saunders releases on Fantasy Records, and this remarkably cohesive compilation picks key tracks from all of these, with roughly half of the set coming from the Keystone LPs. Garcia is in full flight here as a guitarist, with Saunders' soul-jazz organ giving things a wonderfully fluid feel, and the end result is a kind of laid-back West Coast jazz-rock that is very much the sum of its parts.

In Glide magazine, Shawn Donohue wrote, "... the music presented here is superb and will prove especially profound for those recreational fans that aren’t as familiar with the duo's past efforts. Garcia always seems to be musically smiling while he is onstage with Saunders, and his playing is precise while Saunders' keys babble along, coaxing Garcia to hit the right notes for maximum effect. It's quite a different ride from his Grateful Dead days. If you're new to this musical tag-team, grab this album as a jumping off point, you will not be disappointed."

On Sea of Tranquility, Mike Blackburn said, "During that four to five year period, and under Saunder's loose Art Tatum based jazz tutelage, Garcia reined in his free flowing solo style somewhat, injecting some discipline and fire into his playing. The result was a Well-Matched collaboration indeed, resulting in this fiery yet harmonic display of musical expression. Of the bounty of work Jerry created outside the confines of the Dead (who were also arguably hitting their commercial peak during those early 70s), these jams and collaborations represent perhaps the very best."

Musicians

Production