Hard Bop Messengers Play Grateful Dead at The Blue Strawberry
Posted by John Covelli on March 6, 2023
When
Fri, April 7, 2023
7:00 pm
Save the date
Musicians
John Covelli
tromboneNick Savage
drumsChristopher Meschede
bassJesse Gannon & The Truth
pianoBen Shafer
saxophoneMatt Krieg
voice / vocalsAbout
Hard Bop Messengers’ latest creative project focuses on jazz interpretations of the Grateful Dead.
John Covelli, a 38-year veteran of the St. Louis music scene, leads his Messengers into new territory at this special Blue Strawberry engagement. The group recently shared a preview of this new creative endeavor with audiences at their “Live at The Last Hotel” performances in St. Louis and Chicago. A medley of “New Speedway Boogie” with an improvised segue into “Cumberland Blues” was a big hit with listeners and left the crowd asking for more.
Noting the Dead’s 1970 release, “Workingman’s Dead”, those two songs appear back-to-back on the album but had rarely or never been combined into an extended jam. The Hard Bop Messengers’ performance in Chicago exhibits this mashup of musical styles. ...