Phil Lesh is back with the second episode of his Darkstarathon—the “Dark Star” jam that “paused but never stops”—and this time the Grateful Dead bassist is joined by a new lineup featuring Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge on drums, Jason Crosby, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, and Grahame Lesh.
After announcing the Darkstarathon along with the launch of his new Terrapin Clubhouse, Lesh kicked off the ongoing collaboration with the same lineup featured in the first two episodes of his Clubhouse Sessions series. Both sessions and the first Darkstarathon episode appeared to be from the same session featuring Grahame Lesh, Daniel Donato, Nicki Bluhm, Holly Bowling, and John Molo.
Episode two picks up right where the first left off, not only starting with the song’s second verse but seeming to meld perfectly with and segue out of the end of the previous jam. Unlike the first three Terrapin Clubhouse releases, though, the latest episode showcases a new, unique lineup with ALO guitarist and former Terrapin Crossroads regular Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz reuniting with the 84-year-old bassist alongside his son Grahame and frequent Lesh collaborator Jason Crosby. The most unique part of the lineup though, is that Oteil Burbridge is on drums.
Burbridge has been showcasing his drum chops with Mickey Hart and Jay Lane during Dead & Company’s “Drums” jams for years, but it is unusual to see him playing a drum set in a traditional band configuration. The accomplished bassist demonstrates his ability to improvise with all four limbs and even plays traditional grip like a well-schooled jazz drummer.
Similar to episode one, the jam extends to almost 40 minutes, but whereas the first included the first verse of “Dark Star” and several other songs—“Franklin’s Tower”, “Good Lovin’”, “Morning Dew”, and “When I Paint My Masterpiece”—before concluding, the second consists largely of one long extended improvisation and a brief instrumental detour through “Stella Blue”.
“That’s super fun,” Burbridge says to Lesh and the band at the end of the jam. “I haven’t done that on drums in a really long time.”
“Let’s do it again Oteil,” Phil responds. “Next time do both drums and bass, okay?”
“At once!” Grahame jokes.
Watch episode two of the Darkstarathon below
Phil Lesh – Terrapin Clubhouse Darkstarathon – Episode 2
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