The liner notes for the remastered Almost Acoustic disc label Swing Low Sweet Chariot from 12/3/87, however, it doesn’t show up on the setlist. It was, however, played the next night, 12/4/87. Nevertheless, I’m opting to simply leave this one labeled as 12/3/87 for now until there’s definitive proof it’s from a different night.
This song provides a wonderful example of how two distinct styles – gospel and bluegrass – can be fused together to create something new and unique. The Garcia Acoustic Band wasn’t around for a long time, and only played a handful of shows in 1987 and 1988 (although the acoustic band opened for the electric Garcia band for a rather lengthy run in the fall of 1987 when Bill Graham booked the bands on Broadway). If one had to speculate, I think it wouldn’t be too far off the mark to assume that had Jerry lived longer he would have gotten into more of this type of stuff in his time away from the Dead. His relationship and recordings with David Grisman in the early 1990s provide a bit of impetus for this assertion.
Regardless of what might have happened we should all be thankful for what did happen. Fortunately there are at least a few recording of the JGAB for us to feast our ears on!
Sandy Rothman plays some great mandolin parts here, and David Kemper keeps things moving throughout with a steady shuffle beat. This is a short number and there aren’t any of your typical extended instrumental passages, but the arrangement is phenomenal and the delivery is top notch.
