Grateful Dead/Dead & Company guitarist Bob Weir was among the honorees in last night’s “A Great Night In Harlem” all-star benefit concert at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. The gala supporting the nonprofit Jazz Foundation of America featured additional performances by the Sun Ra Arkestra, Chuck D and others.
Weir was accompanied by a core combo consisting of the concert’s musical director (and JFA artistic director), drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and saxophonist David Murray (auxiliary horn players also sporadically joined in). Jordan’s many impressive credits include currently playing drums in The Rolling Stones. Tacuma is similarly accomplished having begun his career supporting jazz legend Ornette Coleman. Murray has also played with many jazz greats, performed with the Grateful Dead in the 1990s, and has recorded the band’s music on multiple occasions.
Weir’s jazzy set began with a loose arrangement of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” The ensemble then eased through a breezy rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Bird Song.” A funked-up presentation Weir’s Dead original “West L.A. Fadeaway” came next. Weir closed his set on The Apollo stage with Bobby “Blue” Bland’s searing blues classic, “Turn On Your Lovelight.” The entire “A Great Night In Harlem” concert can be viewed below – Weir’s performance begins at the 2:17:00 mark of the video.
To watch “A Great Night in Harlem,” click here.
