Renowned for his three-decade stint as the bassist wi… Read Full Bio ↴From JamBase:
Renowned for his three-decade stint as the bassist with the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh proved a fan favorite as much for his distinctive jazz playing as for his single-minded devotion to the band, overseeing the quality of every legitimate release. He has issued two solo albums under Phil Lesh & Friends, a quintet that channels the Dead but utilizes only one drummer. His distinctive, wordy writing style, full of allusions, aphorisms, and wordplay, overlays an endearingly low-key jam sound. Listening to Phil Lesh is like reuniting with an old friend, a pleasant, comforting, immensely enjoyable experience.
From Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh_and_Friends):
Phil Lesh & Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, bassist of the Grateful Dead. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including ones featuring members of Phish, Little Feat, and the Zen Tricksters. The most permanent of these lineups, known as the Phil Lesh Quintet (PLQ or just "the Q" for short) played on a mostly-regular basis from September of 2000 through December 2003. The members of this incarnation were Lesh, Warren Haynes (guitar & vocals; also of Gov't Mule and Allman Brothers Band), Jimmy Herring (guitar; The Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit, etc), Rob Barraco (keyboards; The Zen Tricksters) and John Molo (drums; Bruce Hornsby and the Range). This unit released an album, There and Back Again, on Columbia Records in 2002. It included several new songs from Lesh and Robert Hunter, longtime Grateful Dead lyricist, as well as one recent favorite from Jerry Garcia and Hunter, and several original contributions from Haynes, Barraco/Mattson and Herring.
The Phil & Friends concept takes the music of the Grateful Dead (and an ever-increasing number of other influences, including Bob Dylan, Traffic, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Warren Haynes' own Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers, etc) and explores and interprets it in new ways. Through the Quintet years, a Phil & Friends show was often focused on harder, faster rock than that which the Grateful Dead played, thanks in large part to Haynes' and Herring's talents at the Southern rock style. Lesh was fond of calling it "Dixieland-style rock." However, all of the incarnations of Phil & Friends have followed a trend of "updating" the Grateful Dead's massive body of work, and all have been extremely adept at the long, exploratory jams that were a trademark of the Dead. Phil & Friends has been acclaimed for giving new life to the Grateful Dead's material, bringing in new styles and innovations, while at the same time remaining loyal to the original music and the original fans. It is this melding of musical influences that has given them extremely wide appeal not only among old Deadheads, but the modern-day fans of other jam bands as well.
The Summer 2006 formation of Phil & Friends, including Lesh, Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, fiddle); Joan Osborne (vocals); John Scofield (guitar)/Barry Sless (pedal steel guitar)/Trey Anastasio (guitar); Rob Barraco (keyboards), and John Molo (drums), debuted in June 2006 at the Bonnaroo music festival.
The latest band (fall 2006) led by Phil consists of Lesh, Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, fiddle), Trey Anastasio (guitar and vocals), John Medeski (keyboards), John Molo (drums) and Christina Durfee (vocals). This formation recently played two shows at the 2006 Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas, and was billed as "Phil and Trey," so it's unknown whether this lineup will tour as Phil & Friends, or at all.
Phil & Friends has continued the Grateful Dead's tradition of allowing fans to record concerts, and trade these recordings freely. The Internet has been an invaluable source for these tapers to disseminate this music through various sources, including Archive.org, and the vast BitTorrent file-sharing network. Phil has also embraced the Internet by providing free soundboard recordings of many concerts through his website, even providing high-resolution CD covers for fans to print. For his Summer 2006 tour, Phil partnered with Instant Live, a company that was able to provide soundboard CD's of a concert immediately upon its finishing, as well as make these recordings available for fans to download online, though this service was not free.
Commercial releases from Phil and Friends have included Love Will See You Through (1999), There and Back Again (2002), mentioned above, and Live at the Warfield Theater (2006), which was actually a separately-sold 2-CD or a 2-DVD set sharing the same name.
Jam
Phil Lesh and Friends Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wildest box in town is Duke's place
Love that piano sound in Duke's place
Saxes do their tricks in Duke's place
Fellas swing their chicks in Duke's place
Come on, get your kicks in Duke's place
You find yourself a seat, and when you want to eat
You fill your cup chock full of dreams and drink it up
You're jetting along with your girlie
It's after three o'clock, but, baby, it's still early
If you've never been to Duke's place
Take your tootsies into Duke's place
Life is in a spin in Duke's place
The lyrics to Phil Lesh and Friends' song "Jam in 2" pay homage to the legendary Duke Ellington and his Harlem nightclub, Duke's Place. The singer of the song is urging their lover to come with them to Duke's Place, a wild and exciting spot with a fantastic piano sound and saxophonists who perform impressive tricks. The scene is lively and energetic, as people swing around their partners and enjoy themselves with drinks and dreams.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a night out at Duke's Place, a popular spot for both locals and visitors. It's a place of joy and vitality, where people come to forget their worries and lose themselves in the music and the moment. The singer encourages the listener to join in the fun, promising that they'll have a great time and that it's never too late to start.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, take me down to Duke's place
Requesting someone to take you to Duke's Place
Wildest box in town is Duke's place
Duke's Place is the most energetic and vibrant spot in the town
Love that piano sound in Duke's place
The sound of the piano at Duke's Place is enjoyable and pleasant
Saxes do their tricks in Duke's place
The saxophones players at Duke's Place perform skillful music
Fellas swing their chicks in Duke's place
Men dance with their partners at Duke's Place
Come on, get your kicks in Duke's place
A call to have fun and enjoy oneself at Duke's Place
You find yourself a seat, and when you want to eat
You look around and yell waiter
Instructions on how to order food at Duke's Place
You fill your cup chock full of dreams and drink it up
You're jetting along with your girlie
Metaphor for enjoying oneself and feeling hopeful for the future while being with a significant other
It's after three o'clock, but, baby, it's still early
Even though it's late at night, there's still plenty of time to have fun
If you've never been to Duke's place
Take your tootsies into Duke's place
Encouraging people to visit Duke's Place if they haven't been there before
Life is in a spin in Duke's place
The atmosphere at Duke's Place is lively and energetic
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wharfomatic
I've been watching Phil on stage since 1973 and every time he sings I think to myself "What a great bass player" LOL!!
@cognitivedissonance7539
Been watching Bobby play and sing since 1985 and every time I do I miss Jerry and am glad Phil is stil alive.
@fatamorgana4318
When I read this Wave to the Wind popped into my head! 🤣
@lve6211
that being said studio box of rain is one of the best pieces of art ever to grace this planet.
@jonathanp935
Just an amazing lineup. Phil on bass and vocals, Warren on vocals and guitar, Chimenti on keys, Russo on drums and Scofield on 2nd guitar. Possibly the best lineup ever. Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule, JRAD, MMSW and Dead and Company members all on stage at once.
@garychetkof1227
Crazy energy when the first notes of Shakedown reverberated around the Mountain!
@user-if7ux1vx7f
I wish EVERY Grateful Dead song had Phil up front in the mix like this.
@andrebouchard6222
I absolutely adore this version of Low Spark Of The High Heeled Boys
@MaddMikesBlueTornado
This is one of the Best Live footage I have had the pleasure to consume. Masterfully executed!
@patkuhl
Phil is in his 70's. Give him a break. I hope to be rockin like that when I'm his age.