Stars: Jerry Garcia, Dave Grisman

Director: Gillian Grisman

Summary: A profile of the life and work of Jerry Garcia, guitarist for the Grateful Dead and David Grisman, founder of 'Dawg' music.

GRATEFUL DAWG is an illuminating documentary that shows an entirely different side to Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia. In the early 1960s, Garcia met bluegrass mandolin musician David Grisman, and their mutual love of Bill Monroe's music led them to form Old & In the Way, which released its first album in 1973. Their collaboration loosened up Grisman and tightened up Garcia, resulting in excellent records and a lasting friendship that is revealed here in fascinating detail. (They even end up looking somewhat alike.) After spending thirteen years doing other projects, they reunited and eventually played a Christmas concert at Sweetwater on December 18, 1990. They also played together a year later, at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco on December 17. Never-before-seen footage from these two shows dominates the film, and includes full-length versions of the Jimmy Cliff song "Sittin' in Limbo," the sea shanty "Off to Sea Once More," their own "Dawg's Waltz," the Dead's "Friend of the Devil," and the classic 17-minute jam "Arabia." There is also footage of them in the studio recording the playful old children's ditty "Jenny Jenkins" for the NOT FOR KIDS ONLY album. But the true star of this documentary is the unseen Gillian Grisman, David's daughter, who set up a camera whenever Jerry would visit, capturing David and Jerry's wonderful interplay in the living room or in the studio, a relaxed and happy Jerry just enjoying himself, with none of the pressures of having to live up to being the much-worshiped Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. At the end of the film, when David, his family, and the other members of the band talk about Jerry's death, it is hard not to get choked up.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

At its best, Grateful Dawgcelebrates the easy friendship and truly inspired musicianship of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman through grainy home-movie footage with surprisingly crisp sound. Garcia was famous as the visionary behind the Grateful Dead, but his musical tastes were broad and he found a rewarding partnership with mandolinist Grisman, whose distinctive "Dawg" style fused jazz with bluegrass. As one of the film's commentators says, Grisman made Garcia tighter as a musician, while Garcia made Grisman looser, and where they met they created an infectious, rootsy style they called Grateful Dawg. The film's many highlights include instrumental versions of "Dawg Waltz", "Shady Grove" and "Arabia", as well as splendid footage from Garcia and Grisman's days in Old &In The Way. The talking heads inserted ham-fistedly between and over performances become repetitious and finally downright annoying. But Garcia and Grisman fans will still enjoy the glimpse of a rare musical alchemy. --Anne Hurley

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2000
Release Date:	June 9, 2003
Runtime:	78 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 32945
Keywords:	General, Grateful, Dawg, Documentaries, Biographies
Genre:	Documentaries & Biographies